Everything was blurry when Ashley opened her eyes. She was lying on hard, wet soil and could hear something; rushing water. She was near the ocean. Icy cold raindrops drenched her body and her clothes and her hands and legs were tied with thick ropes. It didn't hurt much but it was tight enough to hold her.
The last thing she remembered was Adrian and Richard. Her heart began to pound against her chest when everything started coming all back. Jacob was killed; killed by Adrian. Ashley remembered the look in Adrian's eyes. When he pointed that bow at her she was sure he would release it. But then Richard intervened and then...
"It seems you've awoken little one," a deep voice said.
That's right.
Ashley squinted her eyes and the blurry image began to take shape.
That's when she saw him; Sebastian. He held her shoulders, raised her upper body, and made her sit on the wet ground.
"I hope this feels more comfortable," he said with a small smile.
Ashley didn't answer. She was still lost in thought and getting a clear picture of her surroundings. She was at a familiar place; the cliff. This was her favorite place in the whole town. It was where she came whenever she wanted to be alone and it was also the place where she met Richard.
But this was also where Richard fought and defeated Ethan.
"What do you want with me?" she asked. It was a stupid question because she knew exactly what he wanted.
"You know what I want little one," Sebastian said. It was raining but Ashley could clearly hear his voice.
Ashley turned her face to the object glowing in Sebastian's hand. It was a glossy spherical orb with a glowing green cloud spiraling inside it.
"Is that Prometheus' Orb?" Ashley asked.
Sebastian stretched his hand near her.
"The largest Ethren stone in existence," he said. "Not many get to see it, let alone touch it."
The Orb was glowing even brighter when it was close to Ashley.
"A unique specie," Sebastian said. "The only one of your kind... The Orb recognizes you, Ashley Morgan."
"You know my name because of Jacob, don't you?" she said.
A spark of grief ignited in Sebastian's eyes.
"The boy's death was unfortunate," he said. He sat next to her and began to speak.
"You are probably wondering why I am doing all this... Trying to awaken someone the whole world thinks is nothing but pure evil."
"From what I've heard, all the realms consider Ethan as evil," Ashley replied.
Sebastian chuckled.
"Granted my master has never been what you may call a 'people person'," he said. "You know I was once like you... I used to hear the stories of the terrible Chimera even as a child. I belonged to a group of merfolk called Drifters. We were nomads but because of our belief that humans and merfolk could co-exist, we were usually shunned from society. When my father died I became the leader of the Drifters. I was gifted with power over the earth so I used my abilities to protect my people. You could say I had everything; good people who trusted me and I them, a wonderful and caring wife and the most loving daughter any father could ever hope for. I remember one time I was working on my Earth Manipulation techniques and I didn't notice that my little Serena nearby. A boulder hit her and she was badly hurt. I rushed her to a healer and I was relieved when I was told that she would be okay. I made a promise to her that day; that never again would I ever hurt a child. Everything was perfect until Richard Thane happened."
The anger and hatred in Sebastian's aura sent a shiver through Ashley's body.
"One day Richard came near our settlement. Everyone knew who he was, the Fire Demon who was said to be the only one who could defeat the Chimera. I went on land and welcomed him despite knowing what he was and up to now I consider that act as the worst mistake of my life. Richard told me that he was looking for someone like me... an Earth Element Master. Element Masters are rare and Richard said that he was lucky to find me. I asked him what he needed from me and that's when he told me."
"He wanted you to be one of The Ten," Ashley said. She was now hearing the same story Richard told her but this time from someone else's point of view.
"The Ten... living beings... chosen to sacrifice everything, including their souls, in order to destroy The Chimera and save the realms. I refused Richard's offer. I had a family and I wasn't going to give that up for anything. However..."
Sebastian raised his hand and a small rock rose in the air. When he began moving his fingers the rock started to change into a figure that resembled a sculpture of what Ashley could only call a demon. It had long sharp ears and teeth, bulging big eyes and bat-like wings. Sebastian curled his hands into a fist and the sculptured demon crumbled into dust.
