Power He Knows Not

Fragments Falling into Place

He was traveling through a forest, searching for the tree she had described.

As he came upon a clearing he noticed he was not alone; Two young men stood face to face, clearly arguing. One looked sixteen, his dark hair falling almost perfectly around his pale face, dark blue eyes glaring at his companion. The other looked in his mid twenties, his countenance holding an unhealthy pallor, his own dark hair more unkempt, his eyes already a deep red, as he scowled back at his younger counterpart.

"And what makes you think I would resort to such undignified accomodation?" He snarled, his handsome face twisting to something almost inhuman.

"Well if you prefer being a forgotten trinket, locked in a forgotten room, then that's your choice. You needn't have a say in this. I am stronger then you." The younger sneered back.

Around them both, the shadows twisted and lengthened, darkening with their anger, the trees themselves seeming to wither.

He didn't know how to stop them. Their silent contest of wills was starting to give him a headache, pain begining to grow, spreading through him as if it was trying to tear him apart. Finally, he couldn't take anymore and yelled,

"Enough!"

Both men turned to him surprised, as if they had not noticed his approach. Their powers abated slightly, but then the elder of the two glared at him, his presence flaring even more, causing a spike of pain to make him stagger. The younger doubled, as if punched, clearly feeling his pain as well.

"I said; Enough." He ground out, letting his own power free, a feeling of warmth filling him as his magical presence grew. Their surroundings reacted to his magic, what stood in place of the sky darkening to a sickly green, the trees withering further, turning to gray husks, the shadows flickering and shifting as flames in a wind storm.

Both men before him stared incredulously, the younger beginning to smirk as he straightened, while the elder scowled.

He held his show of power for a few moments, until he felt the elder release the hold on his own. As his magic faded, the clearing returned to normal, the trees swaying in a breeze none of them felt.

The younger grinned,

"I knew there was something special about you." A hunger filled his blue eyes,

"you wouldn't still live if there weren't." He stated mater of factly, as if saying the sky were blue, or the ocean was large.

The elder crossed his arms, glaring at them both.

"This goes against what we are." He told the younger, "there is only one way to restore a soul, and you clearly do not feel it."

"To restore." The younger said, as if pouncing on a weakness, "no one has ever tried to unite, without repairing it. If you weren't being intentionally belligerent, you would see."

He did not understand what they were talking about. What did they mean, 'souls'? And why were they talking of repairing them? How did one break a soul? And why would you?

The elder gave his counterpart a contemplative look, then suddenly rounded on Him, red eyes boring into his own. His eyes suddenly widened, and he turned back to the younger,