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..VOLITIENT..

(adj.) Exercising the will; acting from choice; willing or having power to will.
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"Should we get in?" Mordana asked, caring the least.

After letting their thoughts blink for some blank flicks they stood in front of the secluded stone-walled Professor's cabinet. Through an only oval window, curtained with teal beads, the gleams of the rufescent dawn flowed in.

The narrow spaced cave had a metallic lever amidst the cobwebbed homes of nine legged shadow spiders. Mordana jumped back as one of them tried to creep over her. She detonated a burning black flame, making it avert from her. The pungent odour of the oozing silver blood soured her.

"Yucks! This is horrible. Decide soon," she pestered.

"Thanks for clearing me." Eir's words made her gawp.

"You too cleared me now," she replied ridiculously, making her pointers wave near her forehead.

"About what? Can anyone speak clear?" Serephina sighed, trying to keep her sanity.

"I said she confirmed that she was a born loon! Just a cajoling woman of mere rumbles with worst awe timing." Mordana sneered mockingly.

Her words tested Serephina's patience yet she kept it simple with a piercing glare. With her raised brow she turned towards Eir.

"Relax Sere! I was confused about who should enter first. The moment she asked that question, I decided it should be her. She and her reluctant self," Eir grimaced.

"Me going first into Sir Azarious cabin? That would never..." Serephina stopped her with her strong glowering looks and she did understand that her words would change nothing.

"Fine! I will." Stating that in a cold tone she twirled the brass black lever, creating a creaky clank. A rusty bronze box rimmed with greyish woods emerged in front of them. It displayed some straw fluorescing known words beneath its dim chasm.

'Spell with the courage to convey thy message."

Mordana turned to check for some progress, but they both stood plain. Knowing that it's all her duty, she gave up trying them. With a gentle swish, she patted her palm, to enunciate,

'Concedikt tryft Ingresse'
(Concede us through the Ingress)

But the box showed no change. She looked confused and asked, "Am I wrong?"

Eir and Serephina giggled. Mordana stood steady and breezed. After being together for so many years, she had the immunity to withstand their mockery.

"You forgot to include something, Mordana. It's Sir Azarious. What is his only demand?" Serephina riddled squeezing her shoulders.

"What!" Mordana needed more clues.

"Our A-y-e A-y-e estimable captain! Now you remember?" Eir sang the phrases to make her realize it. Mordana smirked briefly and re-chanted it with her skilled swish and pat.

'Haerus! Concedikt tryft Ingresse'
(Kingly heir of magic! Concede through the Ingress)

The box disappeared in thin air and a single block stage uplifted from the versailles granite floor. She tapped her foot thrice and two more stones popped up. The three stood on each and together enchanted,

'Glidzo Vaio Gatem'
(Glide via the gate)

The stones moved to their left and started gliding down in a coney-pace. Within three candle flicks, they reached the entry point.

Mordana walked forward to open the wooden door. It had two waggling fierce dragons with their pointed tapering talons facing each other in a flaming-cyclonic arena. Taking a cursory glance she pulled the brass cyan ringed knob outwards.

'BOOM ERK! BLUHT ERK...'

A sudden explosive sound greeted them warm while smearing their breath. The crumbs of dust and mist did make them wheeze reflexively. Once the clear air cornered the irks, they faced the calmly alarming, silver-eyed, tall dusky man, living in his mid-century. Those dire eyes and cocked eyebrows did demand something.

"Apologies Professor, we came in an awry moment," Mordana did something she would usually avert.

"That's quite respectful. Come in we have to sort something out." He gestured them to enter in while covering his working paraphernalia. It was his routine and now he must call it for a halt.

"On your command professor. Hope everything is fine," Serephina expressed her concern.

"Yes, Narngon is always the best and busy under my lead. So here we are with a new assignment to go," he spoke officiously. It made them flash a courteous smirk.

"So, how is Narngon from your sight?" His question did jerk them as a gust would to a dizzy fly. They faced each other and let their mind continued a perfect vague tune.

'Are we surely needed here?' Mordana claimed through their teleport.

'Just stare and keep yourself controlled. He is surely preparing us for something.' With that Eir sealed her clairvoyance.

'Sassy!' Mordana's comment made Serephina giggle a little. She needed some diversion to control her and his hard pitched voice helped her.

"It's been boring in the Narngon, right? How about going out for an assignment? You guys are lucky to go to Earth before vacation from this alternate verse." His talks did trigger their joy but the term assignment fidgeted them.

Azarious was well known for his scrutinizing skill. He would never assign an effortless task for his pupil and would never shirk to appreciate them for their reputable endeavours. Gaining his support was never an easy task and it's equally difficult to decline his offer.

"We would love to! But, we need a clear idea of what's engaging us," Eir replied him.

"Thought of preparing you, but I admire your verismo. Maybe that's why you were entrusted by the divine mother for this task." His words befogged them with lack of reasons.

"Let me be straight. Yesterday our high priestess, Rohana, had a wisdom vision. She told me that it was like someone needs our help. Affirming that we received a request from one of our seekers to help them capture a tainted soul for liberation," he informed them. When their clutching questions befriended no words, he continued.

"It's quite an easy task yet skill is quite important. I conferred her stance in it and she suggested assigning the better practitioners of dark arts to this. Ms Valerie suggested your names. So, here you sit," he said without a pause that took some time for them to react. They looked at each other with their etched hearts, denying to flow through their tightly pursed lips.

