Rise of the Spiritualist: Entry Thirteen

Rise of the Spiritualist: Entry Thirteen

Rise of the Spiritualist: The Personal Accounts from the Events of Shiro-Ryu High School from the Memories of Leonardo Yarafen Krilangi

Thirteenth Entry.

Before telling any more of this story, I feel it necessary to impart to you, my faithful readers, another of my people's secrets, in hopes that you will better understand certain things that I will certainly need to describe eventually. These words may seem delusioned ravings spouted from the pen held by a madman, but you must acknowledge that there are certain forces in play that you may not fully understand. All I ask is that you read my words and believe; not being here to tell you the story myself, that is all that I can ask of you.

We warrior monks once lived with normal humans, interacting with them on a regular basis. When we first revealed our powers to the humans we lived with, they became divided; some detested us and our abilities, saying that we were trespassing upon forbidden grounds, while others remained unaffected by it and continued to treat us as equals; for the latter, we were grateful. Still others, however, saw us as some kind of higher being, and they treated us as such, calling us 'Spiritualists'. At first, we accepted their praise and tried to teach these small groups of people how to respect the spirits of the living and dead, just as we did. But, as time passed, the group of believers withered away until none remained, and so we threw away the name they had given us.

Still, to an extent, they were correct to call us 'Spiritualists'. After all, a warrior monk's power is only as great as that of the spirits that he can call upon. One of the few abilities granted to all warrior monks is that which allows them to see the world of the spirits: a spatial plane opposite to the living realm, upon which the spirits can survive without worldly emotion. Few and far between, however, are the monks who can completely block out the living world and pass through the border into the spiritual plane. Among them, the past three generations of House Krilangi before me, including my father and grandfather, have all had the power. Many of my peers have assumed, therefore, that I too would inherit that power before long.

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Deep below the ruined city of Lereshrana, somewhere within the labyrinthine caves, Forte could be found in a large chamber, standing before a stone altar. Upon this altar rested a massive crystal prism, which constantly radiated the power of Chaos. The wicked necro-fiend grinned as he stepped toward the altar, admiring the gemstone's flawless surface.

"So," he said to himself slowly, "THIS is the Anazk Stone...Pure, crystallized essence of the six primary elements, fused into a single glorious gemstone...The pride of the warrior monks, said to bestow its power unto its holder. With this Stone in my posession, I will have eliminated one of the few remaining threats to my plans for this world."

Forte reached out to the Anazk Stone with one hand, his face lit in the glory of his triumph. Before he could touch the prism, however, a powerful electric shock shot into his hand from somewhere in front of him. He felt the pain, but he barely flinched; instead, he simply looked down at the burnt flesh hanging from his hand and back up at the space from which the lightning had come.

"Tch, it's well-guarded," the necromancer cursed, shaking his charred hand a bit. "Annoying to the last, these damned exorcists...They've thought of everything, it seems...No matter. Even a barrier of this magnitude is simple enough to dispel."

"That's as far as you go, Forte," I said calmly as I walked into the Anazk Stone's chamber, the power of the spirits surging around me. At that time, I must have looked pitiful; my clothes were in shreds, and I was covered in scratches and bruises. The only impressive thing about me was my aura, which slowly expanded with every step I took.

Once I came to a stop, Forte slowly turned to face me, wearing a soft smile that suggested that he had anticipated my timely arrival. He must not have expected me in particular, though; his smile widened when he recognized me.

"Now THIS is a surprise," Forte said, locking gazes with me. "I never thought I would meet you again, young exorcist. I though you would be smart enough not to challenge me again, especially after such a humiliating defeat at my own hand."

"Unfortunately, I don't scare so easily," I replied defiantly. "Besides, I've evened the playing field for our rematch, necromancer. Things will turn out differently this time."

"Do you understand the words you're spouting off, boy? You are mortal; moreover, you are immature and weak. I'll admit that you've grown substantially since our previous encounter, but it won't be enough to survive me a second time. And there will be no Raiden to save your life this time; now nothing can stop me from finishing you and making my victory over your pitiful race complete...!!"

"I don't need Raiden to save me," I retorted, "nor do I need anyone's help. This time, I'll use my own power...And this time, I'll be the one to finish YOU."

As I drew more spirit power into my own aura, the sheer density of energy lifted me off the cavern floor. As I hovered in midair, I drew metal energy from the rock walls around me and condensed it around my body. Air swirled around me as the metal energy condensed itself at my command, creating a powerful layer of armor over my beaten body. The twisting air became dense with electrical power, and its charge shot into the armor in a flash of light. Forte seemed surprised, and he was no longer smiling; it seemed that he had finally become aware of my strength.

"Don't tell me you're afraid, Forte," I said sarcastically. "You're a necromancer; death has sworn fealty to you. Don't tell me this 'weak, immature mortal boy' has got you worried...? Well, even if you are worried, that's fine; You ought to be. You gave your lackey, Joachim, the power to topple me. In order to beat him, I took the next step as an Elementalist and gained a new level of strength. That I was able to best him, you should be afraid of my power.

"Now, surely you must recognize me, necromancer Forte," I declared fiercely. "My name is Leonardo Yarafen Krilangi!! And this is my new power, the second level of Elemental power...!! This is RAGE!!"