《Sacred》


 Prologue

    ¡°Father, we can¡¯t just leave you here!¡± cried princess Jessica as she held onto her dying father. Her whole body shaking as she tried uselessly to block the blood seeping out from beneath the king¡¯s chest.


    ¡°You must,¡± choked the king, blood gurgling up from his throat out through his mouth and onto the ground. The king stared up at his daughter, a disheveled girl who was barely of age. She was all he had left in this world. His wife the queen had died in labour, leaving both him and his daughter alone in this world. She had made him promise to protect her always. He had kept his promise up until now. His eyes filled with sorrow knowing he no longer could protect her from the dark world anymore. He cried inside, the pain of having to leave his child behind chaining his heart. But this was no time to sulk. He needed to act fast. They were almost here. Using the last of his strength, he held up his hand, grabbed hold of the boy crouching next to him. ¡°Shawn, protect her¡± he pleaded shoving a leather poach into his hands. ¡°Never let them get their hands on the contents of this poach¡± he coughed, blood spewing everywhere.


    Shawn looked down at the dying king, trying bitterly to hold back his own tears. He looked from the king then to the princess and finally down to the poach in his hands. He swallowed hard and nodded his head. He knew his duties. He was the last of the standing guards. His duties were to protect the kingdom and the royal family at all cost. The king was to far gone to be saved, the kingdom had fallen, but the princess, she must live on, for a future to exist. She was too important to lose. The contents of the poach must also be extremely important if the king would risk everything to protect it.


    The king smiled. Lowering his hand to the ground. He traced a symbol with his blood. The symbol glowed as he finished drawing. Under his breath the king chanted a spell, a silver light left his hands falling into the symbol.


    Shawn stared at the symbol. It was a simple ordinarily looking ruin, yet it was also intricate. It was not a spell he had seen before. What spell did the king cast? Shawn knew a fair bit about magic, he was an apprentice guardian and guardians were the protectors of the realm. All guardians were charmers.


    As the ruin glowed Jessica screamed. Shawn looked up from the ruin and saw the kings head tilt, flopping lifelessly into the princess¡¯s arms. Shawn¡¯s inside turned, grief took over him. Next to him the princess rocked the king¡¯s lifeless body back and forth. Her face burrowed into the dead king¡¯s chest. Her throat croaking with inhuman sounds.


    The door to the great room burst open. Shawn looked up in alarm. The enemy! They had arrived. He had to get the princess away. Suddenly the room grew bitterly cold, too cold to be normal. A crackling came from behind where the secret exit stood. The last escape path they had. The place where they were trying to get to before the king got wounded by the black mage that followed them here. The black mage that the king killed before he to went to the great beyond.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Shawn glanced behind. His heart stopped. The entire back wall was encased in ice. No! Shawn screamed in his head. There was no way out. He looked down at the princess, she was still holding on to the dead king, lost in her sorrows. There was no way to get her out of here. Was this the end?


    A figure draped in a black robe walked slowly into the room. His eyes glowed dark red as he gazed at them. Shawn shivered as their gazes met. Shawn knew who he was. His legs gave way, causing him to faltered backwards onto the ground next to the princess. This man was no other then the one who destroyed Lugan. The kingdom in which he swore to protect. This man was Ishamel, the dark wizard of old. The oldest of dark wizards.


    Ishamel stoped by the entrance to the room and smiled. ¡°So even the king could not withstand my spells. How very disappointing.¡± He sighed gazing at Shawn''s hands. As his gaze caught sight of the poach, his faced glowed, ¡°Ahh, is that where the old man stashed the crystals?" He asked taking a step forward.


    Shawn tightened his grip on the poach as if it would fly out of his hands at any moment. He tried to back away but found himself unable to move. He looked down at his legs. They were encased in ice. The ice from the back wall had crawled up from behind, freezing his lower body while he wasn¡¯t paying attention. Shawn tried to think of his training, but his mind was blank. Only terror gripped him. He could not think at all.


    Ishameal was almost in front of them. Shawn had to do something, anything. Then he saw the symbol on the ground. Suddenly he knew what to do. He had no idea how he knew, but he just knew. With all his strength he grabbed the princess, who was still sobbing over her dead fathers corpse. He placed the poach onto the faintly glowing ruin.


    The moment the poach touched the ruin, the ice encasing Shawn melted. Red hot scorching flames circled them, blocking Ishameal from getting to them. At first Ishameal did not think much of the flames. He thought they were just a last effort the of boy to deter him. He laughed as he summoned cold air, accompanied with freezing ice, trying to snuff out the flames. Soon he realized, the flames were no ordinary flames. He backed away fearing that something had gone awry. But it was to late, the flames had stretched behind him, blocking his exit.


    Ishameal screamed in outrage as he realized what had happened. The boy had somehow summoned the holy flames of Solomon. He struggled and cast every spell he could muster, but the flames engulfed him. Swallowing him up in an instant. Ishameal screamed in disbelief. The flames slowly froze him in time. As he succumbed to the flames, he cast one last spell. A roar of chaos erupted from within him, spreading out from his body until it shrouded the entire kingdom.


