Chapter 6

Exiting the bus left the three humans took note of their surroundings, and followed close to Darrel noting his slow change in clothing and attitude nearing a heavily spiritual link on the earth.

The pine, spruce and oak trees towered high overhead, blocking the starry sky, shrouding a cabin in shadows. It was as if the site itself was in a fissure within the earth. There seemed to be no one for miles, the place almost untouched by civilization, the cabin, dirt path and fire pit being the only indication human life lived here before.

"In the course of a few weeks,You three need to learn what elements you wield, how to use them, and you need weapon training," Darrel says while lighting a fire within the pit.

"But, for Tonight rest, it's been a long, eventful day," Darrel says sitting on a log in front of the fire. The girls slowly walked to the cabin. Ryan had unlocked the door and proceeded to bring the luggage inside.

"You coming?" Kaiden asked as Sarah watched Darrel his gaze fixed on the fire.

"I'll be there in a bit," Sarah answers stopping her advance to the cabin.

"Ok, just, don't be too long, or I'll beat you with this book of spells," Kaiden threatened.

"With the book or the spells?" Sarah joked, causing Kaiden to playfully smack her forehead before she went inside to unpack and rest.

Sarah stared at the cabin window, listening to her friends banter, a pillow bounced off Ryan's head.

Under normal circumstances, Sarah would be with them, however,she had questions that will eat at her until it's too late. These questions that can only be answered by the spectre at the fire pit. Darrel seemed lost in thought gazing into the orange flames, when Sarah sat on the log adjacent to Darrel, he seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts and watched her, his once emerald green eyes replaced with a faint shade of green. His jacket, was now long and resembled a cloak with no hood, though it only reached over his knees. His hair remained a jet black, but with an added purple streak.

One thing that caught your attention was that he wore a pair of black leather fingerless- gloves with deep purple cuffs as well,with a misted mint green gem on the topside of his hand.

"You're not going to rest?" He asked his face showing a mixture of emotions.

"I have a lot of questions to ask, and I need answers, whether I get them or not, I won't be able to rest anyway," Sarah sighs staring into the fire, her yellow hoodie appearing golden in the dark. Her brown eyes reflected the fire,making her eyes appear amber.

Darrel sat with his hands folded and leaning forwards as he was before, but listening intently.

      If he was taught anything meaningful from Damien, it's an interpretation of teaching he hoped would be passed on to his students as well. He remembered a scent of smoke and lilacs ,as if the scent was tattooed permanently to his nostrils,and a gift that he had forgotten about almost completely.

____________...FLASHBACK 9 YEARS AGO...__________________

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it kid, the spirit world is on the edge of a war, a war that will merge worlds of immortals with the world where death is always the dominant predator," A man spoke, taking a puff of a cigarette his black suit standing in contrast to a teenager with messy black hair wearing a light grey sweatshirt and blue jeans walked beside him, carrying a red textbook and a notebook, listening intently to the man.

"If we are going to prevent it, you will need to teach these heroes, rather than them showing up outta nowhere just like legend, okay?" He asked.

"What if I get asked a question regarding this world, it's legend or it's history?" The teen asked quizzically.

The man raised a brow, while inhaling smoke. When he sighed, smoke escapes his nostrils and mouth, before tossing it on the sidewalk.

"You ever gone to a school besides here kid?" The man asked the teen, stopping out the cigarette. They both stopped walking in front of several trees and a wooden park bench, the sun's slow rise left the sky a mixture of reds, oranges, purples and blues.

"No, I was homeschooled, but I do know what happens In there yeah," the teen answers, setting his books on the bench.

"When a boy raises his hand but no question is asked, what does the boy say when the teacher calls on him?" The man sat on the bench leaning forward, hands folded on his lap waiting for the teenagers response.

"The boy asks a question regarding the topic or to clear any thought of a misunderstanding," the teen answers.

"And what's the teachers job?" The man asks, while staring off at the sky in the distance.

"To teach children a topic and use their knowledge as a weak point to put up a test against them?" The teen says, pausing unsure of his answer.

The man shakes his head sadly, and motions the teen to sit down.

The sun peeked out of the horizon, the smell of smoke and lilacs was overpowering.

"Teacher's jobs are actually more meaningful than you think, you may be surprised but often important roles in a society get a bad reputation due to how popular media portrays them," the man states, causing the boy to look at his shoes with guilt.

