Jewels of Nature

CHAPTER 10

"You guys know what the word Habilite means right?" Carl asked the bewildered twins.

Adria nodded. "Yeah, empowered ".

"Yes well, that is the literal meaning of that word. The Habilite are known to be very powerful, or at least, that is how we have led the world to believe." Carl replied in a casual tone.

"Wait wait wait. Why are you talking about this 'Habilite' like you are a part of them?" Felix asked in confusion. Adria sat quietly, listening.

"That's 'cause I am FeFe, I am a part of the Habilite and so are you, "Carl responded.

Adria silenced Felix's protestations and asked a single question, "Who are the Habilite, and what do they do?"

Carl nodded and prepared himself to tell the whole story.

"The Habilite are not human. Or at least, partially not human. We are half human and half spirit. The original Habilite comprised 4 families. Even now, these families are the main players in the Habilite. You know all of them, there's my family, yours, the Prewetts, and the Franks. All of our ancestors were in the Habilite and we should have been brought up within the confines of the Habilite too, but well, problems arise you know?" 

Adria and Felix were in shock. "Were our parents in the Habilite?" Adria asked quietly.

"Yup," Carl nodded sympathetically. He was just as confused and shocked when his father told him everything. His father just wasn't as patient.

"So, you said that we are half spirit. How on earth is that even possible Carl?" Adria asked, confused.

"You will understand everything once I tell you the origin story of the Habilite..." Carl reassured her.

The Girl ran around the park. She caught sight of something sparkling. It was lodged in a tree. The Girl was somehow compelled to the source of that shine and ran to it, shrieking in glee. She loved anything at all that glowed with it. The Girl was just an ordinary village girl. Her aura and manner were as bright as the sun, but she was lonely. She was raised by her single mother as her father died as soon after she was born. However, these trivial details did not bother her as she was engrossed in the gem.

A man watched her try to wrench the gem out of the tree. He hid a smile as he saw her try multiple methods to try and get it out. He finally walked up to her and offered to get it out. The Girl was delighted and moved aside.

The man used a rock to get the gem out and gave it to The Girl. The Girl was delighted and squealed with happiness. The man was momentarily pleased to see The Girl so happy. The gem felt warm in The Girl's hands. It was emerald green and had sharp glittering facets, and was the shape of an octagon and tiny in size. The Girl however did not care about these details. The man offered to set the gem in an ornament so The Girl would not lose it. The Girl was hesitant to give up the gem and its comforting warmth, but she somehow knew that the man was trustworthy. He had a peaceful, but powerful aura around him and seemed ethereal. She reluctantly handed it over.

Two days later they met once again in the park. The man, true to his promise, had set the gem in a necklace. He gave it to The Girl who immediately wore it. The Girl fell in love with the necklace. She thanked the man with all her heart and ran home to show it to her mother. Her mother was hesitant to let a poor girl run around with such a precious item of value, but seeing how happy her daughter was, she relented.

Soon, The Girl and her gem became one. The Girl swore that sometimes the gem helped her in difficult and tricky situations. Whenever she felt lonely, especially when she was just a child, she saw the image of a spirit in her likeness in her mind. The spirit talked to her and kept her company. The spirit became her first best friend. The Girl soon realized that she could not tell anyone bout the spirit, as they would think her mad, and place her in an asylum.

The gem soon led her to three others who had gems and the same background as hers. The four of them realized that the gems also helped them manipulate the elements of nature. Each of them could only manipulate only one element. The Girl could manipulate the element of fire. The Four realized how powerful the gems were and how destructive they could be. They fused all four gems into one and chose the Girl to wear it as she brought all of them together. The Girl became the protector of the jewel. The four of them could manipulate their respective elements even without wearing the gems. The Four helped others with their newfound powers. They taught their children how to wield their powers too, and so the line continued. Soon, there were hundreds. They elected one amongst themselves as their leader. The leader reigned until his/her death. The leader was the protector of the jewel. The jewel was said to help keep the might of their powers in their control. Soon many theories developed about their powers. Theories such that the root source of their powers is spirits and that these spirits may destroy the minds of their hosts if it weren't for the jewel. No one has been able to communicate with these spirits since the original Four however and this theory was regarded as a general myth. The group grew larger and more robust and sought a name. They called themselves the Habilite.

The empowered.

"That's- That's absurd. There is no way we have actual powers. C'est impossible." Felix snapped.

Adria is silent.

"You really think it's impossible huh?" Carl asked with a cocky smile.

Both Feliz and Adria are silent.

Carl looks at a lantern that is in the room. He was pleased that it was not lighted, and that the candle wick was clearly visible to both of the twins. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to concentrate.

Smiling, he opened them.

Adria and Felix gasp. Shocked.

They step away from Carl immediately. 

Without thinking, Felix steps in front of Adria, shielding her with his body.

Carl's golden brown eyes are now a scarlet red.

Hearing rustling sounds, she looks behind her.

Adria stifles a scream.

Hearing her, Felix turns and almost shouts himself.

The lantern is lit, with the flame dancing on the candle, clearly seen. 

                                                                        END OF PART 1