"We called them Lucviach but you might know them as demons. Two days after Richard's visit hordes of them attacked a nearby underwater kingdom. My people had settled near the kingdom and some of the demons found their way to us. I did my best to stop them but they were just too many. Most from my kin died that day. My wife was also killed and my daughter would have been to if it wasn't for Richard."
"Since Richard couldn't come underwater, he sent his allies who defeated the horde. One of those allies was Talya and she managed to seal the portal the demons used to enter our world. When I was taken ashore, Richard said that the leader of the kingdom was attacked because he had angered Ethan and that was how the Chimera punished all those who opposed him. I remember looking at my daughter's eyes that day and in anger I chose to join Richard, making me the last one to be recruited."
Sebastian stood up and said, "Well I am sure Richard's already told you what happened next."
"The ritual to create the dagger was performed," Ashley said. "But Richard didn't tell you about what happened next and some of you died and had to leave the realm..."
"He lied to us!" Angry lines were forming across Sebastian's face. "I had to leave everything behind me... Richard got what he wanted and I became a creature of darkness, consumed by blood lust. I left trails of bodies wherever I went and there were times when I just wanted to step into the sun and get reduced ashes. I couldn't get out of the realm where Talya had sent me and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of one day seeing my daughter. But after ten years in that realm, I lost hope."
"So one night I went up a mountain and decided I would wait until the sun came up... At least that's what I would have done if he hadn't shown up..."
"Ethan," Ashley stated.
"I don't know if you know this but in your eyes, Lord Ethan would just appear like someone of your own age but trust me; he is more ancient than you can ever imagine. I didn't know that back then so when he asked what I was doing on the mountain I ignored him. He sat next to me, stared into the sky and said... nothing. There was silence between us for almost two hours until I couldn't take it. I asked him what he wanted and he said, 'You have control over earth and yet you can't even control your bloodlust... pathetic. How can you even call yourself an Element Master?' 'How do you know that? And what can a child possibly know about what I am going through?' I replied. 'Try me,' Lord Ethan said."
"So I told him about everything. I didn't know why I found it easy to open up to a total stranger but I was about to die so... Anyway, when I was done Lord Ethan did the most unexpected thing. He tapped his finger on the ground and my body, except my head, sunk inside."
The malicious dark aura that Ashley had previously sensed from Sebastian had completely disappeared and was replaced by a bright happy one. He was smiling widely and Ashley also felt her mood lightening up. It seemed like talking about Ethan made Sebastian feel much better.
I couldn't use my earth techniques because my whole body was stuck and Lord Ethan said to me,=, 'At least now the ground will have some use for your body when your head burns. If you are so determined on giving up on your pathetic existence then don't struggle. However, it means you won't get the chance to exact your revenge upon the one responsible for all your misfortunes... me.'"
"I looked into the boy's sharp dark eyes. I could see it; he wasn't lying about who he said he was. When I realized that the boy standing beside me was the Chimera a profound power came upon me but unfortunately I still couldn't get out of the hole Lord Ethan had plunged me in. He told me that if I managed to free myself I would find him at the peak of the mountain. And there I was... I tried moving my body but nothing."
Ashley pursed her lips together and suppressed a laugh when she tried to imagine a grown man as big as Sebastian stuck in a hole.
"Ahem... Well, it was almost sunrise and luckily for me, I found a way to get out. I changed into my merform."
"I thought you can only do that underwater or when I contact with pure, untainted water," Ashley asked.
"That's what I thought too. But it hit me back then... if, in our humans, we can manifest our claws, fangs, sharpen our vision, increase our speed and basic give ourselves some of the abilities we have underwater, why can't we do the same for our tails? After concentrating hard enough I managed to change my feet into a tail and I used it to manipulate the element I command, I was out of the wretched hole just as the sun rose. I used my speed to reach the peak of the mountain and there I found Lord Ethan waiting. I could feel the sun behind my back and saw smoke rising as my skin burned. But even if I was going to die, I wanted to take the Chimera with me. So I attacked."
"I don't know what Lord Ethan did but everything for me went black. When I came to, I was still on the mountain. It was already sunrise but my body wasn't engulfed in flames. Lord Ethan was next to me and before I attacked again he told me that he had turned the ring my wife gave me into a daylight ring.