"You can do this right? Speak up your mind. I can assure you that you wouldn't be forced. Devotion can mend but compulsion can't." Sir Azarious assured them.

'That paranoid psyche assigned us. But she just shooed us here without any show-off? This can't be the case. Someone speak up.' Mordana yelled inside their minds but heard gusty mumbles as they both were fighting their questions.

"Sir, we are thankful for being assigned. But why would Ms Valerie suggest us out of so many best necromancer's here," Mordana asked with a polite gesture. She surely wanted to know it but her words muzzled him. After a brief moment of weird stillness, he spoke.

"I think you all should see the vision and let your intellect do the rest." Stating that he took out his cyan dusted third eye crystal to place it on his tripod's arms.

He placed his right palm and stroked it for a flicking moment. He folded his forehead skin and dabbed the crystal tossing the pinched out memories. Then he brushed the pellucid crystal that responded positively to his commands.

An electric cyan spark beamed to glare the glass in coral white like the foamy webs in the turquoise tides. Slowly the light disclosed the happenings. They could see three people with a folded parchment tinted sheet.

From the ivory poet shirt that was cloaked with dark cyan robes that had the silvery print of flakes of snow, they could understand that it was Azarious.

The glowing golden and emerald diadem with silky golden threads that ended in emerald locks made them recognize Rohana, the high priestess. When the woman of cidar ringlet curls jewelled with citrine diadem was evident, Eir's eye blurred.

Should she be here? Her heart defied while her morbid thoughts brought back some latched past.

It was Kenna, Rohana's novice and Eir's birth mother.

She disavowed her daughter after her father's unfortunate demise in an absurd wizard fight. That's what everyone believed. Kenna couldn't be blamed barely, her oath of divine service availed it. When passions overwhelm, the family couldn't be a reason to hold back.

She quickly corrected her emotions but was late as her companions noticed her already. When they were distracting some mumbles oriented them. Slowly, the faints transformed into evident decibels.

"Divine tributes mother! I need your aid in choosing the knights of necromancy for this task," Azarious requested in a bow before Rohana.

"Be blessed by the power of solace." She greeted him with a radiant smile.

"I knew you would arrive. Too many proficients and choosing from them is very arduous, I agree. Wise and right choices must be made. Let me see who can," she closed her eyes and devoted her attention to her glabella to see who would be the one. But she could see nothing. She opened her eyes abruptly. This worried Azarious.

"There is no convening. Maybe the mother had already decided on who that should be. Let's know the desire of the divine mother," she added.

"As you say, mother, let the goddess choose who would serve the world of Aetherth under the name of Narngon," he replied agreeably.

Reflecting her involvement through her emerald iris she requested Kenna to bring the oil of wisdom. It would cast the shadow element with a gleam in the hue of gems that belong with the selected selves. She then poured a trifle in an emerald tendriled white marble urn charged with consecrated water and closed her eyes for prayer. Once done, she pleaded,

"Oh, the divine mother! The beam of triviality and enormity! Show us, your grace!" With that, she patted the consecrated water and enunciated,

'Conveyirk tei dezir'
(Convey the desire)

Within a fraction of time, three whisks of golden glitters emerged. Like the sands wad in the arid breeze, the glistens outlined the three shadows promptly and explicitly.

First sparkles formed an object as the torch with some joining grids ending in the blaze. It had a robust red lustre rimming it.

"Shadow of Chaos with the glisten of ruby," Azarious exclaimed.

The second faction formed a curving tread that concluded in a sealed common door. Gradually the aperture opened to uncover a crescent moon with a wolf calling out to the goddess of ivory shine. It had a white and raven lustre with rhythmic cuts giving it an incredible shine.

"Shadow of Darkness with the glisten of opals," he added.

The third fraction reaped to form an ancient sand clock that was rolling the rosery grains into the other goblet. It had the lite lilac sparkles fringing it.

"Shadow of Oblivion with the glisten of amethyst," he concluded. Kenna's eyes froze on seeing it.

"It's Eir's," she uttered unconsciously.

"So the other two Kenna?" Rohana asked. Kenna stood regretful and Azarious affirmed that he will find it himself. With that, the vision was secured.

"Later it was Ms Valarie who helped me find that it was you both," he said while indicating Serephina and Mordana.

"We do understand it, Sir," Mordana surmised.

"So what's the decision now?" He asked for the final time.

"None can deny the divine pursuit..." Eir spoke in a shrilling voice and she looked at the other sets of divine orbs who reassured her their confidence.

Together with an equanimous annotation, they said: "So mote it be!"

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•..GLOSSARY..•

Necromancer: The one who practices dark arts.
Diviners: The one who practices the divine school of magic.
Haerus: A Latin phrase for the heir. I used it here to mean Azarious as the kingly heir of magic. Thats how he named himself.
Aether + Earth: A Latin word for the upper world. I jumbled Aether and Earth together and hence the name Aetherth for this magic verse.
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Sorry for the delayed update! A little research held me tight. Here is the picture of the shadow element for every zodiac!

.Ø. Do you guys think that their decision is for good? If so, why?

.Ø. Why do you guys think that it's assigned to them by the deity herself?

.Ø. What is your shadow element and does it suit you? Name your birthstone too. I would love to know!

.Ø. How is this chapter? Who had your heart in this chapter? Also, any guesses on the next chapter?

A personal question: Is the write up ok or some amendments are needed?

Drop your views and feel free to spot the errors. Thanks a lot for reading.

With love
🦋..Yaris..🦋