Chapter 19: The Shadow and the Goddess

"You're the shadow element?!" Alistor stands up in shock as he heard the old mans voice.

"Yes, I am, Zarion Sheathfield, The shadow element." as Zarion smiled and told Alistor as Alistor was standing in shock. Zarion continued "Now, Now, don't be surprised you are a shadow too you know."

"I mean, I thought you were dead, it said in the books, even your own friend." Alistor said as he sits down while Nao was sitting while drinking hot coco.

Zarion smiled while he looked at his hot coco, he said "I'll tell you everything after I died, but in exchange, I need you to do something."

Alistor nodded and said "Alright."

"Alistor....who is this guy..." Nao taps Alistors blazer.

"Hmm? Oh, this is Zarion Sheathfield, The user of the shadow elemental." as Alistors hand points the old man.

"The 3rd Generation holder of the Arcane magic..." As Zarion pats the head of little Nao while he smiled and continued "Dragnoss was the first victim of this curse."

"You mean the first arcane holder?" Alistor said as he looks at him and sips the hot coco.

"Yes, Dragnoss always had this, even from the beginning, he tried to remove it of course, but he failed many times unless you find whats the main cause for this and where it came from...." As Zarion ends the patting from Nao and stands up and sits down in the rocking chair and continued "...he always hid this from us, except me, I found out what happened to him and asked me for aid, so I helped him, everytime he goes back being a child, I always took care of him."

"Didn't you find out why this would happen?" Alistor said as he puts the mug down.

"I almost found out why this curse happened but before I could find out, Rorick caused havoc in the lands of my friends, I was busy planning that time so I didn't have time to look for the cause." As Zarion rocks the chair and looks above the ceiling.

"I see, so about what happened to you after you died..." As Alistor looked at Zarion while he connects his hands together.

"Ah, Yes, I almost forgot, After I died from the war and succeeded in killing Rorik, I was covered in black and green. I think you heard from my good fried Skadi right?" As Zarion looks at him and stops rocking.

"Yes, you invented the regeneration element." Alistor said as he looks at him back.

"Actually, it is not an element, it is magic." As Zarion opens his palms and made green mana from his regeneration magic.

"Yea, I wondered sometimes for that also, Why everyone calls magic an elemental?" Alistor asked him as he continued to look at him.

"Because it is the source of magic. The first magic was fire, earth, wind and water, then others tried to invent other magic but failed because it is the law of Gaia." As Zarion looks above towards the ceiling.

"Law of Gaia?" As Alistor then raises his right brow. Then a bright light appeared from the dining room and Alistor then places his hand in a good distance from his face as he blocks the bright light and Zarion was still smiling while his eyes were closed, and then the light took the form of a woman.

"Yes, Mr. Shadow Demon." The woman said as she puts both of her hands leveled to her belly.

As Alistor then lowers his hand as the bright light disappears and saw the woman with yellow hair as the dandelion and white clothes as the clouds and a leafy ringed crown on her head, and a fox around her neck, as he said "I suppose you are the goddess Gaia he is talking about?"

"Well, you catch on pretty quickly. Yes, I am goddess Gaia, the mother of life, pleased to meet you Mr. Shadow demon." As Gaia then smiles at Alistor.

"Please, Call me Alistor, so what is this law of yours?" Alistor looks at her while she looked at him.

"Zarion, May I tell this gentleman the whole story after you died?" Gaia asks Zarion for his permission while she was still smiling and Zarion drank hot coco then goes to a room.

"Yes, Maybe it is better to let you handle that one, I am bad at explaining things like that." Zarion said as he puts down the mug.

Gaia then nods and tells Alistor the whole story, but then Nao suddenly changes back to her normal state, a 17-year-old Teenager. The clothes of Nao became too small for her, the clothes was ripped apart and she was almost nude because of it.

"What's happening? why are my clothes small?" Nao then looks at her surrounding while Alistor and Gaia were looking at her, while Gaia was still smiling, but Zarion went out of the room he came in and hands her spare clothes.

"Here, change into this young lady. There is an empty room over there, go change there" Zarion said as he hands the clothes while he was smiling at her.

"I don't understand anything but I will thanks." As Nao stands up and went to the empty room to change.

"I see the curse is still intact." Gaia said as she saw Nao going to the empty room and continued, "Anyways, let me tell you about what happened to Zarion after his death. He died, as he was supposed to but I took him here between life or death because I had a job for him, he is gonna guard the seal of Belphegor..."

[Zarion after his death]

"I'm sorry, my friends, we will meet in the afterlife..." as Zarion dies peacefully while the shadows and green mana was gathering around him and disperses him completely, then he was transferred into a cloudy space as he was looking at the ground with both of his hands and feet, he opened his eyes and was shocked as he looked at his surroundings and was even more shocked that he was alive, he said "Wait...I thought I was dead?"