    Shawn watched everything unfold in disbelief. The spell that the king had cast in his final moments was none other then the holy spell of Solomon. The highest of binding spells. A spell that called forth the holiest of flames, the Flames of Solomon. No matter who or what, the flames would freeze and encase them in time and space for 1000 years. No man, beast or spirit can escape the bindings once it has been activated. It was a very powerful spell.


    The king had finished the spell but it was not activated. Shawn was the one who activated it. He did not truly understand how it happened but somehow or someone had reached into his mind and told him to do this. This was their only chance. This was the only path to the future, even if it was 1000 years into the future. Maybe in 1000 years someone or something will be able to save them. This was all he could hope for as the flames engulfed both him and the princes, freezing them for a millennium.

 Chapter 1 - Escape

    Wind howled under the silver moonlight. It traveled across great distances parting clouds as it whistled through the lands. Passing through the great forest, it converged into the mountains, until it reached the valley of the dead. It bowed pass the two great mountains dividing the valley. It twisted and turned until it whistled pass a boy who was climbing up the rocks of the valley.


    The boy was about 15. The wind blew the hood off the boy''s head. He looked down the valley, fear riddled his face. He started to breath in heavy breaths. He had traveled so far already. He could not give up. He looked up, it was not very far from the top. Leaning against the valleys walls he brushed his clothes of dust and dirt. They were torn and ripped beyond belief. The long journey had ensured that his clothes would not last. He inspected his arms and legs. They were covered in wounds. He sighed. This was the result of running. He had run away, run away from a place he dared not go near again. That place was not a place for humans. Those people were monsters, beyond monsters. They were the devil themselves.


    The boy looked down the valley walls. His pursuers were down there. He could feel it. The boys name was Chace, Chace Mettalum. He was a Charmer. He placed his hand against a crevice in the rocks and started climbing again. Slowly he climbed up the slant walls of the valley. The broken chains around his legs clinked as they brushed against the rocks. Those were the remains of the locks that bind him.


    He grabbed the top of the wall and finally managed to lift himself up and over. He breathed in a sigh of relief. The climb was long and arduous, but he had finally done it. He had reached the top of the valley of the dead. Once pass the valley he would be outside the kingdom. He would finally be outside the reach of those monsters.


    If he played his cards right. He may even be able to find others like him. Only then would he be safe. The kingdom did not accept his kind. They shunned him. They even imprisoned him. He was a charmer. One of the few in the world to be gifted with powers.


    His powers were useless to him at the moment. The shackles around his ankles, wrist and neck bound his powers. There was no way he could remove them himself. But other charmers may have a way. He could only put his hope on them. Other kingdoms were less cruel to charmers. He could only hope that life would be different elsewhere.


    He had a normal life up until his eighth birthday. That was until his powers started to manifest. That was the beginning of his nightmare. He was taken away from his parents when his powers appeared. At first, he had hoped that his parents would save him. Unfortunately, they to shunned him. They had given up on him when he was proven to be a charmer. They even went as far as disowning him. He had felt so hurt and lost that he cried every night in his cell.


    He was taken to the facility, a place where charmers were imprisoned. The kingdom hated charmers, but they also wanted to know the secrets to a charmer''s ability. They wanted to be able to study the power and take it for their own. There were all hypocrites. On one hand they hated charmers to the bone, but on the other hand they wanted the power for their own. What kind of morons were they?


    Chace only stayed on the valley''s edge for a few minutes before he started to move again. His pursuers were still on his trail. He could not let them catch up to him. Back in the last town he had passed, he was almost caught. But luckily, he hid himself inside a pile of haystack that was going out of town. He managed to slip away before the owner of the hay stack noticed him.


    He had traveled a great distance to reach this valley. The facility was located almost at the center of the kingdom. He had traveled halfway across the Kingdom. Halfway cross a land that hated his kind. He had learned to steal and hide on his journey. He found out that he was a perfectly natural thief. He had stolen countless clothes and food. These clothes he wore were all clothes he had stolen. Yet, they to have all been torn through his treacherous journey.


    Chace pulled the sack off his waist. These were his stolen goods. He was fairly skilled at stealing. That was his life saver on this long journey. Pulling out a robe, he threw it over himself. The valley was a place full of winds. He needed to be prepared. He quickly placed the sack back around his waist and pulled his hood over his head and ran up the hill toward the valley.


    He was determined to escape.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Down the valley, five men stood looking up the valley wall. They had followed the boy all the way here. They were tired and angry. How could they have let the boy get so far? This was unacceptable. One man went up to the wall and sniffed.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°It¡¯s his scent. He was her not long ago. He went up¡± he pointed upwards.


    ¡°Great,¡± said another man.


    ¡°What¡¯s so important about this boy anyways. Why don¡¯t we just let him go. We have plenty more of them back at the facility. This has been such a troublesome chase¡± said the youngest of the five men.


    The oldest man hit the young man over the head. ¡°We cannot let even a single one of them escape. Those monsters must not be let go. Besides, the doctor likes this particular subject the most. He says this boy may just be the one they need to finally crack the code to these filthy Charmer abilities.¡± He laughed menacingly.


    ¡°Alright, what are we going to do? Climbing up this wall is going to be a drag¡± said the youngest man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have technology on our side¡± he said. Taking out a small contraption and placing it on his left hand. ¡°Everyone, grab onto me. We can¡¯t allow him to escape. Even if we have to use this. He will not escape.¡± He said pushing a button on the contraception.


