38 City of Ravens 24 (1/2)

”The second part talks about mind, and in there are symbols that mean change, vessel, gift, bird, and a few more that don't make any sense. Only at the end of that part, there are a few disconcerting ones, empty and death.”

”What about the last part?”

”This makes even less sense since it's focused on soul there is soul and energy, but there is also erased, rebirth, ashes, and bird.”

”It does make the current predicament more alarming. If the symbols on his arm are a form of seal… it is possible that they are now controlling his actions. Maybe he became a vessel for someone's power, but to achieve it he needs to die and rise from the ashes.”

”But that doesn't explain most of the symbols that are there. Either way, I think we have to stop whatever is happening, from happening. In a few days I will have the whole thing translated, and then a decision can be made. How far is he?”

”We are almost there, I can sense his energy a few hundred meters away. Look down, you will see him in a moment.”

We moved with high speed, and the ground changed with every second that we did. Seconds later a crater came into my sights, and inside it, I saw Dominique! He was floating gently above the crater and gathering hundreds of feathers around him, and with a wave of his hand they all moved in unison and smashed into the bottom of the crater.

”Damn kid, calm down” From Devin's back, light spread and formed a giant hand! It grabbed Dominque brought him closer to us. He wailed like a beast, struggling to get out of the giant's hand.

The black feathers whirling around him stirred and attacked Davin and me, but all of them were stopped by the shield around us. ”OK, kid. Let's get you out of here.”

”Wait! Look at the crater!” the bottom of the crater collapsed and a temple that bared resemblance to Mayan and Eastern European buildings. ”Dominque told me that there are symbols somewhere inside, maybe they can help fix him.”

”Just take few quick pictures.”

”That's the plan.”

As we descended, Dominque became more restless and started to struggle more. I couldn't help but fear him a little, the current him wasn't at all like the usual calm and collected person he is. If I wanted to help him now, I needed to make sense of the symbols on his arm, and if there was anything in the temple that could help, find it.

When we landed the shield around us disappeared, and around Dominique, the hand changed the shape and formed a prison. Inside he kept struggling and smashing at the walls, with black feathers constantly crushing against every inch of the wall.

With the caged Dominque, we moved inside the temple, with my phone I took pictures of every inch of the temple, not missing any details. We quickly moved forward and arrived at the big room filled with bones and altar packed with writing in the middle.

I ran up to it and started taking pictures. I then noticed something wrong, the top of the alter had a small ring of light.

”HEY DON'T TOUCH THAT!”

I heard the scream from behind, but it was too late, my finger was pressing against the light and bound to my finger, electricity passed through my body, and all light disappeared. Only a single raven was left.

---

When I got a phone call from Dominque's friend, I was walking towards the Algonquin town. But hearing that something so major happened, I used my soul essence and flew to the town as fast as possible.

As I closed in on the town, I sensed a dense accumulation of elemental essence. Deep underneath it, I felt a small soul struggling to survive in a storm of elemental essence. After picking up Emily, we arrived at the site where the kid was. With black wings and hundreds of black feathers, each of them carrying strength that was hard to imagine in such a small form.

I restrained him and blocked all of the black feathers, I wanted to leave and take him to someone that will be able to help him. The symbols on his arm were burning from the dense energy gathered in them, the elemental essence coming out of them was moving around his body, forming tides of destructions assaulting his mind and soul.