"No, I am not."
They both froze, tense, and their senses spread wide in a bid to capture the location of the voice. Damien was prepared for a fight, even though he knew it was likely to result in his death. When the voice came back, though, it was from behind them, bringing a rush of fear and adrenaline down his spine.
"I am here."
"Ahhhhh!" Keilan screamed, jumping toward Damien, who, out of reflex, caught him in a princess style.
Damien looked at the grown man in his arms, eyebrows raised, and a smile began tugging at his lips.
"Shut up," Keilan muttered, pushing Damien off and stepping back on his feet. He stood back tall, head raised high, as he tried to grasp his lost dignity.
Turning back to the apparition in front of them, Damien stared, apprehensive as he saw what hovered before him. It was an orb-like thing of blue, brown, and green glowing colors, brimming with veiled power. It looked like a miniature planet.
"You're the world spirit," Damien said, realization dawning.
"Very astute," The world spirit said. "I am called Ra."
"Your name is Ra? I didn't know World Spirits had names. Did you choose it? Or were you born with it?" Keilan blabbered out and Damien hurriedly slapped him on the back in a bid to shut him up, fearful that the world spirit would take offense.
"I am a sapient being, do I not deserve a form of identification?"
"No! I mean - you....– I," seeing that he was making things worse, he murmured. "I'll just shut up now."
Seeing that the world spirit hadn't taken offense, Damien gestured at its form. "I haven't heard of you appearing in physical form before."
"I do not. I do not see a reason to. But special times arise that require more of my attention."
Immediately figuring out what it meant, Damien pointed, "Like those things?"
"Yes."
Outwardly, he projected calm, but deep inside his curiosity was burning like a sun. "So what are they?"
The world spirit was quiet for a while, and Damien was beginning to fear it wouldn't answer when it spoke, "I do not know."
Fear and surprise warred within Damien as he considered the implications of what the world spirit had just admitted. Higher realm beings hated admitting to any faults or failings of their own, they instead would decide to smite anyone who would be stupid enough to point something like that out. For the world spirit, a being without equal, to admit to its lack of knowledge on something as drastic as this.... Damien couldn't even comprehend.
"If you don't mind me asking," Keilan said. "Why are they still here? I've read and also heard stories about you, and I know that you're vehemently against anything harmful residing anywhere on your body, to the point of excessive aggressiveness."
"True. When these objects crashed into me, I was wrathful and would have blasted the whole of this continent out into space to curb the desolation that was spreading. It was just like those bodily micro-organisms you flesh beings get; harmless at first, but if left to grow further, could result in serious consequences."
"But you didn't destroy them, why?" Keilan boldly asked and Damien shot him a glare.
Once again, the world spirit took some time before it answered, "Because I made a promise."
They both quieted at that. It was unheard of, unimaginable even, for a world spirit, a being renowned for destroying anything on its body capable of causing it harm, to make a promise to do the opposite.
"To whom?" Damien wanted to know who would make a world spirit keep such a promise.
"A fellow Ascendant like myself, one much more powerful." It noted their shock, continuing. "The leader of this settlement did inform you of the origin of the city, did he not?"
Damien nodded, not surprised that the world spirit was aware of his conversation with chosen Ymal. His attention was hooked on the first sentence it had said though, and its hidden implications. What it hadn't said but had implied was that it had been forced. Who had the power to force a world spirit into doing something it obviously hated? Damien shivered, again.
"I was given enough shielding to counteract any further desolation that would have stemmed from the objects." A line appeared, pointing at the runes inscribed on the magically enforced concrete floor. "This protection was meant to last a few thousand years even though the being meant to claim them should have arrived in a few short years."
"Claim them?" Damien asked.
"Yes, these objects did not crash into me by mistake," the world spirit said, this time with an undercurrent of anger in its tone.
"They were directed," Damien concluded.
"Yes, a few years before you appeared," the world spirit said, and this time Damien truly felt fearful.
"Why are you telling us this?" Keilan asked, and the wind quivered as it sensed his emotion.
Damien was satisfied that all his questions had been answered, thrilled even, but the truth was that no higher being, especially one like the World Spirit, would choose to field question after question from people like him without a reason. He knew it, and the world spirit definitely knew it.
