Prometheus' Orb (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 1)

Ashley felt like acid was rising to her throat. Richard was as quiet as everyone else in the room.

“Nine hundred years ago,” Richard said. “With the help of a Sea-Witch, I found a way to defeat Ethan... but one thing I learned even from Ethan himself is that there is always a price to pay when it came to magic.”

“S-Sacrifice... you mean you had to take ten lives,” Ashley said, her voice trembling a bit.

“Nine to be exact,” Richard replied.

His face... Ashley may have felt shame from his aura but Richard’s face was expressionless. He had just said there was no other way but Ashley was willing to listen to what he had to say.

Ashley turned to Sara. Of course, she isn’t shocked, Ashley thought. Sara was a Hunter and who knows how many creatures she had killed. The more time Ashley spent with Richard, Sara, Claudia, and Shira the more she realized that death was something that was somewhat normal to them. Claudia was a Vampire and Richard a Fire Demon... Dark creatures that had to die in order to become what they were.

The angry sound of rain hitting the roof and trees outside filled the room. Richard slid the window to his right and stretched out his right hand into the rain. Ashley then saw a thick vapor rising from his hand. At first, she didn’t know why but that was before she saw the painful expression on Richard’s face and heard his muffled grunts.

Ashley dashed to him and pulled him away from the window.

The burn marks on Richard’s right hand began to heal and the red color faded.

Richard was breathing heavily when Ashley asked, “What was that?”

“Killing me and turning me into a monster wasn’t enough for Ethan,” Richard said, his hand tightening into a fist. “He cursed me never to return to my home. For you, natural water... filled with earth’s very own magic... If even a drop were to touch your skin you would immediately transform into your merform...”

Raising his hand, Richard said, “But for me... this is what happens... Ashley, I have done a lot of abhorring things ever since Ethan made me into what I am but...”

Richard stopped talking when Ashley hugged him. Her hands slowly wrapped themselves around his neck and she could feel his warm breath.

“Richard, I am sorry for judging you... I didn’t mean to...”

“Ashley... I...”

Richard pulled away from her hug, held her by her shoulders and said, “Ashley... Everything I did, I did out of vengeance and...”

Ashley just smiled and Richard’s mouth almost dropped. She could now see it in his eyes and feel it in his aura. Regret...

“So how did you actually defeat Ethan,” Ashley finally asked.

“Talya... the sea-witch... she came to me with a dagger.”

“It wasn’t just any dagger,” Shira said. “At least not according to my grandfather...”

“Glati, your great grandfather, was a great Arzyrian and so was his son, Althari,” Richard said. “They were the ones who made the dagger.”

“What was so special about this dagger?” Ashley asked.

“The blade itself was just as ordinary as any but its power lay within its hilt,” Richard replied. “Glati and Shira’s grandfather placed ten Ethren Stones on the hilt.”

“Ethren Stones?”

Ashley could not hide the confusion in her voice.

“Ethren Stones can only be found in a realm I’d rather not mention,” Shira said. “They are some of the rarest objects in all the realms. They have the ability to store magic.”

“Can’t other magical objects do that?” Ashley asked.

“Yes,” Shira replied. “But Ethren Stones are different... Say your magic was to be absorbed by even a fragment of an Ethren Stone, anybody who holds that fragment would be able to utilize the same abilities that you have.”

“And how would this help you defeat Ethan?” Ashley asked, turning to Richard. Magic, Chimera, Fire Demons, Vampire... It seemed like only yesterday that the only thing Ashley had to think about logically was how to apply theorems in calculus or how the principles of thermodynamics in physics run over her head. Now, here she was trying to make sense of... magic. She could feel her inner self laughing hysterically at her.

“The Ten,” Richard answered. “I searched the earth for nine creatures and asked for their help.”

“Wait,” Ashley asked, rewinding Richard’s words in her mind. “Two questions... First, you gave these creatures a choice. And secondly, I thought you said ‘The Ten’ Why did you seek nine?”

A beautiful smile formed on Richard’s face. Ashley’s heart skipped a beat... She wanted to look away but he was just so...

