A World Beyond the Dark

by Andrei Navala

  “Ey, what the!” He shouted in his wake as Rylan entered the room in which he slept and found the sword lying underneath his bed as he left it. He pulled it out with ease and hurried back outside to greet the approaching fiends he was warned of. To his surprise, the ones standing before the modest keep were but mere young lads in their twenties, glaring at him. He tried to shift his gaze more into the ethereal realm and as much as he could tell their auras, while they had murderous intent their hearts were somehow pure. This contradiction really puzzled Rylan.

  “Are you demons?” He shouted, slightly flexing his legs in anticipation for a surprise attack.

  “We were about to ask you the same thing.” responded the man in the center, guiding his horse slightly in front of the others. He had short brown hair and a neatly trimmed handlebar moustache. His gaze denoted both conviction and nobility. “How can you hold such a brutish sword, and with one hand nonetheless?” The question was coming from a person carrying a hefty halberd. He was no stranger to large weapons and yet was surprised by Rylan’s sword. One of the other intruders suddenly vanished from atop his horse. Rylan was on edge and his senses told him to block from behind. He rapidly turned around and put up his sword just in time to parry a spear hit. The same guy who just vanished was standing there and the following moment disappeared again. Rylan could sense him phasing out of the corporeal world and swung his sword seemingly through the air. The other two gasped seeing how their companion was smacked by the blunt of the sword and blown off his feet. The hit was enough to leave him unconscious. The one with the halberd drew it from his back and charged at Rylan in an attempt to trample him. Rylan lowered his body and held the sword above his head with the blunt end reaching the ground as a ramp. The sword was wide enough for the horse to put its two frontal legs on it. Rylan pushed up the sword, throwing the horse on the ground and trapping the attacker underneath the scared beast. The other noble pulled out a hand crossbow and let loose a bolt which pierced Rylan’s shoulder. In the very next instant, the crossbow was reloaded and he fired another bolt. Rylan was really caught off guard and surprised. The second bolt grazed his face. Before his opponent had another chance to fire, he leapt at him with the sword in front of him as a shield. He could hear another bolt break against the thick metal of his blade and he reached the man’s horse. The noble quickly hopped off and unsheathed a rapier. Rylan swung wide, failing to hit. On the other hand, the rapier was already coated in blood and he felt his abdomen warm. He had a long cut all across.

  “Is it his Telaar? I can’t even see the movement of his hands!” thought Rylan who had to back away. He heard a shout from behind as their leader was back on his feet and charging at him with the halberd. Rylan turned to him and raised his sword in order to parry the incoming hit. As their weapons clashed, he felt a powerful electric shock in his arm and he dropped the sword. He never expected to face such powerful opponents. How was the lord able to keep them away?

  “Surrender now and we will spare your life if you’re not of demon kind like your master!” shouted the noble with the halberd, pointing it towards Rylan. His eyes widened hearing his words and he bent down to pick up his sword. The man lunged at him with the halberd but he dodged the hit with ease and lifted the sword at the same time. Rylan ran past him and towards the keep. Now that he really gave it some thought, he could feel the dark looming presence. His only question was why didn’t the lord kill him in his sleep? Was he afraid of him?

  He kicked open the door to the keep and the floor and walls trembled and shook. The ceiling collapsed and a massive fiend was taking form. Rylan raised the sword above his head to block any falling rubble. The servants weren’t so fortunate and he could hear their agonizing screams from underneath the ruined keep. The demon couldn’t be contained in the keep and so it climbed above its remnants. Rylan peeked from behind the sword and could see the belly of a black, dragonoid creature. The monster let out a deafening roar and took off from the top of the keep with a beat of its wings. Rylan caught a glimpse of the young girl who was trapped in his claw. They all stared in disbelief at what they previously thought to be a demon. The only other time Rylan had seen a dragon was in the army and he could tell this one was weaker than the one back then. That was its reason for fleeing. The fearsome reptile let out a torrent of fire from its gaped mouth, setting the surrounding forest ablaze before finally flying away in the distance. Rylan cleared a path through the rubble and was the only one who escaped alive from its collapse. The two noblemen were trying to calm down the horses which were neighing and rampaging.