    Suddenly heaps of energy surrounded him and soon he, along with the other four men floated up the wall of the valley.


    "What is this?¡± asked the youngest.


    ¡°This is one of the contraption the doctor created using the life of one of the charmers. It¡¯s to bad, I had to use this for such a useless thing. It¡¯s a valuable item you know.¡± He said looking disappointed


    ¡°Wow¡± said three of the men in unison.


    Soon the five men were on the top of the cliff. The rough looking man sniffed and smiled dangerously. ¡°The boy was just here less than 10 minute ago." He informed his comrades.


    ¡°Good, we better hurry. We have a charmer to hunt. I will show that boy the consequences of running away.¡± The oldest man smiled wryly.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Chace ran into the valley. The valley was a small pathway that stood between two giant mountains. The valley was dark. Light usually could not reach all the way there because the two mountains that stood to its left and right blocked its rays. Not much could grow in these kinds of circumstances. No plants grew in the valley. Only small miniscule mosses grew within the valley.


    The clinking of the Chace''s chains echoed in the air. The valley enhanced the sound. Even his breathing could be heard from far away.


    Suddenly the sound of boots against rock echoed up from behind. Chace''s eyes widened. He looked back, he could faintly see a flint from the distance. They had caught up to him. His mind started to panic. He could not be caught. He was to close. He speedup his speed. The clinking of his chains grew louder.


    The man in the back yelled ¡°He¡¯s just up ahead. I can here the chains¡± he said laughing loudly.


    Chace shivered. He recognized the voice. It was his top pursuer and also the doctors most adamant follower. He was the guards'' commander. He could not believe that he was the one leading the chase. Although, he had been on the run for months, he had never once come this close to them. He had escaped them before, but he had never seen or heard who it was that was chasing him.


    Chace''s lungs grew heavy. He was at his limit. But he could not stop. He rather dies than be taken back. Chace looked ahead, he could see light. It was the end of the valley. He was so close.


    He squinted his eyes, he could see the bridge up ahead. If he ran pass that bridge he would be safe. His pursuers would not dare go into the other kingdoms. The kingdoms were extreme enemies. But he knew the other kingdom welcomed charmers. If he could cross the bridge, the people from the other kingdom would be able to chase his pursuers away.


    He raced across the rocks. He finally reached the hanging bridge. The bridge existed as a border against the two kingdoms. It hung across a great cliff. Two giant peaks broke through the heavens and the cliff was the result of these two giant peaks. Beneath the bridge, clouds of mist constantly hid the depths from view. But everyone knew that the cliff was almost bottomless because no one has ever returned from trying to go down the cliff.


    Chace jumped onto the bridge. It swung from side to side from his sudden movement. He started to race across.  He had no time. They were directly behind him.


    The five men also reached the bridge. Without a moment of hesitation, they to jumped onto the bridge. The bridge swung profusely as the six of them ran across.


    Chace tried his best. He was so close to the other side. He could even see the gates at the end.  Suddenly one of the men used an item and appeared in front of him. Chace''s heart stopped and so did he.


    ¡°You really made us work boy. You cost me two items. You will have to pay dearly for this¡± the commander said stepping toward Chace.


    Chace backed away. He leaned against the rope railing of the bridge. The bridge leaned to one side. He looked to his left, the commander was fast approaching. He looked to his right, the other four men were also fast approaching. He glanced behind him. The endless pit stood buried in the clouds.


    No matter what direction he looked, there was no path to safety. He closed his eyes. He rather die. He could not go back with them. Leaning farther back. He allowed gravity to take its course. Slowly he tipped over the railing and fell off the bridge. The five men all cursed in unison. But they could not stop him. They did not reach him in time.


    The commander cursed deathly foul language. He had used both of his items already. There was no way to stop the boy. He cursed so load that it echoed through the mountain.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Chace fell through the mist of clouds. His speed increasing minute by minute. Wind tore through his hair. He could not remember the last time that he had felt this free. Yes, he was about to die, but he was finally free. Free of the facility. Free from the restraints of the kingdom. And free from a world that had tormented him. He spread his out his arms, ready to embrace the end.  He closed his eyes ready to dive into the darkness.


    Suddenly the whistling of the winds stopped. The feeling of impending doom stopped. Everything just stopped.


    Chase opened his eyes and found a pair of blue pupils staring directly at him.


    ¡°Wah, that was a close one. You shouldn¡¯t fall through the sky like that. It¡¯s really bad manners to die in such a way¡± said a boy with blue eyes.

 Chapter 2 - Nate Storms

    Nate Storms just left his camp for a few minutes for a stroll to a take a breather before he dived into his work. So, it came as a complete shock when he saw a boy tumbling down toward him from above. Luckily for Nate he was a charmer, a very strong one at that. He quickly manipulated the wind around the boy, so it would slow him down. Just as the boy came close to the ground, the wind around the boy had worked its magic. The boy stopped in mid air, a few feet above the ground, floating as the wind around him stopped him from sudden death.


    Nate walked up to the boy who had his eyes closed tightly and coughed. The boy opened his eyes and a look of shock was plastered over his face. Nate wiped sweat off the boy''s face and said. ¡°Wah, that was a close one. You shouldn¡¯t fall through the sky like that. It¡¯s really bad manners to die in such a way¡± he said smiling, his pearly white teeth glistening in the night.


