Denirae Davis

Professor Justin Duckwitz

ENGL 1010

Feb 20, 2020

The Conduit

It was an autumn evening, the moonlight spilling through the large window illuminated

Del looking at himself in the full-length mirror. His tall frame was slender, his handsome young

face accented by snowy hair and turquoise eyes. It was hard for him to believe it had already

been a year since he had woken up from his 100-year slumber without any memories. The

members of The Core had done their best to help him adjust to this new life. They explained that

he was The Conduit, and as such, the magic of Irellia funneled through him, making him the

most powerful magic-user in Irellia. Del’s power was unlimited.

The members of The Core were powerful wizards who had gathered together hundreds of

years earlier to help The Conduit. When Del had asked the members of The Core why he had

slept for 100 years, they showed him the mural in the Grand Hall. The mural portrayed Del

locked in battle with a dark-haired young woman, and the members explained that her name was

Astra. The Core explained that Astra’s magic was overwhelming but she longed for more and

believed she could extract more power from Del by defeating him. In the battle that ensued Del

ended up being cursed to sleep for 100 years and Astra had been seen no more.

During the last year, Del had had many dreams containing the lady Astra, but none of

them were of their battle–all of them contained a girl with raven hair and ruby eyes smiling at

him.
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A fluttering in the mirror coming from the darkness behind him caught Del’s attention. It

was a cloaked figure. Del had been lost in thought–how long had they been there? Del stared at

the figure as they reached up to lower their hood. Before him stood the girl from the mural, the

girl in his dreams. Astra.

A smile crossed her face, a familiar one. Del’s heart pounded and his chest tightened.

“Good to see you again Del.” Her voice was like velvet. She raised her hands and traced shapes

in the air, the walls and floor acquired a slight shimmer. “This way no one will interrupt, or

overhear our conversation. After all, it has been 100 years. There’s a lot to talk about.”

“Why are you here?”

The girl’s face went stoic. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

Del slowly turned to face her. Her ruby eyes seemed to be pleading him for something

outside of his understanding.

“Del, these people are not your friends. I am your friend! I...” She stopped, trying to

contain her anger. “I am not sure all the lies they told you, but it is easy to see they went from

treating you like a prisoner to treating you like a deity to try to keep an eye on you.”

“What are you talking about? Keeping an eye on me?... Lies? I hope you didn’t just come

here to spout nonsense.” Del’s frustration at his own confusion came through more and more

with every word.

Astra scoffed, “Do you know who The Core are? Who they really are? They were never

meant to help The Conduit, but rather keep them in line, keep their power under control; and if

they couldn’t, their job was to kill The Conduit.”

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Astra stepped closer, leaving less than an arm’s length between them. From this distance

Del could see her ruby eyes glimmering with moisture. “Del...before... before they put you to

sleep for 100 years...you were their prisoner.”

“This is all too much.” Del pushed past Astra to the large window, unlatching the ornate

lock. The crisp air that rushed in cooled his flushed face, but his thoughts were racing.

How could what Asta was saying be true? Everyone at The Core had been so kind to him

since he woke up. He could never imagine them killing him.

“Del, let me start from the beginning.” Astra’s voice became softer. “The Conduit before

you went mad with power. He wanted all Irellia to bow before him. The land’s most powerful

magic wielders gathered together to defeat him. That is how The Core was founded.

“After killing The Conduit, only traces of magic were left in Irellia. Though a few of the

members could do little more than create a light breeze, The Core committed to erasing the

traces of the battle between The Core and The Conduit while waiting for the new Conduit to be

reincarnated. They vowed the next time they would be ready. Next time around they would

control The Conduit, and if they couldn’t control them they would kill them.

“250 years later magic returned to Irellia, and The Core set out to find you. They spent

years combing Irellia, collecting more members for The Core as they searched. They found me,

drawn by my immense magic power. Because of this, they thought I was The Conduit, but my

power has limits. When The Core brought me back to the Temple they told me all about the last

Conduit and why their mission was so important. They convinced me, they convinced all of us

within the Temple that The Conduit was dangerous and had to be controlled.

“About a year later they brought you to the temple. They kept you locked away and

punished you any time you used your magic. They had me guard you since I had the most magic
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power in The Core. For years I would watch you and bring you your meals. Over time I realized

The Core was wrong about you. You were so kind and soft-spoken, even after all their beatings

you never murmured or spoke of revenge. When I tried to convince them to free you, that you

wouldn’t hurt anyone... They removed me as your guard.”

“I planned how to help you escape The Core, but I knew it would be difficult. Despite my

formidable power, I was hardly a match for over a hundred of Irellia’s strongest wizards and

witches. That night I snuck to your cage after casting sleep on the new guards. We got to the

courtyard before we were surrounded. We did our best to fight through them but you weren’t

adept at using magic, especially for combat. You were knocked unconscious... we were both

badly wounded...I used the last of my power to teleport away.” Her voice turned to little more

than a whisper “I didn’t want to leave you...but I knew it was the only way to eventually free

you.”

“After I recovered from the battle, I found a way to sneak back into The Core. That’s

when I found you under the sleeping spell. I tried everything I could to lift it, but nothing

worked. In all my attempts to lift the spell, I found they had cursed you to sleep for 100 years.”

Astra walked forward so she was at Del’s side next to the open window. “Since I couldn’t wake

you, I found a safe place and cast the sleeping spell on myself, in hopes that I could assist you

when we awoke... Del, let me help you.” Astra lifted up her hand, outstretched for Del to take.

Can I trust her? Can I trust The Core? Who is telling the truth?

Del’s fingers tightened around the windowsill. “I want you to leave.” His words seemed

to chill the room.

“But, Del…”

“I said leave.”
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“Del, I’m here to help you. I’m your friend.”

“Friend?” Del scoffed. “Who is friend or foe remains to be seen.”

“If I wanted to kill you Del, I could have done so already.”

“Oh, really? Wouldn’t it be so much more convenient if I believed you and ran away

from The Core? That way you wouldn’t have to worry about my other ‘friends’ that are here to

‘protect me’?” His voice was cynical, and as he faced her his turquoise eyes burned with the

anger and confusion that rushed through his veins. “I don’t know which side is telling the truth.

Or maybe they are both lies. But I am not picking a side until I learn the truth.”

“Del you need to be careful. If they find out you know, or that you’re getting close to the

truth, they won’t keep up their nice facade.”

“And you? What will make you drop yours?”

Astra took a deep sigh. “I can’t prove to you that I’m speaking the truth, and I can’t prove

that The Core is lying. I guess my only hope is that you can find something in this temple that

reveals the truth you’re looking for. Take this.” Astra reached up to her neck and removed a

violet pendant. “When you find the truth–or The Core turns on you–smash the pendant and I’ll

be there in the blink of an eye.”

She placed the pendant on the windowsill. “Stay safe...and goodbye Del.”

With a twirl of her hand, the shimmering walls disappeared. Before him, the lady Astra

shifted into a beautiful raven with ruby eyes. With one giant gust of her wings, she dissolved into

the night. Del clutched the pendant and slumped down against the wall under the window.

“I will learn the truth, and I will get stronger so no one can treat me like a pawn ever

again. Not Astra. Not The Core. No one.”