Chapter Eleven - The Chosen Beings

(picture created by Guild Wars. This is what a Silvani would kinda look like tho.)

Chapter Eleven – The Chosen Beings

The next day I got dressed in a hat, jacket, and clothing I normally don't wear hoping I could disguise my appearance. If the temple keeper or priest were to find out I had escaped I may be sent back, and even though Saeron was my friend I couldn't risk the dark side of him coming out again.

It was still early morning and the streets were hushed except the chirping of birds when I finally arrived at Temple Priest's place. I had remembered coming here once with Nolie (the temple keeper also sold “magic” goods) and she wanted a potion to help clear her pimpled face. The shop had been dark and the items barely visible as we looked through items. I hoped that it would be the same today.

I turned the knob on the door, the feel of it alone making my back hairs stand on it, it was icy cold just like the crisp autumn morning. Autumn, thats right. I had been at the temple so long I had nearly forgotten summer was turning into autumn. I pulled the jacket closer to me as I opened the door, grateful to get out of the cold at last.

Inside the house was dark as I'd hoped. There were no lights present except the small fire at the far left side. Not even a window was present in this first room to shed even a speck of light. I pulled the door shut and immediately began working on adjusting my eyes to the light.

“What business have you here?” The nearly hoarse old voice came from the darkness. I could now see the outline of the temple keepers face sitting near the fire. His glasses reflecting the flames as they danced every which way.

I stepped forward, preparing to change my voice. “I was just passing though town, thought I'd hear a few stories before I headed out. Heard you were the one to come to.” I was surprised at how masked my voice was. But the question was: Would he be fooled?

“I am getting kinda lonely sittin' here,” I heard him pop his back. “Haven't really done much in several days. There haven't been any sacrifices lately.”

“Sacrifices?” I pretended to be surprised.

“Yes, a demon tiger terrorizes our village. He needs sacrifices or he'll eat us all.”

“That sounds interesting. But wouldn't you all die eventually? Is there no other way to deal with the beast?”

“Oh there are ways, but neither you nor I would ever know what they are.”

“Who would know?”

“They would.” He said it so ominously I nearly looked behind me to check if someone was there.

“Who's they?”

“The Silvani, a magical race of people who reincarnate themselves within us humans. They know the ways of the earth and have powers no one could ever hope for. Their dangerous creatures and none should ever be awakened.” The old man readjusted himself in his chair. “If you want a good story than you'll like this. These sacrifices, the people think any one of them could go to the temple at any point in time, but thats not how it works at all.

“You see I've known about these magical beings for some time now and I noticed them spring amongst my people. Those who are chosen are not mere humans, but in fact Silvani's. They don't know they are, but when they find out they could decide to take over our city and I couldn't let that happen.”

I tried to take all the information in. It was all so strange. Was I really not a human? Was I magical being? I quickly regained my composer and transformed my voice again. “So being the temple keeper you can make the decision of who goes and I'm guessing you have a way of knowing who is born a Silvani?”

“The marking on their stomachs. As a child they are very faint and appear as though they are only birth marks, but I can tell. I check every baby for these marking and if I find one I make a note to send the child to the temple when he or she is old enough. The rule is that those sacrificed must be at least an adult.”

“Why not sacrifice the babies?” I couldn't believe I sounded as though it was humane to do so.

“The spirit of the Silvani can easily detach itself from its host at a young age and when it feels threatened it can and will defend itself to keep it's host, manifesting it's spirit in a physical form and kill anyone who threatens it's host. But when the Silvani has been in it's host for some time it begins to grow dormant inside the host unless the host is somehow able to unlock the Silvani's powers. In a sense the Silvani isn't really dormant, but apart of the host, like a split personality.”

I was beginning to get dizzy from all the information, but I had to know more. I had to know more about what I now found out I was.

“I still don't get what the difference is between them being younger or older. I mean, doesn't the Silvani still protect them when their older?”

“One would think this, but I've found that if the person has no knowledge of the magic within them they are as helpless as if they were mere humans and that is why they are so easily killed my the tiger.”

“This all seems so interesting, but I have another question for you. How did you get this tiger to do your bidding for you? Surely if you are the temple keeper it must be yours.”

“Indeed he is. He was trained my me personally in hopes that he would one day do my bidding. I wasn't sure how exactly I would carry out the extinct of these magical beings, but I knew he would be the one to help me.” The Temple Keeper took off his glasses and began cleaning them. “His stories a long one, but I'd be glad to tell you how he came to be.”

“It should be very interesting.” I leaned against a shelf, waiting for his story to begin.