"You are." Gaia appears behind him and continued "You are in between life and death, time and space."

"Life or death? What is that?" Zarion said as he asked Gaia.

" A space where you see the souls of the living and the dead flowing towards their destination, " Gaia said as she points at the souls behind her.

"So what am I doing here? Am I supposed to be going with them?" Zarion said to Gaia as Gaia looked at him.

"Yes Indeed, but I chose you because I have a job for you." Gaia said a she turns to Zarion and holds his shoulders.

"What is it?" Zarion replied.

"I want you to guard the seal of Belphegor." Gaia said as she continued to hold his shoulders.

"Belphegor? You mean the one Dragnoss sealed? Why?" Zarion asked her.

"Belphegor's seal is slowly fading away, I estimated that it will open in three generations from now." Gaia said as she showed the seal of Belphegor. It was a large door with pink mana chains around it and a cloud of black smoke coming off on each crack of the door, as Zarion sees the black cloud from each side, Gaia continued "The seal is slowly weakening."

"How about you?" Zarion said to Gaia while looking at her.

"If I had such power to strengthen the seal again, I would have done so, but my powers are slowly weakening." Gaia said as she looks both of her hands.

"Why?" Zarion asked her while he looks at her.

"Something is sucking my power out, I can't track where it's been sucked out." Gaia replied to Zarion.

"Ah, I have an Idea." Zarion says to Gaia then opens her palms and a shadow appeared from his palms and took shape of a fox, and jumps around her neck and lays there.

"What is this?" Gaia asked as she touches the fox around her neck.

"It's a Magic Displacer. It interrupts all channeling of magic in a long period of time and as long as I am around it will never expire." Zarion said as he smiles while explaining.

"You are an interesting human. You were quiet when you are alive, but when you are here, you are really lively, it's almost strange." Gaia said to Zarion.

"Really? Maybe I have." Zarion said as he laughs while his hand was scratching the back of his head, as Gaia smiles at him.

"That's the whole story it seems, until today, the seal is slowly cracking." Gaia said to Alistor as both of them sat down across of each other while Gaia sat with Zarion.

"Can I see this seal of yours?" Alistor asked Gaia. Gaia and Zarion looked at each other and nodded, then Nao finishes changing and went out of the room, she saw them standing.

"Where are you all going?" Nao asked.

"Nao, come with us." Alistor said and as they went out and Gaia led them to the seal and there, they saw a cracked door, with black clouds emitting every crack they see, Alistor tried to strengthen the seal with his shadows but instead, it let out a spark as it was denied.

"I tried that but failed also." Zarion said as he went beside him.

"So, Belphegor is inside this thing?" Nao said as she crouches and looked at the black cloud.

"You're not scared Nao?" Alistor said as he looked at Nao and Nao stood up.

"No, Not a single bit, when I am with you Alistor, it seems that I am in calm, I never had a single fear out of anyone if you're nearby me." Nao replied, while she looked at Alistor and went to his side.

"This is a job for you Mr. Alistor, Protect the Capital from the destruction of Belphegor." Gaia said to Alistor as Alistor looked at her.

"What's in it for me?" Alistor looked at her.

"Oh, Of course, I will return you from where you belong." Gaia said as she smiled at him.

"So you were the one who summoned us." Alistor said as he crossed his arms while closing his eyes and nods.

"Yes, I summoned you just for this reason, because you are enough to withstand the army of Belphegor." Gaia said as she hovers.

"The army?" Alistor asked Gaia.

"Yes, once Belpgegor is released from his seal, his army will awaken from the ground and will fight for him at any costs." Gaia replied to him while she hovers.

"When will this take place and where?" Alistor said as he looked down and looked up again.

"It's gonna take place just outside the capital, and it be in a week from now, be careful," Gaia said to Alistor and Alistor nods, she continued " Then I will let you go back now. I wish you all the luck Alistor and Nao, Be safe."

"I see, we have little time, but we will, thanks" Alistor said.

"I will be returning you now." Zarion then lifts his hands and slowly covers them in shadow.

"Oh, By the way, Happy Anniversary for you two." Alistor said before they dispersed completely.

"How'd he know that it's our anniversary?" Gaia said to Zarion.

"Younglings these days, they scare me sometimes," Zarion said as he laughs.

"You are right, my darling Zarion" As Gaia laughs with him.

Alistor and Nao was back at the mansion on the bed as their spirit was back to their body and Alistor slowly gets up and goes to the balcony and thinks for the time being, because they have a battle with Belphegor a week from now, and Alistor needs a plan, a good one.

[Chapter 19 End]