Page 100

“Let that spiritual energy melt like metal against flame,” Xen’s palms warmed against the back of Evan’s hands. “Feel that melting metal gather between your palms. Feel it harden.”

That description was so specific that it didn’t take much effort for Evan to vividly paint a picture in his mind. Without opening his core and using the spiritual energy already circulating through his body, he redirected the flow towards his hands.

Blue light coursed through his veins, accelerating in the direction of his command, and shimmered to life between his pressed palms, a grainy feeling pulsing in the midst. It was a strange sensation, like crystallized powder erupting from his skin follicles, melting together to become bigger. Harder, firmer.

“Now, draw it out,” Xen held Evan’s wrists, voice soft as to not break his focus, and slowly pulled his palms apart.

A glowing, translucent crystal materialized between his palms. Solid like glass, slightly jagged, thrumming with his blue spiritual energy. It elongated as his palms stretched further apart.

Evan was startled. His finger trembled, and his focus broke, the crystal bursting into shimmering blue dust in his hands.

Did I…just do that?

He slowly blinked down at his hands, unbelieving he’d just created such a beautiful thing out of thin air. All these years, he’d thought being able to draw a light barrier over his body was the biggest accomplishment of his life in matters related to spiritual energy. Who knew there were so many things he’d never tried because he wasn’t aware they existed?

Why had Rhea never taught him this?

“That was…strange,” Evan whispered to his hands, as if complimenting them. “Strange but…stunning.”

Xen smiled over Evan’s shoulder. “You lost concentration. Try again.”

Guiding his palms together again, Xen held them close as Evan focused his spiritual energy like before. This time, without Xen’s instructions, Evan was able to forge a glowing blue shard between his palms. To improvise, towards one end, he curled his fingers while drawing it out, sharpening an end into a spike. It was now shaped like a sword of ice, translucent and cold, twice as sharp.

“Wow,” Evan admired his ice sword, jamming it into the ground to test its functionality. It cut smoothly, slicing through earth and stone alike in one swift move.

“You can turn any vision into a weapon with the amount of spiritual energy your core produces,” Xen leaned back against the tree once again, cushioning his hands behind his head. “And it's remarkably deadly against my kind.”

“Oh,” Evan traced the sharp edge of the ice sword. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned I might use this against you one day?”

Xen cocked his head, red glinting in his eyes. “I’m certain you will.”

There was a conviction in his voice that made Evan roll his eyes.

Evan was a quick learner. Someone could just hold his finger, and he’d learn how to climb their shoulder. So without Xen’s help, he held the spiritual weapon in his hand and dissolved it into dust.

“Nicely done,” Xen smiled.

“Mmhm,” Evan dusted his hands, seemingly forgetting he was still sitting in Xen’s lap. “I’m still not fighting that thing, though. He will crush me into a pulp before I have a chance to draw a weapon.”

Fighting a battle you knew you’d lose was like inviting death for an early union. And Evan was pretty sure that if he died such a cruel death, he'd come back as a vengeful spirit and haunt thistown. Just another lifetime of aimless wandering. People were already scared of him, anyway.

The simple solution was, don’t poke death, and it won’t stab you back.

The darkening night sky shrouded the entire area around the temple in dancing shadows. Dense trees loomed around the clearing, shrouding everything within it in darkness. The Hellguard paced behind the tree engulfing the temple, seeming agitated as he stomped little rocks into dust under his feet.

Xen threw a glance over his shoulder at the Hellguard, his expressions unreadable. For a moment, his eyes narrowed, then he turned to Evan. “In all honesty, we didn’t come here just for the relic.”

“What do you mean?”

For whatever reason, Xen’s eyes turned serious. “I need you to break his curse.”

“Curse?” Evan slapped a hand across his mouth, startled by his own screech as he threw a cautious glance at the Hellguard before softly biting out, “What curse? Whose curse?”

Xen hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the rock giant. Evan followed his finger. After a tense silence, he chuckled darkly. “No. Fucking. Way.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said he’s an old friend,” Xen said, leaning forward to stare at Evan, red eyes dimly alight in the dark. “He needs our help.”

“There’s noourbetween us!” With progressively deepening irritation, Evan glanced between the Hellguard and his personal hell sitting in front of him. Then he let out an exhausted sigh. “Can you come back to thecursepart?”