“Yes to the first question Ashley,” Richard replied. Ashley was pulled out of her daze.

“I gave them a choice. When Ethan turned me into a Fire Demon, he didn’t give me much of a choice... well... after feeding me his blood and killing me, Ethan did give me two choices. He handed me a vial of human blood and told me that I could both drink it and live out my days in darkness or I could have rejected it and died within a day... The choice I made is obvious.”

“Speaking of blood,” Claudia said.

Claudia was biting her lip, her skin was a bit pale and in way pacing around the room like a child. Putting aside the fact that she was craving for blood right now, Claudia looked kind of... adorable.

“The fridge in the basement,” Richard said.

In a blink of an eye, Claudia was already out of the living room.

During her training, Ashley had heard Claudia mention that sometimes she did drink from blood bags. But usually, she did feed on humans and later compelled them to forget. Was it right to feed on humans? Ashley was still trying to wrap her head around that question. She looked at Sara. Sara being a Hunter was alright with Claudia and as long as she wasn’t hurting anyone, it appeared things would be this way.

“And to answer your second question...”

Richard walked to the stairs and sat there.

“Ethan is a being made up of ten creatures. But each creature he’s made of has a weakness. But before I go there, you have to know something else... and I am honestly surprised none of you have asked me this question... If Ethan fed me his blood and killed me, why didn’t I turn into a Chimera like him?”

Ashley’s eyes widened. It’s true she thought. Jacob told her that the reason he became a Vampire was that Claudia’s blood was in his system when he died so then...

“Well, don’t just keep us in an atmosphere of suspense,” Shira said.

“It baffled me too at one point but I later discovered that Ethan’s has what I might call a mind of its own... for lack of a better term that is. If someone dies with Ethan’s blood in their body, they can only turn into one of the ten creatures that Ethan’s made of... And that’s all up to fate... though, throughout the ages, people say that Ethan’s blood seeks out what you really are on the inside and that’s what it manifests... I was a water merman before I became a Fire Demon Ashley... I guess that’s what I truly was or am...”

“That’s not true Richard,” Ashley disagreed.

“Anyway,” Richard said. “There was another thing I discovered about Ethan’s blood. Many warlocks, witches, and other creatures were intrigued by Ethan. Once, I came across a group that had somehow managed to get hold of some of his blood. I didn’t know how and I personally didn’t care. All I was interested in was why. They told me that they were trying to create a Chimera of their own but every time they tried...”

“The unlucky soul could only turn into one of the creatures within him... I mean that was the same case with you” Shira finished.

Richard simply tilted his head in agreement.

“But they discovered something else,” Richard said. “No matter how many times they tried, they couldn’t create a Fire Demon.”

Ashley and everyone didn’t know for how long but Sara’s hand was up. She made some hand signs. She was asking Richard what that had to do with destroying Ethan.

“I was going to ask the same thing,” Claudia said, appearing out of nowhere. Her skin tone was now fairer than before.

“Well... The first step was finding the ones willing to sacrifice themselves in order to defeat Ethan. Victor the Air Element Master, the Sea-Witch Talya and her Dragon Roagu, Arad the Water Element Master, Zafrina the trickster... a Kitsune I mean, the Earth Element Master Sebastian, Alson the Vampire, Isaac, a Tormentor and Niamh the Werewolf. Each of one these was willing to do anything if it meant the world would be safe from Ethan... even if it meant being turned into creatures of the dark.

“Richard,” Ashley said, realizing emanating from her voice. “You were the tenth... a Fire Demon...”

“That’s correct,” Richard replied.

Creatures of the dark... Ashley remembered what Richard had told her during one of her training sessions with him. Any creature that had to die in order to become what they were was considered a dark creature. Richard had said that if the proper spell was cast or the right ritual performed, any creature could become a dark creature. Vampires were the most common because of how easy it was to become one but dark Werewolves, Merfolk, and other creatures also existed.

Richard continued talking.