"Because, I believe these are meant for you."
Damien and Keilan looked at each other, shock plain on their faces at what the world spirit had just said.
Over the years, Damien had come up with a lot of different theories about his origin. All of them had been disappointedly disproven. This was the latest in a round of leads that he had tried, and he was afraid to hope.
"How are you sure they were meant for me?" Damien asked, mind swirling at what this meant.
"Instead of explaining," It pointed to a rune that was still intact. Studying it, Damien saw that the rune was a lock, meant to be opened by only a unique energy. "Why don't you try."
"What if it doesn't work?" Keilan asked, a small gust of wind swirling as his worry bled through.
"Then you would be dead and I would have to sacrifice a piece of my being by blasting this blighted continent into space. I will no longer stand for the proximity of this thing," it said, unconcerned about the likely possibility of Damien's death. Though he was worried, he wasn't surprised. World spirits were beings of pure logic, emotions were as foreign to them as fire was to ice. He would have been more worried if the world spirit had shown any sign of care toward his health.
"Wait!" Keilan called out. "What of the massive energy building inside there?" He pointed at the runes which were slowly eroding as they spoke. "That level of energy could be fatal."
Having decided, Damien said. "I won't know until I try."
He moved forward, almost changing his mind as Keilan pleaded with him. "Dame, please, don't do this."
Damien turned towards his brother. "I have to, Kei. This could be the answer I've been searching for."
His brother's voice cracked. "Not at the cost of your life. If the price of discovering your ancestry is marching into that fog of death over there, I'd rather have you not knowing, at all."
Damien smiled. "I'll be back, I promise."
He turned before he could change his mind, walking closer. He could feel the incomprehensible amount of energy building up inside the rune ward. Keilan was wrong; that amount of energy would instantly obliterate both him and Keilan if his gamble played wrong.
He studied the objects. One was a tiny male figurine, inches tall, and completely grey. Surprisingly, the figurine was extremely detailed, showing an exquisite male physique covered in something that looked like a suit. The other was an orb-like construct of purplish color. Only one of them was emitting the massive energy though: the figurine.
Fear and anticipation warring within, he summoned energy from deep within himself, channeling it in strands toward the rune. The moment his energy touched the single rune, a suction force appeared. It used the strands as a bridge, and to his horror, it instantly emptied the last drops of energy in his soul well.
And then the rune lit up.
The entire cavern ignited in a blinding silvery color, lighting the whole room in a blinding silvery light. Damien was forced to tightly shut his eyes as the light threatened to blind him. It took a few seconds before the light finally died down into a dull glowing throb, like a beating heart. And to his shock, the floor was now unmarred, all previous runes cleared.
All was tense for a while, like the calm before a storm. Damien was already breathing in a sign of relief when grey energy blasted out in a wave, instantly turning everything in its path to dust. Damien turned to run but to his mounted horror, he felt his body unable to move, gravity pressing down hard on him. Anger burned within him as he desperately tried to teleport, but space was instantly locked down as another will cancelled his working. With his senses, he could see Keilan, also frozen with his face in a mask of terror and fury and his hands outstretched towards the apparition that was the world spirit.
The energy wave kept approaching, a wall of instant death and desolation that would instantly reduce him to nothing.
Damien closed his eyes as the wall got close. He blamed himself for his foolishness, and tears threatened to pour down his eyes as he saw Keilan.... His brother would die because of his stupidity.
When the energy struck him, it instantly froze in its path and a chilling cold then filled his body as he felt something enter him, seemingly searching.
It seemed to have found what it was looking for because, in the next moment, the cold retreated, and the energy wave began condensing, converging on the figurine in a whirlpool-like manner.
Instantly, from a few feet away, the figurine disappeared, appearing a moment later an inch from Damien's body. It floated in front of him for half a second before it slowly sank into his body, melting into him. And for the first time, Damien felt something he wasn't aware was missing returned to him, and a feeling of completeness returned to him.
[Oh, hello Damien, nice to finally meet you.]
Damien couldn't reply as his vision faded, and he crashed into unconsciousness.