Once Forgotten 1.93

Rya was shaken into consciousness. Kadrin stood over her, holding a finger to his mask. Silence. Her eyes widened at the sight of several black shapes flitting at the edge of the firelight. Some darted in, then darted out before any clear view of them could be seen.

A large shadow loomed above the rest. "So, Kadrin, we meet once again. I was actually hoping to run into you."

"Maldis, always an unpleasantry to see you. Or rather, smell your stench an hour before you arrive." Kadrin said. Rya coughed and nearly gagged at the rancid smell of decay wafting towards her. Her eyes widened.

"M-Maldis?? No, NO!! You...You can't be real!!" She exclaimed, trembling. Kadrin shoved her behind him. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Do not fear, young one. He will not harm you. Not as long as I am here." Kadrin answered. He turned to Maldis. "As for you, what do you want?"

"You very well know what I want. We had a deal, remember? I do something for you, and you are in debt. I am here to...collect." Maldis said, a hideous smile in his voice. He stepped into the fire light. Ragged black robes covered his body, skeletal hands grasped a cruel looking scythe. Wings spread out behind him, the skin hanging in flaps, the membrane between the bones tattered and worn. Horns stuck up from a boar's skull, red orbs glowing where his eyes were. He took another step forward. Rya gasped and shrank further behind Kadrin.

"It's shame then, that you broke it." Kadrin stated coolly. Maldis paused.

"Whatever do you mean? The deal was I would take care of those ruffians, and you would do me a favor at a later time. I held true to my end; now it's time for you to pay up!" Maldis snorted.

Kadrin shook with barely contained rage. "No! You did not! The deal was for you to deal with those wretched necromancers and spare the innocent! I would have dealt with them on my own, but I was otherwise occupied dealing with their master! You failed to hold true to your bargain. And now it is you who will pay the price."

Malids frowned, as much as a demon could frown. "You've gone insane, Kadrin, to think that you hold any threat over me. You have no power over me, ME, Maldis. I am a Lord among demons, and you are but a mortal."

"A mortal? A MORTAl?! You think me a mortal?! If I were a mortal, then how could I have possibly lived so long? Even before I became an Overseer, I was already old among men. To my race, I was but a boy. You have made your last underestimation, Maldis." He stood to his full height. Rya moved back, watching with eyes the size of dinner plates. A faint aura swirled about him like white mist. He clapped his hands together and pulled them apart. A sword formed before him. He grasped it and a blazing light filled the night. Kadrin swiped once, dissipating several of Maldis' minions.

Maldis stared with blazing eyes. "A Soulcleaver?! You wield a Soulcleaver?! No, no, NO!" The demon lord rushed forward, scythe raised, decayed wings spread. Kadrin threw up the blade and blocked the scythe. Wind roared in a wave. And something snapped in Rya. Her mouth closed, her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched. The wind was hers. How dare he abuse it! With a hard determination she had never known before, she stood to her feet. With her fists clenched, she opened herself to her element. With a roar, it responded to her call, swirling about her with anticipation. Kadrin leapt out the way, as she released it. The wind rushed forward with a monstrous howl. Maldis held the scythe before him, twirling it, trying to repel the force assaulting him. His movements became desperate, which turned frantic as the wind began to pull the scythe from his hands. With a final surge, the scythe went flying from his grasp. Rya caught it and twirled it as though it were made for her. She held it high and tapped the bottom on the ground. It's appearance changed. Its cruelty was replaced with a gracious sharpness. She glared at the demon.

"You dared to take what was rightfully mine! You dared to take the Windcleaver!" She said. She twirled the scythe, wind swirling with it, and rushed at him with a battle cry. The broken demon gave one final cry of defeat, and the scythe came down. Rya landed behind him then twirled around to face him again. The demon stood, frozen in place. Shock and horror marked his expression. He went to raise a hand, and fell apart. The remains began to melt into shadow; Kadrin rushed forward. He held a palm before him, his sword in his other hand. "Begone to whatever hell awaits you! Disperse!" A bright sizzling light shot through the shadow. With an agonized cry, it broke into a thousand pieces and was no more.

Kadrin took a deep breath and turned to Rya. "It is good that you have reclaimed. He stole that from your family ages ago. That was how you recognized it: it belongs to you. It belongs to the ancient weapons called Soulcleavers."

Rya inspected her weapon. The blade was just the right size, graceful but looked like it could cut through anything, which it very well could. Its color had gone from black to an emerald green and blue theme. The two colors spiraled around the shaft, while the blade was blue. She looked at her master with shining eyes. "It's so beautiful!"

Kadrin nodded. "Yes, it is, now that it's back to its rightful wielder."

Rya frowned. "You said that Maldis stole it. Did he kill one of my family to attain it?"

Kadrin nodded. "I am afraid so. I knew him well, and while he wielded Windcleaver, it had more blue, like the sky. He was a master at using it, and if you practice, you could even surpass him. You, just as he did, have a natural talent for using it." He paused. "What will you do with your staff?"

Rya sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't really want to part with it, but now that I have my scythe..."

Kadrin nodded. He walked to where it lay and picked it up. Giving it a twirl, his hands glowed with white light. With a flash, the staff turned into an emerald angel with a sapphire chain. He inspected it for several minutes before giving a nod of satisfaction. He handed the new pendant to Rya. "Now you will always have it with you."

She took it carefully. She admired it and slipped it around her neck. Clasping it gently, she turned to him. "Thank you." Now that the fighting was over, she took a better look at her master's sword. It was of a very unusual make. It was what could be called broad and long, but it was split down the middle, as though it were two blades fused to one hilt. One blade was white, while the other was black. The hilt was a deep gold. "And which Soulcleaver is that?"

Kadrin chuckled. "It is Soulcleaver. From this sword, comes the name of the ancient weapons. I suppose now would be the time to tell you, although I feel that is a bit early." He thought for a moment before continuing. "I am Kadrin the Overseer of Life. I ensure that the balance between life and death is kept. I hold back death from consuming the world, wiping it clean, and I hold back life from overpopulating the world. I have a limited control over the other elements, but only just enough to keep the balance. You, on the other hand, have full control over the wind. You can tell it when to blow and when to not. You even have the power to summon storms, something you share with the Overseer of water. However, the storms you could summon would make her's look like light showers. You could even flood the land with rain, burn the forests by calling lightning, tear them up by the roots with monstrous cyclones."

Rya frowned. "If I can do all that, then what all can you do? After all, you control life and death."

Kadrin winced slightly. "I wouldn't quite put it that way. As I said, I maintain the balance. However, as you saw, I can disperse spirits. Disperse souls. I suppose you could say that I can kill with a single glance. I can make the plants grow, heal the sick, allow the lands to prosper and grow. I can make the crops whither, bring sickness upon the people, diminish the lands. But I do have limits. Everyone do, save gods and immortals."

Rya raised an eyebrow. "But you control life, so wouldn't that make you immortal?"

Kadrin laughed. "I suppose you're right. In a sense, I suppose I am. Yet, I could be killed. And if I am, it will be up to you and the other Overseers to find my successor. Unlike the other elements, mine are not confined to a bloodline. Of course, once, long ago, none of the elements were. But life and death never became confined to bloodlines. They go to whomever is born attuned to them." He glanced about. "I suppose we should just move on. Demons are often drawn to places where their kind was destroyed." Rya grabbed her things, and they headed out.