The early morning hours of Terradays at Solar Springs High School were always shrouded in a hazy, dreamlike mist. Robert found these mornings to be a welcome respite from the busy week, as the cool, fresh air and soft morning light created a sense of calm and tranquility. This was especially true during the summer months, when the sun's heat and brightness could be oppressive and overwhelming. But on these misty mornings, the world seemed to slow down and take a breath.
Robert had finished his bath and stood in front of the mirror hanging beside his bed, his face reflecting the self-satisfaction he felt. He reached for his purple towel and wiped the beads of water on his hair, his smile growing wider. Taking a deep breath, he savoured the moment. He pulled a comb from his trunk and began to slick his hair into place.
"Don't you just love Terradays Poison?" Robert asked dreamily, swinging open his cupboard again to grabbed a bowl of cereal to eat. Robert's mind was so fantasy filled that he had totally gotten over the fact that he shared his body with an unusual spirit. He had wholly accepted Poison as part of him.
"Nah, that's my worst day of the week, kid," Poison replied with a feigned angry tone. "During my time I had to plough my father's fields with the cows. That was the worst chore ever. Every Terraday morning, I'll just prepare myself for another round of work, and my father would walk into my room with his whip and order me to go to the fields. Damn, I hate Terradays!"
"Another made up story?"
"Possibly."
"Well, welcome to the Golden age where you don't have to plough your farm with a cow," Robert said and laughed out loud.
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from the bed beside his. "Speaking to yourself again?" Robert was startled and he glanced behind, his eyes met Dora's.
A guilty smile immediately crossed his face. "Dora! I didn't see you there. When did you...?"
"Don't try to avoid the question, Robert," she said, her tone accusatory. "I clearly saw you talking to yourself," she glared into his eyes with a stern look.
"Um, I have an explanation," Robert blurted while his mind quickly worked out a lie, "I often imagine having a pet dog, and I talk to it in my mind but to anyone who don't know, they might think I'm talking to myself."
Dora's eyes narrowed with confusion. "What does a pet dog have to do with ploughing a farm with a cow? Who does that these days?"
Robert smacked his lips. "You know what Dora," he said calmly, "Let's forget about that. What are we going to be served for breakfast?" He released the warmest smile he could in order not to aggrevate her.
Dora watched him for a moment before replying, ''Chilli and beans," she rose to her feet, "I'd better get ready for breakfast, you're gonna miss this one for sure," she turned to leave.
"Can't fault me, I'm allergic to beans. But have fun at the dining hall!"
Almost immediately, the bell rang, signaling the start of breakfast. The students hurried to the dining hall to get their meal. Robert quickly ate his cereal and rinsed his bowl, then shut his trunk and grabbed some books to head to his classroom for a study session.
But just as he turned to leave, something strange began to happen. His heart nearly stopped as the temperature in the hostel dropped to a bone-chilling level all of a sudden. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a blast of ice cold air struck him from behind. It was as cold as nothing he could imagine. He whirled around, and to his horror, a hulking humanoid creature made entirely of ice stood before him, leering with a menacing grin.
"Xolomon! Just as I thought!" Poison's voice rang out in Robert's mind, "He's the servant of my father I told you about, he's really dangerous!" He explained and made Robert back away.
"I really need to fully understand this father, servant, son thing!" Robert yelled telepathically. His eyes couldn't leave the monster's face, he was horror struck. Poison's stories weren't false after all, he thought... at least some of it.
"Well, well, well," The icy creature began, his voice deep and otherworldly. "So you're the latest in the line of Gabor's descendants who unfortunately got possessed his Ancestor soul. That's some bad luck you've got there, kid. If you're aware of his responsibilities and past messes, you'll find it in your best interest to relinquish him without delay. Gabor you coward! I know you can hear me from within, you let your siblings search for the Ancestor seal while you hide in a child's body? And you, little boy, it would be disappointing to see this beautiful dormitory in a mess, don't you think?" He gestured at the wonderfully arranged rows of beds and trunks in the blue painted hostel. "We shall meet again at night, I'd like to see how powerful he has made you."
The monstrous being transformed into a whirlwind and sent Robert flying with an unseen force. Robert slammed into the wall and collapsed to the ground, blood dripping from his head. Ignoring his injuries, he looked around for the icy creature, but it had vanished. He felt the injury and as expected, it had already healed.
"Siblings? You said you only had one brother, and what does this Solomon creature want with you... and me?" Robert's voice was heavy with exasperation.
Poison's reply was casual. "Just a small misunderstanding before he died, nothing much."