"I'm not saying you're wrong though,but I'm not saying you're right either," he continued, looking at the boy once more.

The teen looks back at him with confusion.

"How do you see the job then?" The teen asks, the man looks thoughtfully at the rising sun.

"It's the teacher's  job to answer the boys questions. If the teacher was going to teach the boy anything, the teacher need to know how he learns, makes sure he understands, and help him find success. Sure, the boy has to do homework and tests, but in the end,the mark isn't how smart the student is, it's the mark that shows how much potential he has in that field specifically." The man explains, with a slight smile.

The boy thought about the way the man explained the answer, looking at the sun, before replying.

"So what you're saying is, Teaching isn't someone cramming and feeding another's mind with information, but a life changing bond and journey many can make together. Understanding, Patience and Determination is required, all questions are better asked, then unanswered, because otherwise no one will find the path to success or growth," The teen says staring at the sun, leaning forward with his hands folded in his lap.

The man leans back, crosses his arms and nods, urging him to continue.

"Someone Smart in the field of technology may know the way to success for technology, but someone else may be amazing at Cooking, they try leading each other to the other's path, a difficult process, because everyone has their way of learning and learn at different speeds,no matter what, a student always refers to past experiences of what they are learning now, and that can help speed the process, or slow it down, and turn it to a loss in the fight for what they call knowledge to fear," the teen continues as the sky's fading purples merged with the orange light of the early morning sun.

"Yes, but there's a flaw in that too, the man says, moving off of the bench and stand on the sidewalk again.

"When the time comes when you are going to teach the heroes, you have to consider a lot, they have no experiences to reference to help them with spirits,magic and potions, elements, creatures and dangers they will face, and worse they are humans,"

The teen gazes at the man with unease as the man watches the suns slowed rise.

"Humans are often afraid of what they can't understand, media and fiction labeling ghosts, demons, angels, reapers and various higher powers as 'good' or bad based on thier actions rather than the purpose of the actions and their morals," the man frowns, his skin changing to a vibrant shade of red as two horns protrude from the mans head.

"How do humans determine one of their own, as good or bad, and judge them by actions and false beliefs?" He asks the teen, turning to him.

"They cover up their fear of dying with ideas of living afterwords, made years ago to establish order and undying loyalty, they endlessly scramble to find their place in the world only for it to end as it began, with nothing," the teen says thoughtfully, causing the man to slightly chuckle at the odd boy.

The world reverted to the dark apartment the man lived in. Damien smiles, genuinely for the first time in what seems to be years. The boy knew what he had meant, he didn't judge him harshly, rather agrees and has embraced it. He knows what he's going to do, one out of countless spectres that know what they are getting into, interacting with the species that mistreats and mislabels their own, he can understand both worlds interchangeably, and has the patience and guts to put up with it, maybe even attempt change the way humans think of dying think.

"When you teach the heroes, if one is heavily different from the rest, and grow doubtful of their potential,give them this," The demon gives the boy a small red and grey box oddly the size of his hand, the boy removes the boxes lid carefully revealing its contents.

____________________......____________________

"So, uh what's with the costume change?" Sarah smirked, causing Darrel to look down slightly embarrassed.

"This only happens in an area where spiritual energy is at its peak, it allows for any sightkeeper or spectre to use abilities and magic with ease, it really depends on the elements the keeper or spectre can manifest, it's extremely powerful if it's a large open space in proximity to where someone has died or a marked grave, the closer you get, the more personal the magic seems, as magic works with emotions," Darrel explains.

"What kind of elements are possible with humans?" Sarah asked.

"You mean in," Darrel begins, as he puts out the fire.

Darrel's eyes glowed the beautiful green they became when they left the bus, it was oddly a comforting light in piercing darkness, and the only light. For a moment, Sarah feels a slight pain below her eyes, wincing she blinks, and soon the world was dimly lit as if the moons pale light was shining directly on the earth. Darrel silently breathed in awe, the amber colour her eyes took in the light of the fire now glowed softly like his own, reminding him of a wolves piercing gaze.

Darrel passes a small battered red lidded box to Sarah, she removes the lid carefully to reveal a brown leather fingerless-glove with a white cuff with a small milky coloured gem on the palm.

He grabs her hand and pulls her into the forest.

"Let's find out yours," Darrel says as he guides Sarah to the powers point of origin.