    The boys eye widened in shock. ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡± he asked looking from himself to Nate.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a normal person out for a walk. But why are you falling from the sky?¡± Nate asked pointing upwards toward the clouds above the peaks.


    ¡°Wait, why am I not dead? And why am I floating? Wait, maybe I am dead, and you are a Shinigami?" The boy asked confused. The boy was Chace.


    Nate laughed ¡°You are really funny. Shinigami.¡± he choked on the word. ¡°Who wants to be one of those boring old things. No, I am not a Shinigami.¡± He said finally stopping his laughter.


    Chace starred at Nate. ¡°If you aren¡¯t a Shinigami. Then what are you?¡± he asked afraid. Afraid of the answer that he would get.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just me. Not any one very important really.¡± Nate said. ¡°Why are you falling from the sky?¡± he asked again. He was really curious. It was not every day that you meet a person falling from the sky.


    ¡°I was being chased.¡± Chace answered, his eyes wary from the long fall. It felt like a lifetime.


    ¡°Oh¡± Nate said seeing the boy for the first time. He wore very tattered clothing. There were rips and tears everywhere across his entire body. Shackles chained his ankles, wrist and even his neck. What could have happened to this boy? Was he a prisoner of some sort? He thought to himself.


    ¡°Why are you shackled?¡± Nate asked flinging the chains around Chace''s ankle.


    ¡°Because I am a charmer¡± he answered sadly, his eyes sulking.


    Nate raised his eye brow. ¡°What kind of answer is that. Why would you be shackled because you are a charmer.¡± he asked perplexed. He really did not understand the logic behind this. He was a charmer and he was as free as a bird. Maybe not that free, but he was certainly no prisoner.


    ¡°That is the reason. Charmers are shunned by the kingdom. We are locked up the moment we are discovered¡± Chace explained. He was perplexed to. How could this boy not know basic knowledge?


    ¡°Oh, that is no good. Where exactly are we?¡± Nate asked. He really didn¡¯t know. He and his people were sent here through a portal. He did not know what part of the continent he was on, or if he was still on the same continent. The boy was still speaking the same language as him, so perhaps they were still in the same continent.


    ¡°We are in Dright. Are you not from around here?¡± Chace asked skeptical about the boy identity. Yes, he was trying to get to the next kingdom, but there was no way they wouldn''t know about Dright. Who was this boy?


    ¡°Dright? That is far. It¡¯s all the way across the continent. I understand now. I¡¯d heard Charmers were treated badly there. But I did not know it was to this extent. Let me have a look at these shackles.¡± He said pulling the Chace by the neck and peering down at his throat.


    Their faces were so close together, Chace started to blush. ¡°Huh, it can restrain a Charmers inner Chi. No wonder I don¡¯t sense any Chi coming from you.¡± He said. Then he tapped the shackle and a strong force of electricity ran through the shackle. Suddenly it broke in half. Then he started ripping off the shackles from around Chace''s wrist and ankles.


    Chace hollered in shock. ¡°You¡¯re¡­you''re a Charmer!¡± he yelled. He could not believe it. This boy standing in front of him was a Charmer. A free one at that. Wasn''t this what he had dreamed all along? Finally, he''d met a Charmer who was free. He also just took his shackles off.


    Nate laughed. ¡°Of course, I am. What did you think I was?¡± he asked grinning pointing at Chace.


    ¡°I¡­I...¡± Chace was speechless. He should have guessed, the moment he''d met him. The boy had used some sort of magic to stop his fall. Shinigami, what the heck was he thinking. He was obviously a Charmer.


    ¡°Nate, stop playing with the boy and let him down already¡± said a girl''s voice.


    Nate jerked. Covering his eyes, he sighed. ¡°Mar, you¡¯re no fun. Why did you come looking for me?¡± He asked turning to face a girl who suddenly walked out from behind a tree. She looked to be about the same age as Nate. Her lush brown hair was braided into one long braid that hung down her left shoulders ending at her waist. She wore a pale green dress that seemed to shimmer in the night.


    The girl looked over at the Nate and frowned. Then she pushed him aside and walked up to Chace. "Hi, I am Marlene. What is your name?" she asked smiling like the gentle sunshine.


    Chace starred admiringly into the girl''s eyes. They were an emerald green. It was not an eye color he''d seen very often. The girl was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. "I¡­ I''m Chace. Chace Mettalum" he answered, his voice squeaky.


    Marlene smiled, her smile could melt even the coldest of ice. "Nice to meet you Chace. I am Marlene Spirit, and this here is Nate Storms. You are from Dright huh?" she asked.


    "Yes" Chace answered nodding his head.


    "That is an awful place. I can''t believe we are on Dright soil" She shook her head in disappointment.


    "Actually, we are on the boarder of Dright." Chace answered still dazzled by Marlene''s beauty.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Nate, let Chace down this instance" She ordered, looking sternly back at him.


    "Okay, okay" said Nate waving his hands.


    Chace suddenly found himself free once again. He fell to the ground. Dirt drifted up into the air as his body touched the rocks. Marlene coughed and helped Chace back on his feet. Chace wobbled as he stood. He found himself lost for strength. The ware on his legs from his escape finally caught up to him. The many aches and wounds over his body all started to throb. He groined and dropped back to the ground.


