Chapter 65 - The Seal

Six years ago. On Christopher's twentieth birthday.

After a celebration in the castle of Aeros, Christopher bid goodbye to his men and his parents. He was to return to earth and resume his studies.

He and his close friends, together with Cassy, returned to their apartment at night in Ontario. They rested in their individual rooms, ready for the university the next day.

The following day, when Christopher woke up, he thought his entire bed was utterly wet. He got up, confirming his sheets were soaked.

This happened in some days that followed, and it completely baffled him.

Weeks and months passed. He began to feel chills. His lips paled, and so did his skin, leaving him especially shivering at night.

What was even more frightening to Christopher was how he could sense where he could easily find water. He could hear every flowing water around him and he found them easily.

Many times, Christopher awoke from his sleep, panting. Not knowing what was happening, a big part of him thought he had gone mad.

It was after the successive experience he and his sister concluded that he was sick. He shared his predicament with his sister, and thus; he returned to Aeros, finishing only a semester of school to recuperate in his land.

Aeros was warmer, and he felt better. Its weather soothed him in the months that followed.

Yet, despite resting on his homeland, his symptoms slowly persisted in the nature of Aeros. Every night, he felt cold and his skin paled again. He could hear water running beneath the deep soils of Aeros, yet when he gazed into the land, there was only dryness and nothing more.

It did not help that his mother, at that time, was ill. His father grew distressed and paranoid about the circumstance of both his son and wife.

On the day his mother passed away, he could not help but cry of grief. He cried so much that he flooded the soil that buried his mother.

His father, his sister, and his close friends along with his father's advisers watch in horror as water began to soften the soil beneath their feet. To them, it would have been a blessing if not for the fact that it came out of Christopher's eyes.

Worse, when Christopher looked up to them, his eyes glowed in light blue. Everyone made their own assumptions about what was happening to Theo's son.

"What is happening to the young master?"

"Is he sick?"

"Master Theo, Christopher may have been cursed!"

"He needs to be checked by our healers!"

Healers within the nation tried to cure him but failed miserably. For days, Christopher locked himself inside his chamber until his father decided to bring him to the most powerful healer in their world.

Theo, Christopher, Martin, Cassy, and Kyle, together with four other soldiers of Aeros, traveled for a week to the northernmost part of Pelagy. They flew up to the height of mount Devias to meet the healer named Basalt.

It was in a mountain, made mostly or limestone rocks where five known healers reside. It was said they needed to live closer to the skies - to the spirits in order to gain the energies from Pelagy.

Basalt lived in a cave from within the mountain and it was there where Theo and his group found him.

Arriving late afternoon, Theo let the powerful healer look at his son.

It was Basalt who concluded that there was an evil force that settled in Christopher's body. He said, "It is an unknown magic that is making him feel cold."

"Is it evil magic?" Asked Martin. He traveled with Christopher, worried for the boy he raised as a child.

"It has to be, given his symptoms," said Theo. He frowned, looking at his shivering son. He left his nation in the hands of his general to find the cure to Christopher's condition.

"Basalt, can you take out this evil magic?" Asked Theo.

All through the night, Basalt tried to use his powers to remove the magic in Christopher's body, but to no avail. In the morning he decided to prepare a ritual and seal it inside his body instead.

They lingered in mount Devias for two more days, living together with the healer inside the limestone cave. All sacrifices were made so Christopher could be cured or at least keep the evil magic from manifesting.

On their third night, Basalt, the powerful healer, was ready. He asked the soldiers of Aeros to carve an immense ring on the soil, big enough for Christopher to lay down on.

He brought out with him black stones, said to be the source of his strength, and were powers of beasts that's were slain by the healer's hand himself. It was said that Basalt, the powerful healer, opened gates to other worlds and accumulated energies of his own, one he could use for the benefit of Pelagy.

Before starting the ritual, Basalt requested for Christopher to rest in the center-most part of the carved soil. He put the stones around the area, along with wooden torches.

The ceremony was done right outside of the cave where the fires can erupt without restraint and according to the healer, the spirits can hear his words.

Basalt let out phrases that were beyond the understanding of the Aeros men. They watched from a distance as the fire from the torches grew angry at each word.

Just when the healer finished his murmurs, he opened his eyes, and they were completely black.

They could see a swirled mark on Christopher's abdomen, rotating as the fire around the carved soil continued to burn. A blue light was glowing in Christopher's body, traveling from his hands and settling on his stomach.

When Basalt stepped into the ring where Christopher lay, he raised his hands and the tips of his fingers went on fire.

"Urrgghhhhhh!" With a loud roar, Basalt put his fingers around the swirling mark on Christopher's stomach. His fingerprints marked on Theo's son, and he only pulled away when the flames from the torches died down.

During the entire process, Christopher grunted in pain. At the same time, he heard a voice in his head. "No, master of water! I am here to help you! Please, do not lock me up! No!"

He was bothered by the voice, but as the ritual finished, the voice also died down.

In the morning, Basalt spoke to Christopher and said, "The seal will take a few days to close permanently. When it happens, it will silence whatever is living inside of you. You should be able to go on with your life."

After returning to Aeros, Christopher continued to hear the voice inside his head, asking itself to be free, but the voice constantly faded in and out, and in the days that followed he no longer heard the same cry. Similarly, gone was the mark on his stomach. It signified the completion of the seal.

The magic was within him no longer manifested.

In the years that followed, Christopher was no longer pouring a tremendous amount of water from any part of his body. Nor has he heard the same voice again. The only symptoms that persisted to demonstrate were how unusually easy it was for his body to feel cold.

Christopher and his family believed he was cured.