adomekia

((A/N: August will not be present for every scene moving forward, so some chapters like this one will be told in a third-person perspective.))

A graceful, fluttering ball of light rises from the swirling mist below, elevating into a higher plane. For a moment it lingers, before manifesting a pair of golden wings and assuming its ordinary form - that of a stellar, shimmering butterfly, with a wingspan of nearly half a foot across. 

The wings grow still, the figure remaining steady in the static air. She turns, looking in each direction at the surreal world she's manifested into.

The ground is covered in snaking mist as far as the eye can see - not too different from Rav's inner world. And yet in this place, high above the heavens, the sky is clear, adrift with floating celestial objects and lights. 

The butterfly hovers toward a goliath statue in the center of this mysterious place. It's a gargantuan statue, built like a gargoyle with jagged stone wings and heavy musculature. 

"Lord of Magic," the butterfly says quietly. "I have a question concerning my fate."

The statue sparks to life, mimicking the statues that litter the 'earth shrines' in the world below. Each one is part of a whole, connected to this statue. Through the statue speaks the Lord of Magic - a being that is known as the Guardian. 

"And what is it that you seek, Sola, Guide of the Sun?"

Sola's wings falter. "The Flamekeeper's Guide. The one from the outer world. Adomekia...does he have the power to control the Encephalim? It shouldn't be possible..."

Sola gains confidence, her wings sticking straight back as she raises her voice. "The Encephalim hunt my Magician with ruthless fervor! This is not something that should be...they should fear him."

The statue shudders. "Adomekia's power. You wish to know it? Then ask Adomekia."

The statue alights into black flame, causing Sola to retreat momentarily. As the gargoyle is completely consumed in the dark flames, another shape manifests in that darkness. Something much more alive. Much more sinister.

It unfurls slowly. The figure of a large bat, formed from shadow and lightless sinew, stretched tight over its skinny body. As its wings expand, the body of the creature is revealed. It's naught but a floating ball with wings. 

"Sssooo...you are Sssola? The pleasure iss mine," the orb cackles. The orb splits open. Sola, expected to see an eyeball emerge, darts backward when the orb opens to stare at her - but it is not an eye that looks back. Rather, it is a ball of white fire. In the center, there is a black dot, completely overtaken by the white flame. As much of a pupil as anything else, really.

Even as a Guide, some things can unnerve Sola - this is one of them. Her flightly posture is low, her wings barely beating. Sola steels herself - Guides are bound by a pact. They could never hurt each other. Not physically.

"You look like an Encephalim, outer Guide Adomekia. I expected you to share those same yellow eyes."

"The yellow eyesss of an Encephalim. I know them well. Don't you see any resemblanceee when looking at your Magician?" Adomekia snickers.

"August is not an Encephalim. Are you, Adomekia? Do you control them?"

The white flame in Adomekia's eye flashes, a slow and measured blink. As the two of them float there, information is transferred from one to the other, manifested by a ring of light that unites the two of them for a moment as they read each other's abilities. As Guides, they can communicate information like this in an instant. Adomekia reveals the extent of his abilities to Sola, and she too does the same to Adomekia. Within an instant, they understand each other fully.

"So, you do not." Sola speaks plainly, but what she'd just witnessed gives her pause. Adomekia has powers that Sola had not ever even considered possible, which means the Flamekeeper can do these things too. Could August ever hope to defeat such an opponent?

And to think, this isn't even the only Guide working with the Flamekeeper...

"Your magic is as violent as the ssstories say," Adomekia stirs, bouncing in place as it floats where once stood the Lord of Magic's statue. "I can't believe you onceee let your Magician kill a fellow Guide. Ah, but you paid for that little misstake with your three-hundred-year isssolation, did you not?"

Sola doesn't bite. "Why are the Encephalim so attracted to my Magician? This will interfere with everything. The will of the universe would never stack the odds so highly against a Guide."

"Our Magiciansss will fight, Sssola. But that day is ssstill far into the future." Each word is punctuated. Deliberate. 

"Conssider the Encephalim's fasscination with your boy a blessing in disguise. After all, it's his blood they're after. Lucky blood. Powerful blood. I should warn you againsst any family members of his as well..."

Sola doesn't understand what Adomekia is referring to, but her fellow Guide is too intrigued by the situation to hold his tongue. 

"Have you heard of the Magician of the Apocalypssse, Sola?"

Sola flutters quietly. "Of course. I encountered one, once. A Guideless Magician who needed no Vessel. His presence spawned famine, war, disease. Death. But you must be mistaken. No such Magician exists. Not anymore."

"Not yet." Adomekia seems pleased with himself. "But we shall sssee what becomes of Augussst Madera. Tell me, Sola. Haven't you seen signs? I hear he told the will of the universe his plans to kill you and defy his desstiny."

Sola is agitated by the conversation. She floats backward a bit, readying herself to return to the earth. "My Magician was under extreme distress when he said these things," she says quietly. Whether she's trying to convince Adomekia or herself is unclear. "He was forced to sacrifice his beloved for my power. It will take time for him to accept, but he is no villain. August Madera is the most innocent and determined Magician I have ever met. I believe in him, even though he may still hold doubts about his fate."

"It'ss nice to sssee that even sssomeone like you could become so optimisstic," Adomekia remarks, his eye closing and his body fading into nothingness. "Keep an eye on him, would you? I'd like to chat again, Sssola...before he killss you..."

Where Adomekia once was, there is no longer anything. Just a platform for the Lord of Magic's statue. It would return soon, but in this instant, the swirling heavenly dimension between worlds was devoid of all life except for Sola.

She flutters off, unsure of what to make of the news. Unsure of what to tell August when she returns. But one thing is clear - Adomekia holds the potential for world-ending magical power. August will have a lot of work to do to catch up, and Sola knows its her duty to ensure that happens.