"Nothing much?! Poison, enough games! Tell me everything you know about that Ancestor soul and this time, I want the truth!" Robert demanded sternly. He just saw a freaking ice monster!
"Remember what I said about being prepared for what's ahead?" Poison asked, "Yeah, that's part of what's ahead."
"Poison!"
"Alright, his name is Xolomon. He's uhh... my father's personal servant's Ancestor soul and he's specialised in Ice magic." Poison began, "Sorry I forgot to tell you that we all specialise in a particular type of magic during those times, and before you ask, yes, I mean wizards. I was specialised in Earth magic but I'm so advanced that I've got perks like, increased strength, regeneration and some other minor abilities. My brother was attuned to Fire magic and he too was very advanced. He could instantaneously smelt his limbs into any weapon he desired, and even though they were crude weapons, they were extremely powerful. He had incredible strength and could also throw fire balls and all those stuff about magic your leaders hide from you, but my father's personal servant was proficient in Ice magic, and he has wide varieties of abilities. I'm guessing the current descendant who's housing his soul is that new kid," Poison paused.
"You mean Oliver?"
"Yes, that one. Remember when his eyes froze back at the classroom?"
"Yeah, yeah," Robert said with realisation, "but that Xolomon creature said he'd meet me during the night and that scares the guts outta me. Shouldn't we find a way to avoid him? I mean, I'm too young to die!"
"I wouldn't advise that. Even if you avoid him, he's still gonna come after you. I say we fight," as Poison spoke, Robert's hands transformed into a huge sandy fist.
Robert's eyes widened in alarm. "What the hell is that?!"
"That, my boy, is your manifestation of me," Poison replied, "You see, Ancestor souls remain immaterial till they merge with the bodies of their descendants. If they merge with someone not their bloodline they wouldn't be able to manifest their true strength. If they do not merge at all, they'll exist as mere ghosts, immaterial and invisible. But if we merge with a descendant's body he or she would have the power to transform into the spectacular manifestation of the Ancestor soul called an elemental. Too bad you can't do magic else you would be able to access other lots of my abilities." He paused. "Boy, your classmates are returning from the dining hall. Prepare for battle tonight. There's an old score I need to settle with Xolomon."
Understanding dawned on Robert as he stood up and returned to his bed. So that was why his hands were always covered in bits of sand - he had Earth powers! Courtesy of Poison, of course.
After breakfast, the boys made their way back to the hostel from the dining hall, while the girls walked towards theirs. Robert observed the boys returning as he wiped the bloodstain off his forehead, receiving menacing scowls from Henry and Frank as they passed by. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Vanessa through the window going into her hostel with a sad and confused expression. Acting on impulse, Robert hurried downstairs, pushing and weaving through the students in their casual clothes returning from the dining hall. Just before Vanessa entered the white building through the main door, he grabbed her arm, causing her to turn and face him.
"Vanessa, is there a problem? You look like the cooks scolded you," He remarked with a tone of concern but he abruptly let go of her hands when he noticed Dora approaching and luckily, she passed by without noticing them thanks to the blonde girl, Hailey, who she was discussing with.
In truth, Robert sensed an odd relief that Dora hadn't seen them together. Though the pair (Robert and Dora) weren't technically dating, their closeness was undeniable, and he did not wish to displease her. He had observed a marking change in Dora's gaze towards Vanessa since the day she compared him to Jackson - literally announcing her interest in him (Robert).
"Nothing, I'm just feeling weird. The food we were served - chilli and beans - I don't know if I'm starting to become allergic or something," Vanessa replied, her lovely face displaying her confusion.
"I know the feeling," Robert said, his voice full of sympathy. "Chili and beans used to give me a rough time in the past. But drinking lots of water might help, and chocolate might make you feel better. Here, take my keys, I have some in my trunk." He pulled out a bunch of keys from the book he was holding and handed them to her.
"Thank you Robert, very much," she smiled gratefully as she took the keys, then hugged him and gambooled to the boys hostel.
During the day, it was perfectly normal for students to visit other hostels, as long as they were back in their own dorms by evening time, which was when prep began. Sleeping over in another dorm was allowed as well, as long as it wasn't after the designated time.
Night fell, and after the night prep, Robert made his way back to the hostel with trepidation, wary of the ice monster that might be lurking nearby. He took a less-used path and kept his torch pointed behind him, checking for movement every few seconds. Suddenly, he noticed something moving in the shadows close to a patch of flowers, and a gust of the familiar and otherworldly ice-cold air hit him in the face.
