Will waited patiently for Cainus to explain his new suggestion. He distinctly remembered when Cainus took over when helping Leo and Bianca unlock their own lineage power. The word "Crusade" rang out in his mind. If there was one thing that he had learned throughout all his time dealing with Crystallia, it was that coincidences were nonexistent. Considering the late king"s expectant glance, Will knew he was dying of antic.i.p.ation for the question.Rolling his eyes in resignation, Will let out a sigh. "Fine, what"s the crusader"s pact?" He honestly couldn"t understand why there had to be such a cliffhanger for just an explanation, why couldn"t most people just continue with the conversation like a normal human being? With all the annoyance, Will could still make out the gleam in Cainus"s eyes as he took a deep breath. "Get out your pencils and paper, it looks like we are in for a lecture." Will thought as he rolled his eyes.
"Just as anything else has to start, we must start at the beginning." Cainus said as he looked up at the crimson burning sky. "What do you think the flame is William?" he said as he took his head from the heavens and looked back at the teenager.
Will thought about it for a moment before speaking. He would have thought that it was just a normal flame that burns, but he had too much experience with the power. There were times that he could burn others just with the flame, punch holes through trees, or even start a fire in a fireplace. But there were also times in which the flame was used for other purposes. When he contacted others using his flame and reflection, or when he willed the flame to not harm others. He also didn"t think that using a natural flame would be enough to erupt a sword from a cross.
Deep within his thoughts, Will heard Cainus chuckle. Looking at the late king, he had a confused expression on his face.
"The flame is not the element itself, but a reflection of will, a creative spark coming to fruition. Later in your studies of the gift, you will notice that it is not just flame that you have control over, but of the mind itself." Cainus gave a thoughtful look towards his young student. "Maybe you"ll be the first one to unlock the true secret of the gift."
Will sent a thoughtful glance to Cainus. "Does that mean that even you haven"t figured it out yet? With all this time living within other people"s minds, I would have thought you had enough time to master it."
Cainus sent a disproving look towards Will. "It doesn"t matter how long one lives, as a matter of fact it is easy to use the gift to increase your lifespan by centuries as I did, and yet if you don"t have the right knowledge, it wouldn"t matter. The gift has a mind of its own, it"s how you are able to do more than set a fireplace with it. When your imagination taps into the gift, it reads your intentions. Without a sentient thought, how would you hope to do anything with it at all?" Cainus said as he materialized his throne within the field. "Whether you spend your life trying to understand the gift that has been given to you, or you live with the flame as if it were an extension of yourself, you will never truly master it unless it wishes to be mastered."
"As per your question William," Cainus began as he sat in his gold throne, "The Crusader"s Pact that we would make is to allow me to teach you of the gift in the way I was taught by the G.o.ds who had given it to me." He said as he sent a serious glance towards Will. "It would also allow us to meet here, a place within your mind so I can pa.s.s my knowledge to you."
Will considered it for a moment. "A pact usually goes both ways Cainus, what would you get out of it in return?"
The king sent a surprised look towards Will. "In all my years in servitude to the next in line, not one of the idiots had ever thought of asking that question." He said in mock humor. "They always look at the idea of gaining more power and said yes instantaneously, I"m impressed William. The other part of the deal is that I can see the world through your eyes, and if you need power, you can call on me within your mind."
Cainus sounded a little too cheerful at the idea of being called upon, Will made a mental note to only do so in extreme situations. "So how does this pact work? What do I do?" Will asked as Cainus rose to his feet. Walking over to Will, he extended a hand which combusted with a pure gold flame. Stopping just feet in front of him, Cainus reached his hand out as if to shake Will"s.
"All you have to do is summon the flame within your hand and embrace my own, after that, repeat the oath in which I lay out for you." Cainus said in a cheerful voice. He acted like he was the age of the man before Will, instead of centuries old. Will could see a light of hopefulness within his eyes.
"If it gives me power enough to get Maya back, it is a chance I have to take." Will thought as he remembered his dreams. The moment the sword was thrusted into his friend, the decision was made for him. He would not allow Maya to remain in the darkness for long, no matter what it took he would save her.
Summoning his own flame, he grasped the hand of the late king. The moment their hands touched, the two flames swirled out of their hands and spiraled together, making a pillar of flame with them in the center. The gold flame and the crimson flame didn"t fuse together, but instead swirled as if partners up to the flaming crimson sky. As the power surged upward, Will"s eyes did not follow. Instead they remained locked with Cainus, as if he were in a trance.
"You are about to willingly commit yourself to the Crusader"s cause. With full knowledge that there is a dormant soul of a king within you. Should you decide against such agreement, he will be banished from all realms and released to the G.o.ds." Cainus" voice rang throughout the field. "Within the time you permit, the spirit will share mind, body and soul with you. If you understand the terms of the agreement, repeat the oath. I will not use the powers given to me for personal gain, I will not use the powers given to me to become a tyrant, and I will use these powers to uphold justice and the laws appointed to the land in which I travel."
Surprised with how much it sounded like a written contract, Will took as much time as he could to think it over. If the king should try anything troublesome in the future, he had every right to evict him from his mind. He had not planned to use his abilities for anything else than to help the land of Crystallia. The only part he was worried about was the laws of Crystallia. He had no idea what such a responsibility would entail. What if Ebonhart had executions? He thought back to Maya, the first day that he had met her. The so called Crimson Knights felt as though they were ent.i.tled to her. What if he had to uphold the same laws permitting such atrocities?
