Chapter 13
Running around the corner Lysaria watched Dakar as he grinned and waved at Her, She stood in the middle of her aura of swirling darkness. Dakar said," did you win? Of course you won." cutting of his own question The two approached Lysarias shrouded form, turning pale in unison.
Both Thana and Dakar created orbs of essence in their hands preparing to attack an enemy. Thana said," what is that, are you alright,? you are shrouded in darkness." Lysarias arms wrapped around her chest and she pulled in her essence, the dark aura flowed into her body easily.
Lysaira felt tears rolling down her face, mumbling" I had to do it, I had to draw in the dark essence to save us." Her friends seen her tears and moved in close Thana cautiously wrapped her in an embrace, Dakar grimaced as though she was hugging a cactus.
Thana said, "Tell us what happened, we will get to the bottom of this." Lysaria could see in her mind all of her dreams of becoming a cleric and even a bishop fading falling through her fingers. Lysaria hadn't heard thana as she was lost in her own thoughts of self-loathing.
Dakar seeing her pain as well wrapped them both in an embrace, He said," thank you for what you did." Those words came through her haze of misery and doubt, the way both Thana and Dakar had looked at her when they entered made her doubtful. they had even prepared to attack her Bringing back the full force of what she had just done.
Lysaria pushed aside her racing emotions, Her friends just held her tight and let her get it all out. Lysaria said," I saw no other way, the monster was going to crush our minds and trap our bodies, I didn't want us to die." Lysaria was taught from her childhood creation that being captured by beings of the dark was worse than death.
Her friends stumbled back as her body began rippling with eye-searing darkness. Darkness at the edges of her body flowed away in a fog corroding the skin of her friends, Thana and Dakar yelped stumbling back terrified, scrambling away from her. Darkness began spreading through the room trailing after the retreating Thana and Dakar.
Lysaria stared in horror, smoke rose from her friends as the dark Fog in the air ate into their clothes and skin. Dakars skin started smoking and peeling, burn marks formed and bleeding essence burns covered the skin as he grimaced and said," we need to leave the room her darkness is going to kill us.
Thana glanced over the devouring darkness and said," get back she is ascending, running from the toxic room and entering the hall, Thana and Dakar glanced back at her before disappearing. Lysaria watched her friends and trembled.no, no she thought she didn't want to be a creature of the dark, what would her guardians think?
Her body trembled, no she thought, no, Accending? this was too soon, all the remaining darkness in the room coalesced, feeling darkness enter her body Lysaria tried to resist. She felt powerless, and horrified, darkness flowed through her body and her mind as her mind blanked as the ascension took hold.
Rippling darkness swirled around her, filling her body and changing her, screaming she felt her soul's vessel crack, the representation of her soul cracked and grew. Lysaria could do nothing other than watching her vessel grow ten times larger and change from light green to a clear dark yellow. Her vessel settled, the bottom filled with pitch-dark essence.
1305 essence of 10,000, The accendtion ended and the haze of darkness surrounding her faded, she had thought she was blind but the essence was blocking her sight. Lysaria felt her eyes burning as essence tore into her eyes, after blinding darkness and throbbing pain she could see the walls clearly. Her heart raced, feeling anxious she held up her hand and examined her skin, her nails were pitch black and her skin was no longer lustrous green.
The darkness around her was draining her power, in disgust, she pulled on the essence and in an instant, the essence vanished entering her body leaving the room in the faint light of a bright crystal on the wall. Closing her eyes she took in breaths calming her thoughts, She was trying her best to not freak out and break down. Her essence was Of the dark, her panicked breathing and clenching fists weren't helping her state of mind.
This thought was at the forefront of Lysarias mind as she kept rethinking her decision, nothing could change her now, Her vessel appeared in her vision and to her dismay, the once vibrant bright vessel was shrouded in dark with only a faint light.
Her vessel now contained 1305 dark essence, lysaria realized the cost for gaining this power, she might lose everything. Feeling terrible lysaria glanced for the door, her friends were peaking around the corner watching waiting to see if anything else would happen.
At least they had survived the fight, she had been worried that her friends might die the true death. the arbitrator must have agreed with the danger level as gaining that much essence for fighting the dark crystal was absurd.
Her body shook and she did her best not to break down, feeling alone for the first time and feeling tears trail down her cheeks she sniffed. realizing this would be the response to her from everyone in the realm of the ascended, Every angel in Eclair her home. Lysaria wondered what might happen to her, she was now of the dark and wouldn't be accepted into society. shuddering she wonders if she would be sent to the mainland of Antuar condemned to fight against the angel's eternal enemy.
Thana said," don't worry Lysaria, we will vouch for you before the clerics." Dakar said," yes we will do what we can to help you. Dakar cautiously approached, his skin was healed and looked smooth as ever even after she had hurt him.
Dakar said,"maybe if you collect enough essence of the light and ascend to the rank of soul you can cleanse the darkness. Lysaria stammered," I I I can't, I already have 1300 essence, my vessel cracked and instead of bright essence my soul contains darkness anything else might make it worse."
Dakar said," why haven't we ascended?" Thana said," I'm not sure." Lysaria stood remaining at a distance her arms wrapped around her and staring at the floor. She didn't want to see the disgust and revulsion in her friends' eyes.
Her eyes locked onto her Khopesh, the sword glimmered sparkling through the ankle-deep water no longer frozen. bending over lysaria clutched the handle with her left hand needing the support of her weapon. Her weapons aura immediately changed on contact changing from a green to a light yellow. Lysaria stared confused, her weapon reflected the colour of her vessel, how odd she thought.
With her weapon in hand she pushed aside her doubt, the sword was a comfort pushing back her self-doubt. Lysaria took a step in the direction of her friends, both Dakar and Thana swayed on their feet, swaying away as thought preparing to flee.
She said," I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Dakars straightened up, he said," don't worry my friend it was only some simple burns I was easily able to fix the damage, do try and avoid it in the future though." Thana said," yeah it wasn't so bad, with Dakars healing I hardly noticed the pain."
Lysaria forced a smile to her face, She knew they were only trying to make her feel better, judging by how they didn't approach they still had doubts. Lysaria dreaded the answer but had to ask," how do you think our friends and family will react when we get out of here?" Dakar said," I dont know, whatever happens, know that we will support you." Thana nodded her head agreeing with Dakar, She said," We already have the essence we need to ascend why not ring the bell?"
Lysaria brought her free hand to her head, why hadn't she thought of that, Lysaria felt for the bell around her neck feeling the cold metal and trying to convince herself it wasn't as bad as she thought it was.
Dakar said," I didn't realize that were going to get credit for helping, I am at 1050 essences his smile lit the cave brightening Lysarias's mood. Thana whistled and whooped, she said," I have 1095, her smile was as bright as her neck length golden hair. Lysaria was happy for her friends, they had gained essence the way they were supposed to, unlike her.
Lysaria said," alright let us use our necklaces and go back to the safe zone, maybe the Chozen of the light can help me." Lysaria looked over her friends as they reached for their bells, their torn, tattered and burned clothes looked terrible, mirroring their appearance. Her own simple cotton clothing had smudges of dirt, mud, blood, and light new how many other nasty substances.
Channelling essence into her bell, Lysarias body flashed and in a moment she warped from the empty cave to the safe zone. immediately she felt blinding pain as bright gold chains wrapped around her body squeezing her tightly pulling her to the ground and chaining her firmly. Lysaria gasping could only see a wide-eyed woman, The Chozen Of the Light standing over her, channelling golden essence creating massive chains of light.