“I had to be,” he said. “The reason why Ethan’s blood couldn’t create another Fire Demon was that I already existed. So, with all of us gathered, the nine souls drank Ethan’s blood that day, giving up their mortality and becoming dark creatures. The Ethren Stones in the dagger absorbed the magic used to create us and that dagger became the only weapon that could destroy Ethan.”

“However... to my shame, there was something I neglected to tell the rest. It was something I discovered from the same group that gave me Ethan’s blood... Creatures born of Ethan’s blood cannot be in the same place otherwise they die. Zafrina and Isaac died immediately after the ritual and the rest had to leave the Earth realm.”

“No wonder Sebastian bears a passionate hatred for you,” Claudia pointed out.

“So... the dagger... it absorbed magic from all ten of you... and... how did that help in defeating Ethan?” Ashley asked.

“When the dagger absorbed our power it became the only weapon that could destroy all ten of the creatures that make Ethan at the same time,” Richard replied.

“And how exactly did you kill him?“Ashley asked again. “I mean you said so yourself... Ethan was powerful.”

Richard’s face turned to the floor.

“It seems you haven’t been paying attention to some important details, Ashley,” Claudia said. “Didn’t you notice Richard referring to Ethan in the present tense... Ethan is still alive Ashley... He is just asleep...”

“Asleep?”

Richard rose to his feet and walked to Ashley. He then pointed outside.

Ashley followed Richard’s finger and she saw that he was pointing at the cliff on the other side of the island... the very cliff on which they first met.

“After creating the dagger I began to hunt Ethan,” Richard said. “Continent after continent and realm after realm... it took me nine hundred years to finally find him. And on that cliff was where we fought... That was last year. The Hunters also aided me and that’s how I met Sara and together, we finally put an end to Ethan. The dagger, however, has only put Ethan in eternal sleep and no amount of magic or power can ever pull it out of his heart. That excludes Prometheus’ Orb of course.”

“Prometheus’ Orb?”

Ashley was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed for asking question after question.

“It is the largest Ethren Stone in all the realms,” Shira said. “Because of its power, my people were granted the task of safeguarding it. But it was stolen... stolen by Sebastian.”

“So it can also absorb magic,” said Ashley.

“Prometheus’ Orb is more complicated,” Shira answered.

Everything was complicated to her, Ashley thought.

“The Orb can absorb magic yes... but that’s not all it can do. Ordinary Ethren Stones crumble into dust when they lose the magic they absorbed but Prometheus’ Orb can contain an almost infinite supply of magic.”

“Sounds like the realm's most ideal magical capacitor if you ask me,” Claudia blurted out.

“Anyway,” Shira continued. “There is a catch. To use Prometheus’ Orb one has to offer it unique magic first, meaning, it first has to absorb magic that’s the only one of its kind. Sebastian’s initial plan was to kill all members of The Ten, except himself. He already managed to track down and kill Victor, Alson, Niamh, and Arad. If he killed Richard, Talya, and Roagu who remain, his blood would contain a magical signature that only he would have, and that way he would be able to wield the Orb and absorb the magic contained in the dagger that rests in Ethan’s dark heart.”

“But he doesn’t have to now, does he?”

Ashley finally realized why Richard was so worried when he found out that she was a half-breed. Ashley was the only half-breed in all the realms; at least the only one with a human mother and a merman father. Her training with Richard had also given her knowledge of what magical signatures were. Everything, living or non-living, bore a unique magical marker in them. It was more like a fingerprint except it was the same for things of the same type. It was the reason for almost every phenomenon that occurred in the natural and supernatural world; why dark creatures burnt up in the sun, why Ashley could only control water, why humans couldn’t see as well as other creatures in the dark... all things, biological, physical, chemical, cosmological were determined by these signatures.

“Since I am a half-breed,” Ashley continued. “Sebastian doesn’t need to kill Richard or the rest of The Ten who are still alive... All he needs is my blood.”

“We are not going to let him get to you Ashley... you or anyone else in this town.”

Ashley felt Claudia’s firm hand on her shoulder.