"No." Will thought as he looked at the king. "When I go back to Crystallia, it will be to fight for change. No longer will I see people taken from their homes or have their livelihood stolen." Having agreed with his course of action, Will repeated the oath. As the words left his mouth, he felt the binding power of the agreement. The flames that were separate were now merging, becoming one. Soon, the two were within a swirling vortex of gold flame.
As the last words left Will"s lips, flame shot up underfoot, completing a pillar of gold flame. Within the inferno, Will"s cross once again burned within his shirt. As he noticed the glow coming from the pendant, he grasped it within his hand. Will didn"t even need to break the chain for the sword to respond.
The cross responded to the pillar of flame, as if being called from its sleep by an unimaginable force. As the sword took shape, Will notice a difference in the design of the blade. Instead of the ruby adorned gold and silver blade he was used to, it now had three holes going down the pommel of the sword, as well as two at the start of the blade.
As he inspected the new design of the blade, the hand that was still grasping the kings burst into fire. Startled, Will retracted his hand and saw the pure golden flame crawling up the arm of his jacket. As his body from the top down was slowly but surly spreading with the fire, he noticed that the flame was no longer within his hand. It was moving as if it had a mind of its own, over the cuts and frays of his jacket. With every inch it went over, the jacket gave off a new shine, completely mending. A Will swore he felt an itch within the jacket where his mother"s seal was placed. He could almost visualize the alteration of the seal. The flame was nearing the end of the jacket, yet it didn"t slow. It continued off the leather as if to drip off and on to the golden stage he found himself on. As it continued its course, new leather showed on the trail to the ground, it seemed as if the flame itself wished to add to the design of his jacket. Within minutes, he stood not wearing his mother"s jacket, but a leather trench coat of double the length.
Will stood within the crimson inferno, his sword and jacket having been forged in the flame. He could feel the strength of both artifacts. His jacket now felt as if it were a strong armor, yet light as a feather. The sword itself emitted a power that just hours ago he felt was unreachable. As he inspected his new equipment, Cainus chuckled. The inferno was already dying down as he looked at his ancestor.
"The pact is done, how do you like the results?" Cainus asked with a grin. Looking at his predecessor, he couldn"t help but feel proud of Will"s transformation. The pact hardly ever effected his subjects in such a way.
The scent of warm leather drowned out the fields fresh spring breeze. His new sword glowing bright under the sky of crimson.
Will looked up from his jacket to see a quizzical look on the late king"s face. "I guess this result differs from the others that came before me?" he asked as he turned the put the sword back on the chain. Instantly the sword shrank in his hand leaving the pendant hanging. Just as before, it had the ruby at the top, but now it also had three more sockets under it as well as two at the bottom. It almost looked like a new cross that was missing jewels.
Cainus couldn"t help but smile, Will caught on almost instantly to his earlier thought. "Do you remember the picture of your father holding you when you were a child?" He asked as he circled Will, taking in the transformation. Will nodded, it was hard to forget the regal look of his father holding the infant. "That crimson robe was his gift, as well as the others that came before him." Cainus said as he once again placed himself in front of the young man.
Will looked confused. Of course he didn"t want such a flashy robe, yet at the same time he didn"t understand why it would be different. If the robe was pa.s.sed from father to son, why didn"t he get the same one?
Will voiced his questions and Cainus laughed. "What makes you different William, is that you did not grow up in the kingdom of Ebonhart. The gift responds to the upbringing you have received as well as your outlook on life." The king said as he touched the material of the jacket. "You are the first king candidate that has ever had this transformation, yet it will always know what is in your blood." He reached for Wills arm and pointed to the shoulder. There was some sort of crest on the upper part of the arm. Will could make out a flame with a crown atop. "This is the royal flame crest, showing your right to a.s.sume the throne." He said as he looked at the new pendant. "Though this," he said as his eyes went wide in delight, "not even I had this transformation." he said as he ran his finger in the grooves of the sockets. "It seems as though the G.o.ds are ready to give a mortal the challenge to join their ranks." Will looked up from the pendant in surprise.
"How could I be any different from anyone else that has been born into the royal family? And what do you mean a G.o.d?" It seemed like all he had attained from his trip inside his mind was more questions. Each explanation left even more questions that he had no idea how to ask.
Cainus saw the look of confusion and took hold of the cross. "For each of these sockets, a challenge awaits you. Do not ask me what they might be, this has never happened before. All I can offer you is advice." He looked at Will with a thoughtful expression. "Pay close attention to your dreams, they are more than what you think." With that, the field once again a.s.sumed the image of the golden room. Cainus sat back on his throne and looked down on Will.
"The pact is done. I suggest you come to me every once in a while so I can train you in the art of the flame." he said as a smile crept on his face. "With the two of us, I can see a great future playing out for our kindom. I have many plans for you William Ragnos."
Will wanted to ask more questions, he was dying for information. As he opened his mouth to speak, Cainus snapped his fingers. The moment the sound echoed through the hall, everything went black. "There will be time for that later William, until then, happy birthday." Will heard the kings voice radiating from his mind. Within moments he felt as if he were falling, The vertigo only felt stronger with his blindness, it felt as if he were flung out of the chambers with a snap of The king"s fingers.