Shadows of the Past

I sat alone in my room, the weight of my thoughts pressing heavily on my mind. Questions swirled around like a storm, each more pressing than the last. What was I supposed to do next? How could I control my powers better? Why could I draw upon them sometimes but not when I needed them most?

"Fulminor," I called out, my voice tinged with frustration. "I need your help. Why can't I draw on my powers consistently?"

Fulminor's presence materialized beside me, his form shimmering with electric blue and deep indigo hues.

"It depends on the holder's capabilities and abilities. If one tries to draw it by force, it could permanently damage the holder's body and mind."

I frowned, feeling a mix of frustration and curiosity. "Am I the strongest holder?"

Why ask this question when you already know the answer?

"I'm not talking about now," I clarified. "I mean the potential to grow stronger in the future."

That will be answered with time. Focus on your growth and the journey ahead.

With that, I attended my classes, trying to push my worries aside. I saw Lysandra, and to my relief, she seemed fine. She was her usual self, quiet, answering questions when asked. I guess I was worried for nothing. Kairos and Caelum were their normal selves, too. We had become close, I realized. I was a total stranger when I first arrived, but now I have friends. Well, except for the girls. Lysandra, who knew my secret and promised to keep it.

In the afternoon, we had our training period. I could now freely express my spiritual pressure, which was a relief. Others were training with their weapons, and I couldn't help but wonder when I would be able to summon mine freely.

Don't focus on what you can't do now. Focus on what you can do and improve it. You clear a chapter first, not read the last lesson.

As I pondered his words, Lysandra approached me. "Are you doing okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"I'm fine," I replied, though I wasn't entirely sure.

"This secret can't be kept forever," she said. "We need a plan for when others find out."

"When they learn about it, maybe we should convince them as we did with you," I suggested.

"Are you joking?" she asked, incredulous.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

I was able to suppress Sylvanus, but not the other guardians. Even if the holders are convinced, we need to somehow convince the guardians.

We thought for a moment, the weight of the situation sinking in. Suddenly, Seri's voice broke the silence.

"What's happening here? Oh, is romance blooming?"

Lysandra's face turned red, and she stammered, "No!" Her flustered voice was almost endearing.

Seri laughed. "I was just joking."

Lysandra didn't appreciate the joke and walked away, leaving me to ponder our next steps.

That night, I lay in bed, still thinking about how to deal with the other guardians. "Fulminor, what happened that made them seal you away?"

Fulminor's voice was somber. "After the 47th generation of holders, we managed to keep the wraiths at bay and were winning. My holder, the leader of the holders, was a wise man. He knew how to handle his team and use my powers well, even though he didn't go through the ritual. Everything was going well between the team and us guardians. But then we encountered something unexpected—a wraith stronger than the others. He called himself the Wraith King. He organized his wraiths into ministers, knights, and soldiers, much like humans. He was gaining knowledge from humans and is still alive among them."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "He's still alive and among us?"

Yes. His form was shrouded in a dark, ethereal mist that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. His eyes glowed with an eerie, malevolent light, piercing through the darkness with a gaze that could freeze the bravest of souls.

His armor was a twisted amalgamation of ancient, corroded metal and spectral energy, giving it a ghostly, almost translucent quality. The armor was adorned with jagged spikes and intricate runes that glowed faintly, hinting at the dark magic that sustained him. His helmet, crowned with a set of menacing horns, concealed most of his face, leaving only his glowing eyes and a hint of his skeletal visage visible.

The Wraith King's cloak billowed around him, made of the same shadowy mist that surrounded his body. It seemed to move and shift of its own accord, as if alive. His hands, skeletal and clawed, gripped a massive, rune-inscribed sword that crackled with dark energy. The blade itself seemed to absorb the light around it, casting an ominous shadow wherever it struck.

We were gaining an advantage over his soldiers and knights, and though his generals were formidable, we overcame them. But there was one knight who changed our fate. He killed my holder's family, plunging him into despair and agony. My holder became a walking dead, unable to fight. This knight, who later became a general, attacked the holders, and they lost. But the reason they lost wasn't the wraiths—it was my holder. The Wraith King is a creature of darkness, feeding on negative emotions and enjoying tormenting others. He made my holder believe that if he killed all his teammates, he would bring back his dead wife and child. Lost in despair and given false hope, my holder misused my powers, leading to our defeat.

Fulminor's voice grew heavier with each word...

Just when my holder was about to kill his teammate, Julie, the Phoenix holder, she begged him to stop. Seeing it was futile, she went through the ritual, fully mastering her powers. She drove the wraiths back, creating a chance for the other holders to gain control over their powers. For the first time in history, all the holders completed the ritual and gained new powers, pushing back and defeating the wraiths. The commander, however, managed to defeat them along with my holder. On the brink of death, Julie used her full powers along with the other holders, causing an explosion that made the commander vanish.

My holder, on his deathbed, asked for forgiveness, but the other holders knew he was under control and needed to be killed. The Wraith King made it look like I was the reason for it and blamed me. After killing my holder, they tried to imprison me, but Rose, Thalassa's holder, intervened. She opposed killing my holder and my sealing. 'It's all their plan,' she said. 'Can't you see? We're walking on their thread-like puppets.' But the others opposed her, saying that if they hadn't gone through the ritual, they would have been dead, and so would our world. They didn't listen to her and sealed me, but Thalassa intervened, switching places with me. The interrupted sealing caused an explosion.

"What happened after that?" I asked.

After that, I was in a deep sleep. When I opened my eyes, I was inside you. I watched your childhood and was relieved that the other guardians managed to uphold peace. I was very angry and wanted revenge, but watching you and your time with your family changed my mind. But when I sensed the other guardians near you, I knew hell was opening again, and they needed your help. Since Thalassa intervened with the sealing, some of her powers are inside me, and they thought you had Thalassa.