The Crimson Mystic Legacy Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Ash

Read chapter 14 of The Crimson Mystic Legacy by CRIMODAS on NovelPedia.

Uzi leaned wearily against the boat's railing; the salt-crusted timber digging sharply into his back; the crashing of waves the sole consistent noise in existence. The sun spilled across the skyline; transforming the ocean into copper; and the breeze brought the subtle aroma of smoke that had trailed them throughout the day. His hand repeatedly moved to the tear-shaped mark on his forearm; following the black-and-white bands; the small inscribed 6 that burned intensely than the fading glow. Each time he made contact a pulse responded; as if something beneath the skin was paying attention. Why this body? He mulled over the question repeatedly; like a tongue tests a damaged tooth. Rathra might have selected anything. A massive fighter shaped for battle; a slate devoid of memories; even a child's body to taunt him even more. Instead he had been forced into this one. It seemed used; as if another person had inhabited it for ages and abandoned fragments along the way. Unexpectedly emotions overwhelmed him: panic gripping his throat; anger with a tang; an abrupt foolish desire to impress two strangers. The ancient Uzi, the deity who had judged souls from a throne had never experienced such feelings. He had been serene, detached, everlasting. This physical form pulled him into the mire of humanity. Continued to strike. And the stone petal; that fractured aqua shard Rathra had shattered as if it meant nothing. Where had it originated? What purpose did sealing a body within a stone serve; like some artifact concealed from the world? Rathra disappeared, murmuring grumpily like a teenager "be back"; then reappeared bearing new cuts slashing his arm and face; dark blood shining briefly before he brushed it off. Scratches on Rathra. The man who had broken a god easily as glass; who had passed through sacred flames unflinching; was branded by something while obtaining a vessel. Whatever protected that petal had wounded him. Rathra evaded Beat's inquiries with a silence as a blade; a trace of scorn appearing when Uzi's fresh eyes identified the figure; just familiar enough to provoke unease. Not exact recognition; like a creeping déjà vu beneath the skin. Uzi's gut churned. Rathra had gazed at him; truly gazed; and an enigmatic flicker had passed through those merciless eyes. Familiarity? Mockery? Loathing? It was like looking into a mirror that despised him in return. Afterward the previous hallucination slithered back into his mind. The reflection in the water; his own face; expressionless and gazing; silently forming words he couldn't catch. The voice that came after; resonant; "Why are you here." Not inquisitive. Blaming. It seemed to arise from everywhere and nowhere; as if the sea itself uttered his taken voice. Was the body turning against him? Was the mark seeping poison into his thoughts? Had Beat's red-and-blue turmoil created fractures within his spirit that were just beginning to seep? He pressed his eyes firmly until flickers appeared behind his eyelids. Everything seemed skewed; hues overly vivid; the atmosphere dense; feelings overpowering. Even the mundane task of scrubbing the deck before had seemed strange; why had he volunteered? Gods didn't wipe floors. Gods didn't perspire or smell or worry if two elderly humans believed they were deceitful. He had done it regardless; softly humming like some mortal adolescent pleased with spotless boards. This body rewrote him sentence by sentence. The most frightening aspect was how hardly he resisted. Rathra's smile flickered in his mind; overly broad and razor-sharp; eyes shimmering with that composure. There had been an instant; after the soul-transfer; when Rathra had drawn near enough for Uzi to detect the scent of smoke and blood on his breath. Something about that look had seemed... Known. Not the recognition of a foe encountered before; deeper; ancient; like a word lingering on the edge of memory in a tongue you thought you'd lost. Did Rathra deliberately select this body; not