    "Are you alright?" asked Marlene kneeling next to him. She was genuinely concerned.


    "I¡­I don''t think I can move for a while. I''ve been running for so long that I''ve acquired so many wounds. I don''t think it will heal for a while" he said wincing from the pain. He took in a deep breath trying hard to withstand the throbbing.


    Marlene pulled up Chace''s pant legs, revealing deep gashes in his legs. Chace winced as Marlene placed her hands over his wounds. Then suddenly a white light started to glow from Marlene''s palms and Chace''s wounds started to heal.


    Chace''s jaw dropped. This was healing magic. Only Heal Charmers could perform it. He could not believe his eyes. This girl before him was a heal charmer. Not even the kingdom imprisoned heal Charmers. They were the only Charmers in the entire kingdom that were treated differently. He had always wished he was a heal charmer, instead of whatever he was. He did not even know what his charmer ability was. But he was sure it was not healing. In no time, all the wounds on his body closed up and he felt brand new once again. This was a feeling he has not felt for a very long time. It felt so good.


    "Thank you." Chace said tears welling up in his eyes. This all felt like a dream, first Nate had taken off his shackles, now Marlene had healed him. This must be a dream. It was to good to be true. He never wanted to wake up if this was truely a dream.


    "No problem, Chace" Marlene smiled. She stood up and turned to face Nate. "Nate, why did you leave the camp alone? Its dangerous out here." she admonished sternly pointing her finger at his forehead.


    Nate chuckled, brushing her hand away. "Mar, if I hadn''t gone for a walk, Chace here would have been dead. You wouldn''t want him dead, would you?" he asked grinning.


    Marlene crossed her arms, "No, I wouldn''t. All life is important. But you should have at least told me where you were going" she said frowning.


    "Alright, alright" Nate said jumping pass her and landing next to Chace. He held out his hand and lifted Chace up from the ground. "Chace do you want to join us?" he asked his smile infectious.


    "Umm¡­yes" Chace answered. This was still so new, he did not know what else to say.


    "Then its decided, we officially have a new member" Nate said pulling Chace across the rocks, leaving Marlene fuming from behind.


    "Nate Storms! This is not over!" she yelled running after them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The bottom of the peaks was a place constantly shrouded in mysteries. Many have tried to explore the area, but None has ever lived to tell the tale of what was down here. Nate took Chace running across the jagged rocks of the peaks bottom until they reached a relatively flat area. The mist surrounding the area was less concentrated in this area. In the center of the area, a few men could be seen setting up tents. A bon fire was started with a cauldron hanging over. Two ladies stood over it, putting in carrots and all sorts of other foods.


    Nate stopped in front of the camp. "Chace this is our camp. Welcome" he said spreading his arms out wide.


    "Um¡­ why are you guys here?" Chace asked finally breaking out of his daze.


    "We are here to find something" he said.


    "Nate, stop running" Marlene yelled from behind.


    The people in the camp all looked up and over at Nate. They all shook their heads. When they discovered Chace. Their eyes grew perplexed, but they did not question his presence. They quickly all went back to work.


    Chace was confused, these people didn''t seem to care that Nate had bought back a stranger. What kind of people wouldn¡¯t be curious about a stranger?


    "Mar, you''re to slow" Nate chuckled. His laughter echoing into the distance.


    "Nate, I will kill you for this" Marlene threatened, breathing hard as she finally caught up to them.


    "So, Chace how about it? Are you in?" Nate asked his face lit up into a grin.


    "In?" Chace asked confused. "In for what?" Nate was not making sense.


    "Never mind him" Marlene said rolling her eyes. "Chace, tell us about yourself?" she asked.


    "I don''t have much to tell." Chace said.


    "Of course, you do" she said leading him into camp and sitting him down by a stone table. "So, how old are you? And why were you being chased? And how did you escape?" she asked.


    "I am 16 this year. I think. I''m not to sure anymore. I''ve been imprisoned by the facility ever since I was discovered to be a charmer. I don''t know for sure how many years have passed. I escaped the facility a few months ago when the skies were blackened. For some reason everything in the facility malfunctioned that day and I took the chance and ran. A few others also ran with me, but we''ve been separated ever since. I don''t think any of them made it though. I survived through sheer luck. I don''t even know how I made it here. The facility caught up me up on the bridge. I did not want to go back no matter what, so I jumped. That¡¯s how I ended down here." he explained.


    "This facility, what kind of a place is it?" asked Marlene.


    "It¡¯s a terrible place. The people there are awful. They are a group of scientists that studies Charmer abilities. There are close to 2000 Charmers imprisoned in the facility. Most can''t survive through their first few years at the facility. The doctors, that¡¯s what the lead scientist at the facility is called, has ways to strip a charmer of his abilities and put them in something called an item. These items can only be used once, but they can be very powerful. Luckily for me, the doctor had trouble stripping my powers away. That¡¯s why I''m still alive to this day. But the doctor said that he was close to a break through. I really can''t end up like all the others. I can''t go back there" Chace said tears welling up in his eyes.


    Marlene stroked her hands up and down Chace''s back. "It''s okay now. You are safe with us." She consoled.


