Valkyrie Black

Chapter 18: A Unique Soul

A month later, a messenger found Valkyrie as she was finishing training with the fortress dagger master.

She thanked the boy who was not much younger than herself and tore open the letter.

Meet me at eleven hour in the cave where we first spoke.

M

Morgessa. Val knew of no one else who would summon her in such a way. She thanked her instructor and performed the customary fist-to-heart salute the soldiers all used for those of rank before heading towards the cave she had entered before. While she knew where the entrance was deep in the catacombs under the fortress, that passage required the sacrifice of a Scath to enter.

As she slid unseen into the dark cave, her vision adjusted as it had before, with the cold of the walls contrasting only slightly with the cool air. She made her way to the larger cave with the magma pool and spotted Morgessa’s heat signature at the base of the rise she emerged on. she slid over the edge and dropped to the ground, kneeling head bowed on one knee before mistress Morgessa.

“You summoned?”

“Valkyrie. It’s a unique name. one fitting the bearer of Azrael’s spark.”

Val remained silent, unsure how to respond.

Morgessa smirked, “You have learned well if you remain silent when unsure what to say. Most feel the need to fill the silence with nonsense, fearing the quiet.”

When Val still did not react, Morgessa nodded. “I summoned you because you have already shown great potential, but you also have shown unique talents and uses of the Scath.”

“Unique?”

“Do you know that your innate use of Scath plasma is not common?”

“I…” Val swallowed but didn’t know how to process this information.

Morgessa nodded, seeming to read her mind. “You have learned on your own and have known nothing different. Desmond I am sure has used the Scath directly but even he does not quite comprehend what I have observed in you. Most simply see demons, and gather their innate power, and set it to use. The Scath is killed and only the power it possessed is collected. However, something happens when you use a scath unit that simply does not occur with others.”

“The smoke?”

“In part, dear. The gathering of the smoke is not uncommon. What is uncommon is when I saw you heal yourself after your first practice with me. There was a wisp of white released after you used the plasma unit.”

Val furrowed her brow, confused. No one had mentioned this before, and she had never noticed herself.

“Don’t be afraid, this is actually a good thing. It means you can be so much more than most of the Spark Blessed that resides in the capital.” Morgessa assured.

“What you don’t know is few know of me. Only those who are at this fort, and those I have trained personally. It’s a rare few at that. Most thought I died ages ago. After all, most of the elite Spark-Blessed make it to maybe fifty years old before they pass on, having burned their life keeping their spark going.”

“I don’t understand, doesn’t the spark feed off the Scath? Cant they just get more Scath? I thought that is what I was supplying to the quartermaster.”

“In part, child, in part. What they fail to understand is that the spark assimilates memories and brain scans and a host of other data it takes in. the Scath for their part, are sentient. Your spark is unique in that Azrael understood this limitation from the start and adapted, removing the dark energy but releasing the ‘soul’ for lack of a better descriptor. Thus your spark runs on clean energy without any of the side effects of thousands and thousands of minds corrupting the Spark.”

“Those in the city who have never faced a Scath in battle nor do they grasp that they are sentient. Thus they have refused to accept that the use of unpurified Scath Plasma is the very thing that shortens their lives, even making many of them go mad before the end, their personalities warped by so many minds and encounters they never experienced themselves.” Morgessa explained.

“Can the plasma be purified?”

“Sure. You and I both can purify it. But it would turn us both into robots, doing so day in and day out for THOUSANDS of crystals to make a dent in the consumption that happens in the Capital.”

“Can't we just teach other sparks?”

“Possibly, but what has come naturally to you is something that is refuted by all of the learned scholars and totally rejected by the council. No one in Krellis or any part of Suria wants to acknowledge any level of sentience to the Scath. For them, its like saying the stone or crystal has a soul and a life. Its been thousands of years since a Scath has been seen in Suria. Likely longer than that. As far as we can tell, there has not been Scath in Suria since the mountains first rose from the earth.”

“So…” Val had yet to interact with anyone from Suria proper, and had never been permitted to venture into Suria through the mountains let alone the capital city of Krellis. She was not sure where this lecture was going.

“I caution you to not make your method public knowledge. It will mark you as a revolutionary, which is not tolerated well. It will not matter if you don’t want to be political or not, it will still damage you.”

That seemed easy enough to Val at this point. It wasn’t like she had any concept of the government of Suria or a desire to be a part of it. She was twelve after all.

“It also means that I can teach you even more unique techniques and concepts that others simply cannot comprehend. You will be able to heal yourself faster and more effectively than others. I can also teach you to heal other people, though I caution you on that account. To most, such a concept will seem like magic and even in Suria where self-healing is known, healing others via your spark is a concept most would associate with witchcraft or devilry.”

Val looked at Morgessa with confusion, causing Morgessa to laugh.

“We have doctors girl. Some of our medicine is far more advanced compared to the other eight realms. But its based in science and discovery. Medicine takes time. What I can teach you is to heal another with little more than a touch and the sacrifice of a Scath unit. Such speed is unheard of even in the most learned of places. You have to understand, Most of the elite Sparks never need to self-heal. They never face combat, and most are agile enough that they rarely hurt themselves like most common folk might do. If they do manage to break a bone, they have the luxury of money, time, and servants to ease their suffering. Few have any concept of the healing that you have grown up knowing as second nature.”

“I believe your spark heals you all the time without you even needing to activate the process. So long as you have available Scath units, it is always working to heal you. Even small bodily functions are being aided by your spark. This is why you likely have never been sick, never had a cut last more than a day, and likely are not currently suffering from acne or other things that come along with puberty. Be grateful. Most of the kids your age, even among the high nobles, suffer daily from hormone swings as oily skin.”

Val was stunned and wondered about the validity of Morgessa’s words. She knew that any day now she would be joined by other kids from Suria. She wondered what their lives were like, and how she might fit in, having grown up knowing little else than Shadows, gangs, and the streets.

“I have to prepare some things for an old friend, but I want you to meet me at least three times a week. I will train you myself in the use of your spark. In time, you may even get to know Azrael as they once were, back at the dawn of the ages.”

“I would like that,” Val said quietly.

“Good. It's settled. Be back here tomorrow at sundown. not even Cade or Alexa . And Valkyrie, this training is NOT to be shared with anyone else. Be glad you are fortunate enough to have Alexa and Cade to share some training with but what I show you at night is for you alone. This is only for the Dark Angel.”

“Yes, Mistress.”