Chapter 14
The Chosen Of The Light Calia created a golden spear in her hands leaning over Lysaria as she said," Dark accursed! how did you get in here?" Lysaria felt horror as she tried to move and the golden chains of essence constricted pushing out the air in her lungs. Thana screamed" stop your hurting her," Dakar said," stop she is not the enemy."
Lysaria took in a shuddering breath, golden essence chained her firmly to the platform unyielding like steel. Thana said, "Calia please Let her go she is one of us." Calia said," She is corrupted, The darkness is filling her, this cant be one of us she is of the dark."
Her disgust clear, Lysaria shuddered, the hate in Calia's tone was evident. Dakar said," don't hurt her she is innocent," Calia said," I know she was one of us, this fool child took in the darkness and now is one of the enemies."
Thana said," she saved our lives, we found a dungeon of darkness." Calia took in a quick breath," a dungeon of darkness here?" Calia said," are you sure? Lysaria said," I took in the dark essence to kill the crystal monster."
Calia growled, "The Eternal dark? Calia said," you what? you fool, do you know what you have done?" Lysaria said," I didn't want my friends to die, the darkness had us trapped and I couldn't defeat the end monster." Calia replied," How did you do it though? how did you pull in the essence of the darkness, only creatures generals of the eternal dark possess that accursed power.
Lysaria said," I wrapped my essence around the monster and pulled its essence from it?" Calia gasped, Lysaria felt she had just made a mistake. Calia said," you pulled essence from a living being?" Lysaria hesitated and said," yes I pulled out the essence of a being of darkness."
Calia held up a hand and more chains of light covered lysarias body, wrapping her up like a cacoon, her weapon clanking on the platform and radiating dark yellow essence. Calia said," I'm going to contact the holy clerics for a council of the Bishops of light for judgment." Lysaria gasped for breath she could hardly breathe. Calia approached her and placed a necklace over her head, the necklace shimmered, shrouded in a bright gold essence.
Gagging Lysaria felt her vessel constrict and lock up, she no longer felt her essence, her vessel, it felt so far away. Unable to grasp her essence Lysarias couldn't help but ask herself why, why was she being treated like an enemy?
What would her guardians think? Lysaria waited sitting in a corner of the platform, she was surrounded by golden light unable to see her friends or even the other participants of the ceremony. She kept telling herself that it would be okay, the clerics of the light would surely see her side of the story.
Lysaria wondered if she would finally get to meet her esteemed uncle one of the bishops? with nothing to do she sat and waited thinking of what to tell her guardians, she hoped they didn't come to her trial. If the looks of disgust and outright anger she had gotten from the others were any indication she was worse off than she had thought.
Keeping her back to the others she sat, staring up through the shimming light at the stars and the night sky. Lysaria wondered what Calia had meant by a power of the eternal night, the name sounded ominous and powerful, whatever it was had made the powerful angel's face turn pale.
Lysaria could hear hushed whispers from the outside of her shimmering cell, she didn't like to be trapped, she felt the bright walls radiating essence closing in. Unable to use her own essence Lysaria could only sit and wait for them to return To the realm of the ascended.
With the light of the dawn, Lysaria felt the platform begin rising the ground under her fell away and the clear platform first showed forest then rivers followed by a range of mountains. Lysaria couldn't believe that the land they had been on was the smallest island.
They had been on the small crescent island that floated all by itself in the vast expanse of ocean. Antuar truly was amazing, and terrifying the zone she was in was the easiest and considered the mortal zone of the angels. For two weeks every year, the angles opened the barrier as the rift to the abyss closed and came down to Antuar to collect precious essence in the form of vessels.
She could see the smaller islands that dotted the world slowly disappearing into the distance, one half of the world was shaded in light and the other half-darkness the three major continents clustered together standing out against the water covering a vast expanse of the world. Calia chosen of the light stepped through the curtain of Essence her face much less tense now they were off the planet.
Lysaria tried standing and was immediately wrapped back in glowing chains, Calia said," His holiness Bishop Sandahar has sent a representative, to pass judgment over you." Lysaria said," what? don't I get a trial?" Calia frowned and her face darkened, she said," you are a dark accursed, I contacted his holiness the bishop and he is sending some clerics to give you a just sentence. A dark being like you will never be welcomed back to Eclair land of the light."