    "Yeah, you are safe with us. Forget the facility. They are now behind you. From now on, just worry about how to build your Charmer abilities up" Nate said cheerfully.


    Chace looked up at him, "I¡­I don''t know if I can live as a Charmer. I don''t know anything about it at all."


    "Don''t worry, we can teach you. Give me your hands." She said holding out her left hand. Chace placed his hand over hers. "Do you know what a charmer is?" she asked.


    "The doctors say that a Charmers ability is an abomination. That this power comes from the devil." Chace said his entire body shaking.


    "No," Marlene said softly. "Close your eyes Chace" she said.


    Chace closed his eyes.


    "Chace, charmers are people of the gods. We are the people that have inherited the will of the gods. That is why we are born into this world. Long ago the gods fought in a war. The war shattered the world. In order for the world to be whole again, they sent down their children to the world and these children are the ancestors of the Charmers. That was a very long time ago. We Charmers are actually meant for greater things. We are destined to help save the world again. That is why we are here." she said.


    "But, how do you know that is true?" Chace asked opening up his eyes.


    "Chace there are things that all charmers can feel. This is one of them. Once you learn to touch the source. You will be able to feel our origins" she said smiling kindly.


    "The source?" Chace asked.


    "The source is the origin all charmer abilities. It is a place we can feel when we use our powers." She explained.


    "How do I tap into the source?" Chace asked.


    "Let your chi inside your body build up and when it has built up enough chi, your mind will touch the source. When the source is touched your true powers will awaken. " she explained.


    "Chi? What is that?" he asked.


    "Simple, let me show you" she said. Her hand started to glow once again. "Close your eyes"


    Chace closed his eyes. Suddenly he felt a warm energy enter his body. It traveled through his veins, nerves, muscles, everything in his body until it reached his mind. The moment it touched his mind he felt a blinding blockade break. He screamed and lost consciousness.

 Chapter 3 - Awakening

    Awakening


    Chace felt his body heat up, but he could not do anything about it. A furious wave of heat ran through his body, scorching everything in its path. It first ran up his legs and arms, then it burned through his abdominal region. Then his chest. Finally, it scorched his brain. He felt like his entire being was being burnt alive.


    He slowly felt himself fading away bit by bit. He could not control it. He could not help it. He was helpless. He wanted desperately to grab hold of something, anything.


    Then a source of light appeared in the distance. He locked on to it and willed every part of his being to grab hold. It felt like a very long time, but he finally grabbed onto the light. Once he touched the light, his entire body became weightless. The heat vanished and so did the scorching pain. All that was left was this feeling of weightless wonder. He felt like the whole world¡¯s burden suddenly lifted from his shoulders.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Outside, Nate and Marlene were shocked to see Chace lifted into the air. A huge white flame wrapped around him. It blocked Nate and Marlene from getting near.


    ¡°Is this his power?¡± asked Nate eyeing the flames around Chace''s body. They were very hot. He tried to reach for Chace, but the flames scorched his hands. Marlene had to heal him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is a very weird awakening. Usually they just receive their powers, but his powers seem to have gone wild. This is weird.¡± commented Marlene.


    ¡°Wait, look!¡± Nate said pointing to all the metallic items in the camp. They all suddenly started shooting up into the air. Then they started orbiting around Chace''s body, just outside of the white flame.


    ¡°Is this part of his awakening?¡± asked Marlene thinking hard. She had seen many awakenings, but this takes the cake. ¡°The only time I remember there being such a weird phenomenon was when you and I both awakened at the same time.¡± She said remembering the day they awoke as Charmers.


    ¡°Yeah, the entire town was in chaos. One side of town was wrapped in heavy storm clouds, while the other side was showered by infinite rays of healing light.¡± Nate chuckled, his eyes reminiscing as the memory flooded back into his mind.


    ¡°Grandma said that only strong Charmers will receive the blessings during their wakening. I think Chace here is a pretty strong Charmer. Or else there would not be this much ruckus.¡± Marlene said finally stating the fact.


    "A blessing. This has become very interesting indeed" smiled Nate.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Up far above the clouds, close to the peaks of the twin mountains, the bridge connecting the two kingdoms swayed in the wind. The five men from the facility still stood there staring down at the clouds beneath.


    They could not just go back single handily. This boy was actually an extremely important specimen. If they did not return with the boy, the King and the doctor will have their heads. They all looked to their commander. He was staring intensely down at the clouds.


    Suddenly the bridge shook with intense force. The five men all held onto a piece of the bridge.


    Snap, snap. The bridge began to break. The five men all had a terrified expression plastered over their faces. Three men ran fast toward one end of the bridge. The commander grabbed the last men and started for the other side. But, it was too late. The bridge snapped. All the metal pieces of the bridge went zipping downwards toward the bottom of the peaks.


    The five men fell and tumbled toward the peaks bottom.


    The commander broke off his necklace and snapped the gem inside. This was his last resort. With this he would be able to survive the fall. But all of his man would not survive. He could not help it. His life was more important.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Metal continued to collect around Chace. Soon the whole sky was filled with metal pieces.


    The servants in the camp all scrambled behind Nate and Marlene. They were just normal people. They came here with the lord and ladyship to take care of them. This was to much for them to handle. They could not understand charming magic, but they knew not to trifle with a charmer.


