Devil Touch - Chapter Four

Bile rose in Cerys' throat as the pounding in the back of her head intensified. It was a good thing that she couldn't see any light, the brightness would only make it worse. The black expanse before her seemed to spin before her closed eyes yet wide open eyes. As the spinning got worse and light started to shine through the pounding slowly ebbed away, which was strange considering spinning and light should only have made matters worse.

As the throbbing slowly faded into nothing, the light and color grew more defined until together they formed a scene. A girl about her age was smiling, her long silver hair blowing in the wind. She was beautiful, in the sense that she made even Cerys want to smile.

The girl standing next to her had the exact same face but she wasn't quite as beautiful. It looked like she wore a permanent scowl on her face, her eyebrows cursed to be turned down for the rest of her life. She gave off a deadly air that made the people around her uncomfortable.

Just as Cerys was about to get a closer look at the two girls, the image faded. Her eyes fluttered open to see the black night sky, speckled with numerous little stars. The pounding in her head was back, causing her to expel the bile in her throat. It was a good thing she hadn't eaten.

Looking around Cerys' eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't the fact that dead villagers surrounded her, instead it was that the girl in her vision was there too. She looked just the same as in her vision. Her hair was short and spiky, her face grim and serious, even when unconscious. Bandages covered her otherwise bare feet and loose clothing concealed her femininity, though she was still easy to pick out in a crowd.

Heaving herself to a standing position, Cerys stumbled over to the girl, her feet like led. Bending down Cerys saw just how pale the girl's skin was. It was whiter than ash which made the dark circles lining her eyes to stand out. Stretching her hand to the girl's neck, Cerys found a faint pulse, slowly getting faster. Just as a precaution she opened the girl's mouth and had her palm hover over. The girl was breathing. Cerys considered waking her up, but judging by the looks of her pale skin and thin limbs, she could use all the rest she could get, and Cerys wasn't quite ready to talk to anyone. Not yet anyways.

Lowering herself closer to the ground, glad to give her shaky legs a rest, Cerys waited for the girl to wake up. After about fifteen minutes of waiting Cerys started to get restless. She wanted to know what this girl was doing here, why she bothered helping her, who she was, and why she was unconscious. There were so many questions she wanted to ask that she just couldn't wait. Her eyes darting from place to place, Cerys spied something in the priest's pocket who lay next to the girl. Reaching for it she found that it was a book, more specifically his guide to Touch and other folklore.

Why not? Cerys asked herself before opening the little leather bound book. She had nothing better to do, so why not catch up a little bit on her "studies"?

Opening the book, she found a swarm of tiny letters and intricate pictures helping to explain the words. Flipping through and skimming through the pictures, she saw that all were in black ink but one. Instead of just black, fiery reds and shiny silvers covered the page.

Squinting so hard her eyes were almost closed, she could just make out the words "Four Children" at the top of the page in thin, looping cursive. Below were four pictures. The first one depicted a girl with shining red hair and fire swirling around her body. Looking closer Cerys realized that even her eyes were colored a deep shade of red. Like blood.

Moving on to the next picture, Cerys saw a young man, a little older than she. He had a strong build and a stubborn look about his face that kind of dared you to second guess him. His hair was brown and he was covered with dirt, like he had been rolling in it all day.

The third picture was of a girl with spiky silver hair and harsh eyes that seemed to look through your very soul. Looking up she saw that the picture matched her vision and the girl lying before her. Just what was she then? The answer lie within the book she was holding.

*Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi**Sushi*

Marya rubbed her head and squinted her eyes, trying to make out the fuzzy images before her. She never liked waking up, especially after just fainting because what followed was never good. She sat there for a while before getting to her feet, wanting to make sure that she didn't fall once she got up.

"So you finally woke up?" A voice inquired.

Now this did cause Marya to fall back to her seat. Just a foot away from her sat the girl with black hair, a small leather bound book in her hands, and barely concealed curiosity in her eyes. How could she not have noticed? Marya shook her head, mentally scolding herself for letting her guard down. As punishment she would do twelve hours reflection later.

"And what's that to you, little girl?" She spat back.

When the girl's expression didn't change Marya's eyes shifted to the little leather book in her hands. Most people found it strange when she called someone that appeared to be her age "girl" or "boy". There must have been some reason the girl wasn't even phased, and Marya was willing to bet that the answer was in that book.

With a quick flick of her finger, Marya called up a mini whirlwind to bring the little leather bound book right into her hands. The page she was on had the most beautiful illustrations of four people, one of them being her.

Looking closer she saw just how accurate the drawings were. Well at least the one of her was spot on. The other three she had never before met in her life, so she couldn't really tell how accurate the picture was for them.

Looking a little higher to read the tiny cursive, she skimmed through several lines just to see what the book had to say.

"The Four Children each carry the blessing of a higher being allowing them to control the elements. Their immortality is only the result being bathed in the Purple Moon's special rays. The names of each Elemental is as follows..."

"What in Orbis? What kind of nonsensical shit is this?"

"Just the mortals' explanation for your supernatural abilities." The voice in her head replied.

"Sanna." Marya said with a warning tone.

"Umm, my name's Cerys?" Cerys replied in an unsure tone. Marya rolled her eyes. This was gonna take some time to explain.

"I shall explain if you would like." Sanna volunteered. Quickly Marya thought his proposition through in her head. Slowly she nodded and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was once again in the Celestial realm. Now all she had to do was wait.