“Very well then. That tiger didn't start out his life like most would think. He was once human, in fact thats how all like his kinda start off and they eventually grow into their beastly forms. His name was Taj and he never really had anyone who cared for him.”

I was glad the Temple Keeper couldn't see the shocked look I had on my face in the darkness. Inside I was beaming with the realization that Saeron was the boy I had known all those years ago and that Taj hadn't disappeared, but was right under my nose the whole time. It all made sense now, why I was having those dreams, why I kept thinking of him, why me and Saeron clicked so well.

I focused my sight on the old man and tried to best to calm myself as he began his story. I was finally going to learn the truth of why Taj had gone missing all those years.

“He was left here years ago. No one knew where he came from or who his parents were. Many thought of his a strange kid and no one would associate with him. He was alone in the world and when he came to me he had just gotten into a fight. The town council had ruled he be sent to an orphanage far away, but I stepped in and took the opportunity to save the poor boy from his fate. This was when I was just starting to become aware of the presence of the Silvani. I work as a physician when mothers are giving birth and at that time I began to come across babies with strange, faint markings. After much research I found out what the marking were and began my crusade to rid the world of Silvani.

“When I adopted Taj I didn't know what he was, but over time I began to see him transform and I when I found out what he was I knew he'd be perfect for helping destroy the Silvani race. Through the years I literally beat his training into him. I made him hate the people of the town so that when they came to him as a sacrifice he wouldn't hesitate to eat them. I knew this wouldn't be enough though. I knew Taj had a kind heart. So I used what magic I knew to bring out the dark side in him. It's nearly impossible now for him to resist eating a human. Even the sight of them is enough to drive him crazy. The touch of them brings the dark side out of him completely. I imagine it would take a lot of strength to hold back. I'd think it'd probably kill him in the end if he tried to hard, but I'm not worried about that.

“I eventually let him loose in the temple. He has the power to leave whenever he chooses, but the dark side always seems to gravitate back to the temple as long as theres food. I'd stay clear of that temple if I were you, Saeron, thats what I call his tiger from, will most certainly hunt you down if he sees or smells you.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” I said as I made my way out of the house. I shut the door with a loud bang and broke into a sprint. I ran and ran, and kept running, passing the town, passing my house, and I was still running when I got to the jungle. I knew where I was going, but why was I going there? I ran threw it in my head.

Saeron was Taj, the boy I had been best friends with as a kid, the boy who had cared about me enough to fight for me when no one else would. The boy who I had thought disappeared so many years ago was the one who had protected me from so many things now and the one who I'd found comfort with at the temple. The one who, even though I barely knew him, I still cared deeply for. I had to get to him. If I was this magical being like he said, this Silvani than there was a chance that I could help him. After all the Temple Priest had said Silvani's were the only ones that knew how to deal with the beast. I'd find some power inside me that could free Saeron of this spell. I didn't know how, but I'd do it. I wasn't about to leave him to suffer all alone if I could help it.

I tried my hardest to get to the temple in a short amount of time, but my breathing soon became staggered and I was forced to rest for a while.

I heard a twig snap behind me and my head turned around to face whatever had made the sound. I immediately saw the familiar shape crouched a few hundred feet away from me, but the colors were different. Brilliant orange was something you would have expected to be a familiar thing on a tiger, but these color were in no way familiar to me.

I began to freeze. These colors meant danger to me and I knew at once I was trapped, about to become food for a tiger I didn't even know. This tiger wouldn't even understand me if I told it not to eat me. It was as dumb as any animal could be and not at all as forgiving as Saeron would be had I of just met him in the jungle. Then again, with his condition who knew.

I took in what I was up against. The tiger was pretty far away so perhaps I could make a run for it and, if I was lucky, make it to the temple before the tiger caught me. What was another tiger doing in the jungle anyways? I had never seen it before, so why was it showing up now?!

I prepared for the spring, watching the tiger to make sure it didn't make any moves towards me. It's green eyes were watching me mercilessly. I could tell it was already thinking of how good I would taste. I had to make a run for it as soon as I could, but first I had to get unfrozen. I began working on unfreezing my body mentally, my eyes stayed locked with the tiger's.

I began to feel my legs when the tigers paws began moving forward and I was just about to make a run for it when a red blur of fur attacked my predator.

I didn't wait to see what happened next. I knew it was Saeron and that he'd take care of himself. I also knew that I had to get to the temple as fast as I could to get away from him while he was in his dark form and await his return when he was back to normal.

The day was beginning to turn cloudy and a light rain was starting to fall as I the temple became visible. I knew in my mind what I wanted to do. I wanted to help him. But I was still so scared and afraid knowing that if I failed it would most likely mean losing my life.