    Nate instructed his people to stay far away. He and Marlene watched in excitement as the metal slowly merged into the flames. They melted and merged together. Then they started to spin. With each spin the liquid metals compressed and shrunk. Finally, after an hour of spinning and compressing, the metals formed into nine coins.


    Nate raised his eye brow. This was interesting stuff. How did all that metal turn into nine tiny coins. He could not understand it at all. It was not logical for so much metal to be compressed into nine tiny little coins. It was beyond nonsense. But this did involve charming abilities. So, any nonsense can become reality.


    Marlene sighed. ¡°It looks like Chace is one of those special few." She commented.


    ¡°Yeah, he certainly is. All the metal Charmer''s that I know, can only use their gifts for forging and other crafts work. They can''t possibility to do this. Chace is not going to be just some ordinary black Smith.¡± Nate added, his interest peaked.


    Marlene agreed. Did grandmother know this would happen when she sent us? Marlene thought to herself. Her grandmother had advised them if they were to come across a charmer on their path. They were to help them and perhaps ask them to join in their assignment.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Chace felt wave after wave of pure delight enter his body. He felt like he was swimming in a pool of joy. This feeling felt so good and so right. He could not stop himself from indulging more and more.


    As he traveled farther and farther into the light. He realized for the first time this was what Marlene was talking about. This was the source.


    This was the source of all his powers. But he felt something else as well. This was his own power, his alone. He traced his pool of light to the edge. There, he saw a chain leading out into the darkness. He reached his mind farther out. The moment he left his pool of light, he saw darkness. But, out in the distance were other pools of light. Smaller, but at the same time, the same as his. They to, had a chain that linked them to something far in the distance.


    Chace counted the pools around him. He could not count them all. There were millions, maybe even more the that. Each pool had a distinct aura to it. But his pool was the biggest around. Perhaps there were bigger ones far in the distance, but he could not see them.


    He stepped onto the chains. Then his mind started to travel into the chain. Soon his mind traveled along the chain. It seemed to take eons, but it was only a few seconds. He reached the end of the chain. He opened his eyes and found himself in an ocean of light. This pool of light was endless. Millions of other chains connected into the ocean.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Chace stepped into the ocean of light. Finally, he realized this was the source of all charming abilities. Every charmer got their powers from this ocean and every charmer could tap into this source. It was an endless amount of power. But he also knew there was a limit to how much one can pull from this ocean. Each charmer had their limits. They could not exceed it or else their pools would overflow and explode. Therefore, ending their connection to the ocean of light.


    He examined the flow of power. It was a two-way connection. Power flowed from his pool into the ocean and the ocean also gave back. But, more of the power was flowing into the ocean than the other way around. It was not an equal distribution.


    Chace sighed, it was not his will to decide what was equal. But he knew this was how it was. He jumped into the chain and returned to his pool of light. This pool of light was his power. His alone.


    Once he returned to his pool, his mind returned to his real body.


    When his eyes opened the fire surrounding him dispersed and the nine coins landed in his palm. He squeezed and felt a serge of energy travel from his palm into the nine coins.


    Suddenly he started to fall again. This time, he did not panic. Instead, he knew what to do. He flicked one of the coins up into the air and linked it with the pool inside his mind.


    All of sudden the coin liquefied and trans mutated into four metal rings. The rings hovered in the air, each attached itself to one of Chace''s limbs. They started to spin the moment they wrapped around his limbs. Suddenly, he stopped falling. Instead, he hovered an inch off the ground. The rings vibrated with intense speed.


    Chace was elated. This was his power. He had the command over metal and their respective properties. This metal he flicked into the air, was copper. Copper had the natural power of flight. So, he was able to meld it into rings that allowed him to hover. He was not strong enough to command them to fly yet. But levitating was no problem.


    The rings lifted him back to a standing position. Slowly he descended onto the ground. Once his feet touched the ground, the rings became ankles and brackets and dangled freely around his four limbs.


    ¡°That was cool¡± commented Nate walking over.


    ¡°It was as a very well-established awakening.¡± agreed Marlene.


    Chace scratched his head. He felt new again. No longer did he fear his pursuers, and no longer did he feel inferior to anyone. The source gave him strength, strength to face any obstacles.


    ¡°Yeah, it is cool¡± Chace said. He threw the remaining eight coins into the air. Each had its distinct color. Each was a different metal. He did not know what kind of properties they all held. But, he knew these were his life metals. These nine created through this awakening held a link with his source. These metals will accompany him for life. The nine were his powers. He linked the metals in a string and wrapped it around his wrist alongside the copper bracelet.


    ¡°Okey dokey. Now that you¡¯ve awaken let¡¯s talk business.¡± Said Nate, sitting down on a chair next to Chace. The chair was placed there by his servants.


    ¡°What business?¡± Chace asked unsure what Nate had in mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really.¡± Chace said drinking juice from a cup the servants brought him. ¡°We came here to explore an ancient ruin.¡± He said.


