you grew out of the tangling black,
those carefree tides that lead to the moon.

the stars i thought were silver knots
would not unwind, danced on the horizon,

softened like the white mist that gathered
the sky and the dark rose of your eyes.

you filled with the quiet of the hills
and i watched as your ghost

started to tell me goodbye, that
ghost whose seas were frozen in the night,

the ghost i loved, and everything that
was fire in me carved the words into

the night's magnolia net and the words
were; " i don't want you to go".

" Your new blade needs a name." Said the young wizard to his new warrior awoken friend.  The blade gleamed with magical permanent glows and luminescent courage.  It also seemed lighter in weight when Alston held and wielded it.  

Liam and Kanan awoke from their slumber oblivious to the cursed night they slept through.  Alston stoked up fire and broke out the pans for cooking.  Eggs sizzled to both the boy's delight.  The sun broke through the clouds and the young wizard soaked it up in his staff. He walked back toward the campfire to the smell of eggs sizzling under the morning sun.  Alston retained his fatherly appearance, and the warrior was hidden and dormant inside the new unlocked chamber of his soul.  Birds sang their morning melodies and rabbits hopped to an unheard song of nature.

The four of them ate breakfast through the beautiful morning with the boys laughing at the funny faces the young wizard was making at them.  The young wizard also had egg yolk on the sides of his mouth.  Although formidable in the uses of the magical arts the young wizard table etiquettes were not so proper.   Alston then fetched some toy soldiers and horses for the boys to play with while he and the young wizard packed up for the journey ahead. After everything was packed Alston then lifted the sheathed sword and looked to the young wizard.  

" I will name this blade "Awoken." Together this blade and I awoke parts of us that had always been there, yet fear kept them from awakening. Awoken has vanquished that fear.  Now I must learn the way of the sword.  My brother-in-law is the commander of arms in Oinotna.  I will learn from him when we arrive.  Let us journey together my friend."

As blood poured out of the shadow mantis body and onto the ground the sun rose to vanquish this horrible night. Alston stood there absolute still gripping the enchanted sword tight.  

Alston had small tremors course through his hands in an intermittent pattern like response.  The tremors soon faded away and his hands no longer shook. Courage had infected his blood and killed away the doubt and fear he had.  The blade gleamed crimson, blue and white. This came as a surprise to the young wizard. Such evocations cast upon weapons only last a few uses.  This blade however seems to retain the power.  " Alston, may I see the blade? " The young wizard ask the new warrior if he could observe his blade while all together ease his mind that everything is okay.  Alston then looked at the enchanted blade he carried about with him on their travels.  It had always been just a sword. Normal and nothing special. Just a weapon to carry about on travels for the little inexperienced protection he could provide with it. Only now it was an instrument of power.  An emblem of one's courage gained. Not only did this sword **** the shadow mantis but also carved out a new warrior inside of one whom wasn't. The young wizard understood this in a moment realizing why the sword has not lost its enchantment. For Alstom and the sword have ascended together. The young wizard then remembered what he had told Alston before the shadow mantis arrived. " Trust in yourself and then trust in the blade." The young wizard may have inadvertently invoked the spirit of this man, this father, and also invoked the sword and somehow bonded them together spiritually. Many invocations used by the lineage of wizardry are mostly discovered by accident.  This happens to be another moment.  Only the young wizard did not understand how it happened. It was quite difficult to remember every detail which is important by all measure.  The position of his staff, his stance, the tone of one's voice, and the emotion given.  So much was happening at the time there was no time to remember it all.  Perhaps just an early morning breakfast and the start of a journey together could render some lost memories.

Alston gave the enchanted blade to the young wizard with a smile as he walked toward his sleeping boys to wake them and start breakfast.  The young wizard held the enchanted blade and turned to Alston. " Your new blade needs a name."

Alston woke in the middle of the night to a strange hum like sound.  As he sat up, he saw the young wizard already standing upright with staff in hand. Both of them begin to whisper only.

" Alston, there is something hunting us.  Keep the boys covered in the blanket. Get your sword and bring it here to me quietly." Alston took two steps toward his sword when he heard the cracking of twigs and something drawing near.  He was maybe four more steps away from his sword. He began his silent march yet again toward his sword. One step, two steps, three steps, and four.  Alston then picked up the sheathed sword and then made his way back to the young wizard. Again, the cracking of twigs grew louder and signified that something was near and closer than before. Alston and the young wizard both walked slowly and quietly toward each other. As they finally met up another cracking of a twig reveled that whatever was hunting them was only about 30 to 40 ft away now. Again, in whispered conversation Alston and the young wizard formulated a plan.

" Unsheathe the sword Alston. Hold it right there. What are you doing? I am no swordsman. All I can do is swing widely. That may be all we need my friend. Keep the sword still." The young wizard then touched his staff to the blade and whispered an invocation upon it.  " Ignitis Frostias Armos " The blade of the sword begin to glow crimson and deep blue, white.  " The sword is empowered Alston. Even with wild swings you are a formidable force.  I am going to move toward the hunter. I must see what it is to gauge what we do next. Stay right here" Alstom felt a surge of new courage course through is very soul as he held the empowered blade. But not without fear. The young wizard walked into the curtains of night to see what the hunter in the shadows is.

there is nothing of you in this late hour,
i have no voice to wrap you in tenderness,
and i wait for your arrival like a starless sky,
empty of light, the ocean's forgetful voyage,
the sinking wave coaxed to grow out of the dark.
the trees are motionless, branches fall silent in the night,
like ghosts against the sky. i am empty of light,
drawn out of memories and blue air,
a crystal that breaks, bound to the wide earth
and the white dust of immeasurable hills. i think i am
still, small as a bird, and i know that i long for you,
that the hunger never leaves me for long, colouring
dry paper with the gleam of a harbour-like moon.

The campfire danced into the night absorbing the conversation the young wizard was having with the father and his two sons.

The four of them ate chicken with broth as the glow of the campfire warmed their bones.  " Mr. wizard sir" One of the boys whose mouth was full of chicken softly started the conversation with the young wizard.  " What were those words you were yelling? I did not understand their meaning." The young wizard whose mouth was also full of chicken had to wait a moment to chew his food and speak properly.  With a giant gulp of a swallow the young wizard explained.  " Those words were invocations or chants.  I suppose a sort of calling or request for me to ask upon nature and the universe that I may borrow their power. The first invocation I used was Ignitis Sol. Which means Ignite the sun. The second one was Ignitis Sados which means Ignite the staff." The young boys both smiled while they ate as they listened to the young wizard talk about magic and invocations.  Their father ate silently and finally joined the conversation. " We are heading to the great castle city of Ointona.  Are you going in the same direction as us stranger?  The young wizard who again had a giant amount of chicken in his mouth had to chew a little faster to join in conversation with the boy's father. With a large nearly choking gulp the wizard answered the father's question. " I am.  Would you like me to join you on your travels to the same destination?"  The father of the two boys answered with a concerned yet relieved face. " Yes, would you please. I am Alston, these are my boys Kanan and Liam.  We owe you, our lives. " The young wizard smiled and uttered out some words almost unrecognizable with again a mouth full of chicken.
  "This meal will be your payback to me."

The young wizard then set his staff down as it begins its watchful eye of the night.    " Let's all get some rest; my staff will keep watch if anything wicked should happen to come our way."