“I know Sebastian’s smart,” Claudia continued. “I alone can take on fifty creatures with the same level of power as him and with Richard; Sebastian has absolutely no chance of winning against us.”

“You have our protection, Ashley,” Shira added.

“No!”

Ashley didn’t mean to shout.

“No,” she said, more calmly this time. “I haven’t been training for the past weeks just to be protected. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let what happened to Alex happen to anyone I care about. This is my fight too and I am going to put in everything I got.”

“Those eyes,” Claudia said. “Determined... you remind me of the Vampire that turned me.”

Claudia moved closer to Ashley.

“Ten thousand years ago,” Claudia said. “Before civilization fully bloomed in Europe, Demons had attacked my village and I was the only survivor. Those were the real dark ages...”

Ashley could see the sadness in Claudia’s brown eyes.

“I was half dead when she found me. The Vampire... She was as deadly as the sword she wielded; a katana with a blood-red hilt. When she offered to turn me I didn’t have to think twice... I had relatives and friends in another neighboring village and vowed that I would protect them with my life. When she turned me I never felt more alive... ironic, considering that we dark creatures are actually dead. To cut a long story short, I slew every demon that tried attacking my village. I had no daylight ring back then but I was lucky since Demons only appear at night. But when the rest of the humans in the village realized they didn’t need me anymore... they tried to turn me into barbeque.”

“They tried to kill you? Why?” Ashley asked.

“Maybe it was because they feared my power... though I think sucking dry a man that tried to harm a little girl may have contributed to it... Anyway, I left that God-forsaken village and began to explore the world. I did meet the vampire that turned me and the last words Kyla said to me were... ′If you ever come across a Fire Demon named Richard Thane or someone called The Chimera, it would be in your best interest to run as far away from that place as possible.′ Now I understand why.”

So that’s Claudia’s story, Ashley thought, or at least part of it. There were still ten thousand years worth of history about her and five times that about Richard. All that remained was finding out Sara’s story. Why did she become a Hunter? Ashley didn’t know how to ask or rather... she felt like something was off about her friend.

“Wait,” Ashley said, as a thought suddenly coursed through her mind. “Lenora... what happened to her?”

“She was killed... by my father,” Richard answered. “I don’t know how but somehow my mother found out about my plan to help Ethan and immediately informed my father. My father led some of his best men ashore and slaughtered everyone in Lenora’s village... well at least that’s the story Ethan himself told me.”

It was all revenge. In the stories her mother told her, Ethan became dark because he was using magic to try to have a tail. Obviously, there was more to the story than Ashley ever realized.

But still, to do what he did to Richard and the kingdom...

“And how did Ethan become a Chimera?” Ashley asked.

“That part I have never known till this day Ashley,” Richard answered. “Only Ethan holds the answer to that question.”

A blinding light hit Ashley’s face. It was almost sundown she realized as she stared at the sun through the window.

“Blast... I have to be heading home,” Ashley said. It was still raining but Ashley didn’t mind.

“I will take you,” Shira offered. “It will be much faster.”

“Thanks.”

“Ashley...” Richard said. He paused for a while and Ashley simply smiled at him.

“I will be careful,” Ashley replied.

Shira held Ashley’s hand. An electric feeling coursed through her body and in a split second, Ashley was in her room.

Before Shira left she said, “Ashley... I know and trust Richard but now I am beginning to realize that he is someone who would do just about anything to make sure Ethan never awakens... anything even if it means...”

“I trust him, Shira, just as much as I trust you,” Ashley interrupted. She had a pretty good idea of what Shira was trying to say.

“You have been dragged into a world where nothing is as it seems. Be careful and whenever faced with doubt... always trust your instincts alright.”

Having said that Shira teleported and Ashley was alone.

No, she wasn’t... this aura, it was...

“Well... at least your creepy alien friend is right about one thing...”

Ashley watched as Samantha walked out of the wardrobe. Disappointment, anger, pain... all these were expressed in Samantha’s narrowed eyes. How long had she been waiting? Ashley was only able to sense her aura after Shira left.

“Things are not what they seem,” Samantha finished.

***

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