    Chace clapped his hands over his mouth. Ancient ruin? There was one of those around here? He''d heard of ancient ruins. But they were usually the stuff of legends. People say that if one is lucky enough to stumble into an ancient ruin. They may find ancient relics that can be sold for fortunes and if they were even more lucky they may even find an inheritance. Inheritances are lost skills that the people of old held. Some skills include the lost art of swords, the lost art of the assassins, the lost art of talismans. Each art had its set of powers. These arts are said to rival even the powers of Charmers. Sword art for example, if learned to a great level can slice through magic. But many of these arts have been lost through the fall of the last kingdoms. The last kingdoms were seven kingdoms that ruled all of Cardinia 1000 years ago. Each kingdom held an art that was said to be so powerful that even charmers could not rival them.


    Unfortunately, the seven kingdoms all fell 1000 years ago. The last to fall a was a kingdom called Lugan. History is blurry about why these kingdoms fell. But they fell nonetheless.


    ¡°I see, you''ve heard about ancient ruins?¡± said Nate.


    ¡°Of course, who hasn''t?¡± Chace said rolling his eyes. Even babies knew of ancient ruins. It was a common knowledge throughout all of Cardinia


    ¡°Good,¡± said Marlene. " There is one just over there" she pointed to the rocks up ahead.


    ¡°There!¡± Chace squealed. He could not believe it. There was an ancient ruin down here under the peaks. How did it escape discovery all these years? He smacked himself over the head for even thinking that question. Of course, it escaped discovery. This was at the bottom of the peaks. This place was called the death pit for a reason. No one could survive the fall down here. Was it that hard to imagine this ancient ruin escaping discovery?


    ¡°Yes, it''s over there¡± laughed Nate. "So, would you like to join us in our exploration?" he asked showing his brilliant smile.


    ¡°Um¡­ can I think about it¡± Chace responded. He wasn''t so sure he wanted to explore an ancient ruin. Sure, there was a lot of benefits, but there was also danger involved. Ancient ruins were ruins for a reason. Some of them contained enough danger that explorers can die in them.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine" said Marlene "We will wait for you¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you" said Chace. He shifted his feet and scratched his head. "Nate, Marlene can I go for a walk. I think I need to clear my mind" he said.


    ¡°Sure¡± Nate nodded his head. He took another sip from his glass.


    ¡°Go ahead¡± smiled Marlene, she had sat down next to Nate and started to drink juice from a cup.


    Chace walked out and before he knew it he had re-entered the misted areas.


    ¡°Do you think he will be okay?¡± asked Marlene concerned.


    ¡°He will be fine. He just awoke. The powers are new to him. Plus, he also just escaped from those dreadful people of Dright. Those people, I want to destroy every last one of them. How could they treat Charmers like that.¡± Nate grinded his teeth.


    ¡°Shssh,¡± Marlene said holding her index finger over Nates lips. ¡°Dright is not a simple place. Do you really think that Dright can keep its boarders safe from invaders just from having normal people in power? They may imprison Charmers, but they must have a special force of people that can rival another kingdoms Charmers. Or else, they would not be able to survive. Rumour has it that they may even have wizards on their side¡± Marlene said in a hush voice. She did not know what could over hear them. She had to speak carefully. She did not like being under Dright soil.


    ¡°Wizards! No way!¡± Nate gasped. The Wizards, unlike Charmers, are not people connected to the source. But, they also have their own powers. They can grow stronger by swallowing the powers of a charmer. They were the ultimate enemies of all charmers. But they haven''t been active in Cardinia for centuries.


    ¡°But didn''t they all disappear?¡± asked Nate perplexed.


    ¡°That is what is generally accepted. But these wizards I¡¯m talking about aren¡¯t real wizards. They are man made or somehow fabricated wizards. They can do what wizards do, but on a much smaller scale. Still they are a dangerous people. That is why Dright still exist even though they shun and kill Charmers. The other kingdoms fear them¡± said Marlene her voice trailing into a whisper.


    ¡°Wow. That sounds awful." said Nate. He did not know any of this. This was al new to him.


    ¡°Yeah¡± agreed Marlene.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Chace walked across the rocky areas. He was lost in thought. With his new-found powers could he go back into the kingdom and save the others? That was a possibility, but he was only one person. What could one person really do?


    Before he knew it, he was already back to the spot where he fell from the sky. Suddenly he stumbled over something. He fell to the floor. His face falling flat onto a ground. He reached out his hand and lifted his head up. It hurt. He lifted himself into a sitting position. What the heck did he trip over? He shook his head and looked forward toward his feet. There underneath his legs was a body.


    Chace screamed and crawled backwards. It was a dead body. He looked over at the face. He recognized the face. It was one of the five men that was after him. As Chace crawled farther back his hands touched another mushy object. He turned his neck afraid of what he was about to see. He screamed again. It was another of the five men.


    What was going on? Did they all follow him down? But why would they jump after him. They knew the pit was no place to jump. It was certainly guaranteed they would die. He searched around and sure enough two other bodies laid crushed not far from his position.


    He felt sick. His stomach started to turn. He stood up and started vomiting. He may have seen horrible things at the facility, but dead bodies were not usually one of them. The dead charmers there were taken care of carefully.


    When Chace finally finished vomiting, he wanted to go back to camp as quickly as possible. He started running. He only stopped when he was sure he was far enough from the dead bodies. His heart was still beating really fast from seeing those dead bodies. He did not see the commander. Did he not jump? Did that mean he could be alive up there? Chace craned his neck and looked up.


    Suddenly a pair of hands reached from behind and clasped Chace over the neck.