Lysaria stunned couldn't find words to reply, just like that she was being banished, with no trial and not even a chance to see her guardians one last time. she felt her world crashing around her, Her guardians. Bethanie her mother or Randar her father what would they think? she had become like the enemy an accursed a dark.
She felt terrible all she wanted was to make her guardians proud, and yet she had brought them shame instead. Mind whirling Lysaria stare down at the world, The platform she was on held firm not wavering in the slightest hovering over the vast world below.
Calia said," If I'm being honest young one, I feel bad for you, we only enter the mainland with a minimum of warriors to collect essence, on your own you are going to have a hard time." Calia sighed, I'm sorry, I know it wasn't your fault. I apologize for being so harsh, I have friends who have perished from the generals, the abominations of the eternal night. She sighed," your friends have been trying to convince me your innocent ever since you rang the bell."
A blinding flash appeared in the distance and approached the platform at astonishing speed slowing and after only a few moments and docking next to her platform, light shrouding the beautiful work of essence engineering.
Calia whispered," it is not much but I sent a message to your guardians, you will get to see them after all. She said," I also am bringing your friends with us, they will be able to recount what happened to the clerics and legitimize your story." Lysaria felt her spirits lift she said," why are you helping me if you think I'm an accursed, a being of darkness?"
Shrugging Calia gripped Lysarias sword in her hand and escorted Her to the other platform, Lysaria looked into the eyes of her nervous friends. She couldn't believe her eyes, they glowed, Dakars and Thanas skin shown with a bright green outshining all but Calia whose shimmering skin was on another level nearly blinding to look at in the sunlight.
Dakar, Hector and Thana followed Her approaching behind and entering the tunnel of light their feet scuffing the smooth platform and their clothes rusted as they walked across the golden platform to the shrouded platform next to them.
Lysaria felt her heart race, the shimmering barrier parted and a ramp of golden essence formed between the two platforms. Lysaria followed Callia with her arms chained to her sides and essence locked from her grasp, Essence parted ahead of Calia's shimmering hand opening to the other platform.
Lysaria caught one final glance of the others who entered the ceremony, their judging gazes boring into her as the barrier closed blocking the site of the other platform. A group of 5 angels, were on the large platform, Her entrance caused the group to gasp and gesture wildly while whispering to each other. She could see the glow of sunlight bouncing off them and even an inner light radiating from their skin, they could see her as though she was in shadow the darkness hovering like a cloud over her whole body.
Her heart skipped a beat, and her hands clenched, Her Father and mother Stood in front of her with pale faces as though they had seen a ghost. Lysaria felt shame and guilt, Her father, Randar was short compared to her mother who was clad in essence forged armour, her mother was maybe an inch taller than Lysarias 6foot 2 frame.
Randars eyes roamed over Lysarias face his deep hazel eyes boring into hers before softening and then glaring at Calia his long black hair dangled to his waist flittering at the movement of his head. Randar said," unchain my daughter, she is not a demon how dare you treat her so." His deep angry voice, a voice that was usually calm and assuring startled everyone including Lysaria.
A woman and man were flanked on either side by two female angels their short hair cut at the neck clad in glittering armour. Randar addressed the Two high clerics He said," order Calia to unchain my daughter, I will vouch for her." Lysarias mother wore a sword on her waist and radiating a fierce green light stepping forward as well, her armour clanking ominously Bethanie said," I too will vouch for my daughter."
The man and woman both high clerics of the light took a step back, both guards hesitantly stepped forward, the two clerics in green robes glanced around at all the people standing up for this angel of the dark, The woman said," very well, Calia unchain her we must get on with the proceedings, after all, we have much to talk about and little time.
the barrier to enter Antuar is about to close, The bishops have already ordered the four fortresses in orbit guarding us against the monsters of Antuar to start preparing the barrier for another cycle. We must make our decision whether to bring her back or leave her here with the other filthy dark. The Cleric said," I'm sure she will fit right in with that filthy dark when the rift opens, she deserves no less for corrupting herself."