The night was one that would be remembered for all the ages to come, but perhaps not in the way those gathered intended. For those who congregated that evening all considered themselves geniuses for what they were about to do, for the betterment of the world. Or at least the part of it they felt secure in owning.
Drawn on the floor was a diamond, and within that a square, and one more diamond within to be the center. It was etched so that each smaller figure traced in the larger one touched at certain locations, with the four points of the square touching the exact middle of the borders of the larger diamond. And within that, the other diamond's points touched the dead center of the edges of the surrounding square. This design made it so that there were a total of nine shapes within the diagram itself. Since the diamond was dissected by the square, this formed four larger triangles, each having a separate color. The four triangles were crimson, brown, turquoise, and a golden color. The square, for it held the smaller diamond, was cut into four smaller triangles that were all of one color, that being a pure white. The last and center figure, that of the smaller, whole diamond was given a color of complete darkness. It was so dark that sometimes it was mistaken for a void of reality, where nothing existed, but the majority of those in the room knew better. This space of the area was the representation of the element Maelstrom, which no living figure could ever manage to use without their death being seconds later. There was a floor there, but they still tread lightly over that area of ground, if they could not walk around it for some purpose.
Standing at each of the cardinal points of the outer diamond were four men, their robes matching the color of the triangle before them. These points represented four of the major elements; those being fire, earth, water, and air. Standing a few paces away from those four men, at the points where the square touched on the edges of the outer diamond, were four men in white robes, each robe having a single band going around the midsection of the robe in different colors. These men represented the element of life and order, that being spirit, but it was rare for a man to control spirit alone. That was the reason for the bands, and the color was different for each man in the white robe. For this group of men, to cover every base of the power before them that could be used, they had one man who chose spirit and one of the other elements. So there were eight men in all, four of which had pure elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, and the other four having spirit touched by one of the aforementionedelements. Yet, in the center was where the scene changed, for there were no men in robes. Instead, there was a pair of children, quivering and huddled together, staring about the room as a wild beast might when trapped upon the void-like ground that was more oft than not avoided.
As scared as the two children were, there were no sounds coming from the pair. At least no sounds audible, for the two could only manage bare gargles of pain. Both of them had already cried theirthroats raw to where they would likely never speak again without proper healing, which needed to be done quickly. Not that these men cared for the pair of children, one a human and the other an elf, beyond the purpose they were about to serve.
If this group of men had cared for the well being of these children, the two would not be here, nor the hundreds that were being held in another room. That and the fact that these two had been sewn together in various places indicated that their health was not a first priority. The lips of the young children were bound together by thread that had been magically enhanced, so that it looked like a playful kiss shared by friends. Had any person other than those gathered have seen the twosome, it would have appeared to be just an innocent gesture. This would hold true, of course, provided that that person ignored the fact that the children were also bound and sewn together palm to palm on each hand, as well as each foot. This made for an awkward way of sitting, but neither child was concerned with their aching poses at that moment.
"We should begin soon. The Hour of Binding is near," hissed out the man who stood at the assumed head of the figure drawn on the floor. This man was the one who represented the element of Fire, and who aptly named himself Pyros for that reason. Though these men had dreams of grandeur, not a one trusted another. So each had picked a new identity to go by upon forming this crew of Mages, some of them pertaining to the elements they represented, some not.
Each man knew their part of this ceremony both inside and out, for this wasn't the first performance. Where there were hundreds of children waiting to share a similar fate to those who were bound together now, at least three hundred more had already been involved in the ritual. They had been sewn together as these two children now, and had started to squirm as these two did currently when the men started to chant.
The words were unlike any that either youth had ever heard before, not that the exhausted state they were in would let them make any sense of the words should they even had understood them. And the words continued to carry on, calling forth power to the room and to those men gathered. Yet the men were not the only ones able to feel the forces, for such an intensity of power even affected thechildren waiting there in fear. Their minds, from their dread being increased tenfold by the tangibility of the elements gathering, reverted to a more bestial state, each trying again, although futilely, to rip apart from each other and get away. They could not manage to free themselves, for the magic thread had actually sealed parts of their flesh together, and only caused more pain. With their last ounce of energy spent by that animal-like outburst, the two children collapsed in against each other, and then it began for earnest.
After what seemed like a lifetime to the gathered Mages, and a handful of endless eternities to the children, something more than a gathering of the forces that were out there. The void-like area on the floor started to shift and rise, or at least appeared to. Instead of rising from the floor, there was an area of darkness lifting from the diamond on the floor, slowly swallowing the two children there. It was as if a black obelisk, in the shape of a diamond, was slowly being constructed by the magic being conjured by the eight men. But it wasn't for that purpose. Rather, it was used so the Mages didn't have to view the horrific process of the ritual they created for their own purposes. None of the eight, though they were the cause, wished to view what was going on as a new scream burst forth from the area of concealment. Screams that made the men shiver and were hard-pressed to be identified as natural later burst forth and resonated throughout the room, seeming to multiply and grow louder with each echo they created. Even though the children, even if freed, would not be able to move, these screams caused them to try once more, despite the fact their muscles had started to die off from the prolonged use of struggling. They nearly succeeded as well, or at least would have if they had reserved any strength that was used to struggle earlier. The only thing accomplished from this last, desperate and wild struggle was that their skin actually broke around their lips because of the thread, and blood began to slowly plink to the floor.
Though the Mages did not know it, and the children would never remember it at a later date, for their death would not be this evening and any memories of this torture would be removed, the scream came from none of the ten people gathered. Instead, it came from the Elements themselves, all except for that of the Maelstrom for it was unused always, as they were used for such a purpose as what washappening right now. The floor before the children absorbed the blood they spilled, and the magical bindings broke. Being free, and knowing it, they managed to at least try to roll away from the cursed darkness they found themselves in, acting only on primal instincts. They managed a few inches, perhaps a foot at most, before they collapsed.
From the area on the floor where the blood had spilled came the full culmination of the purpose of this evening. The magic forces of Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, and the four parts of Spirit began to mix and mesh, as some of them were definitely never meant to do. Being pulled into Fire and Earth was the blood that had been spilled, and it was forged and molded into a shape not much unlike the children whom it came from.
Slowly, little by little, the blood grew and started to knit into a body from the inside out. First came the arteries and veins, which then began to give way to internal organs and bone structure. Fire and earth continued to work, building this new body from the inside to the out, where at last a pale form of skin covered the form that lay there between the two it was created from. Then came the use of Fire and Air, to get the body to breathe and the heart to pump, Fire warming the body with air helping to regulate the flow of the now warmed blood. Spirit entered into this miasma of power now, bringing life to the being who had been created that evening, causing it to take it's first living breath instead of the ones forced by the life-like machinations of the magic.
And just like that, the chanting stopped, the eerie screams stopped, and the world seemed to stop as well. The area of darkness melted away to show the two children from previous, and a new little boy sitting calmly between them. While the four Spirit Mages rushed to take care of the two prone children, for they may be needed at a later date, Pyros took a look at the boy in the middle.
Just like all the others, he had eyes like the void he had been born in.
::December 22, 2002 10:11 AM
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