Bracing himself for a fight, Robert was surprised to see Oliver walk out instead of the ice monster.
"Oliver, we've got nothing against each other," Robert said immediately, trying to keep his voice steady. "Let's just talk this out."
He began to back away, but Oliver merely grinned and replied, "At last." Then his body froze, then began to shift and change, until the hulking ice monster stood in his place. It stepped towards Robert, a wicked gleam in its eyes.
"Poison, this would be the perfect time to do something!" Robert whispered, panic rising in his voice. Then suddenly, he felt a strange sensation, as if a drill were boring out of his body. His skin turned a rich, dark brown, then took on a rough, grainy texture. He felt himself growing taller and more muscular. In no time, he had transformed into a hulking sand monster, just as large and fearsome as the ice monster before him.
The two elementals exchanged furious glares before Poison spoke up.
"Xolomon," he began, his deep voice filled with a calm but menacing tone, "we meet again."
"Indeed we do, Gabor. Indeed we do." Xolomon replied, sounding quite pleased, as if he had been awaiting this moment.
"I know why you're here," Poison said, "I know why you had your descendant enroll in this school, but don't you think now is the worst possible time to settle old scores?"
"Settle old scores?" Xolomon asked, his voice full of mock surprise. "I'm not here to settle scores, Gabor. I'm here to make you understand the magnitude of what you did." Xolomon's voice grew with anger, emphasizing his intention.
"We can sort that out after the Ancestor seal has been found," Poison rumbled, "but for now, I won't let you stand in my way. I can't let you make things harder for me." As Poison finished speaking, rocks levitated in front of him, then shot forward with incredible speed, straight towards the ice monster. But Xolomon was no longer there, having transformed into a current of wind, which sent the rocks zooming past him. They slammed into a nearby tree, bringing it crashing to the ground.
"I was expecting more!" Xolomon jeered as he rematerialized, then he lunged towards Poison. "You've gotten soft, Gabor. I thought I'd have to use magic to beat you!" His fist whistled through the air, but Poison managed to dodged it. But to his shock, another ice cold fist collided with his face, sending him flying backward. He (Poison) scrambled to his feet, then charged at his opponent. With a roar, he knocked Xolomon's hand out of the way and delivered a devastating blow to his chest, causing the ice monster to stumble.
"Argh, now that's something," Xolomon said with grudging respect. In response, the sand monster bellowed a mighty roar. "But I'm not impressed," Xolomon concluded, then vanished into the wind.
Poison became invisible, but suddenly, a loud sound cut through the air, and he reappeared, an icy hand clasped around his throat.
"I'll let you off easily this time," Xolomon said with a wicked grin, "but next time I would surely do my best to kill you. If only that were possible," he condensed an icicle and plunged it into Poison's chest. "You thought I was just gonna forget what you did? You set it ablaze!" He then pulled out the icicle.
"I did it to help her, and you as well!" Poison said, a note of desperation in his voice.
"Liar!" Xolomon shouted, "I bet you're still able to regenerate rapidly. That ability surely gave your brother and I quite a bit of trouble in the past," and with a grunt of effort, he hurled Poison towards the hostel with all his might. In an instant, he transformed into the wind and disappeared from sight. A moment later, he rematerialized in the dark hostel now in Oliver's form. The students were still at the chapel praying for the night, their voices a faint murmur in the distance.
Suddenly realizing that he was about to crash into the boys' hostel, Poison transformed himself into a cloud of fine sand and drifted gently to the ground. Then, he reformed into Robert who looked around to get his bearings. He was in the center of the field, a safe distance from the hostel.
"Poison, I don't think we'd be ridding ourselves of that ice monster any time soon, are we?" Robert asked wearily, heading towards the hostel.
"Don't worry about Xolomon," Poison replied with forced confidence. "I'll think of something. You should get some sleep - we can talk about it in the morning," Even though he tried to sound sure of himself, his tone betrayed a hint of concern.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted after that encounter too," Robert said, yawning.
"You literally did nothing," Poison retorted.
"Hey, housing a magical spirit in your body is more exhausting than you'd think, especially when it takes over and gets its ass whooped!" Robert snapped, laying down on his bed and falling asleep within moments.
It was strange that he wasn't taking the threat of Xolomon more seriously. After all, the ice monster was determined to kill him, and they were literally sleeping in the same building. Yet, his thoughts drifted to: "Well… if Poison is inside of me, I guess I can't technically die. It's not like he'd want to kill himself."