  “Damn it all!” yelled the leader of the three, falling on his knees and smashing the ground with his fists.

  “Who is the girl?” shouted Rylan in an attempt to cover him. The other noble who gave up on calming his horse turned to him and responded.

  “Our sister… She was stolen by this fiend and we kept attacking the keep until we would eventually force him out. Our plan was to take him by surprise with our Telaars and overpower him in his human form but he fled the moment he saw you coming for him. Just who are you exactly?”

  “I am useless, weak and just as blind to everyone around me.” whispered Rylan, staring at the ground. He put away his sword and clenched his fist in anger at his own powerlessness. The eldest brother who was throwing a tantrum stood up from the ground and rushed towards Rylan. He grabbed him by the neck with one hand and punched him with the other. Rylan let himself pushed onto the ground and accepted the beating. The young man smacked him over and over, beating him senseless until his face turned red. After a while of hesitation his brother intervened and pulled him away from Rylan. With his eyes half closed, he watched them grab their unconscious brother and walk away into the forest, through the flames. Not only did he ruin their brave attempt, but he drove their sister away from them possibly forever.

  “Is my struggle in vain?” He thought to himself, slowly closing his eyes and relaxing every muscle in his tense body. “No matter how much I strive to be better I see no difference. I never had these worries when I was following behind Tarna or even Rilwen.”

  “Are you going to give up?” The voice was familiar but he couldn’t place it. Even though he had closed his eyes, he could clearly see a person floating above him. It was more like a shape of mist, like a ghost.

  “Tarna? Have I gone insane?” He stood up but something strange happened. His entire body felt light as a feather and all his pain was gone. He looked down and could see his legs, but when he turned his head around, he saw the rest of his body lying down. His first instinct was to panic. “Have I died?”

  “You reached a state close to etherealness. At the moment you can consciously control only one body at a time, but if you could control both you would evolve into a superior being, an ethereal.” His voice and his appearance were all exactly as he remembered. Rylan reached out for him but his hand slipped right through his chest so he pulled it back swiftly. “Don’t you notice anything weird?”

  Rylan stood in silence, puzzled at his question. He shook his head, awaiting an explanation.

  “Look at the hand with which you tried to touch me.” He did as instructed and like a reflex, he looked at his left hand but with the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of something. His right hand was in place and unharmed. He felt a surge of excitement rush through him.

  “Is it possible to…?” He couldn’t finish the question because he was afraid of receiving a negative answer. Tarna nodded and smiled.

  “But only if you manage the connection between the two bodies. You are one step closer by attuning to your Telaar better. Once you master the flow of mana in your body, the link will be complete and your arm will come back in a form or another.”

  “I was meaning to ask you. How are you here and how do you know all this?”

  “I live on only as a part of your memory and this knowledge is merely what you had within yourself all along.”

  He felt his existence being dragged back and he open
ed his eyes, gasping for air. Tarna was gone. Feeling sore throughout his body, he stood up and shook off the dirt from his clothes. His journey to reach enlightenment had just begun.

  Chapter 8 - Unsightly arrival

  D ark, slimy blood splattered across his face. His clothes were torn to shreds but he held his sword above his head, claiming victory over the slaughtered demon. The hideous monster collapsed, having sustained multiple bruises and a large gushing wound in its chest. Silence fell throughout the forest and Rylan felt exhausted. He couldn’t catch a break for the past three days. Even when he tried to take a nap, a demon might ambush him and it really worn him out. His mind was tired and he couldn’t concentrate at all on his task. He could find no answer to his many questions.

  A cacophony of crows cawing above his head was driving him insane. They had been trailing him for a while as if he was a walking corpse. He gritted his teeth in anger and tried to chase them away with rocks but it was of no use. Now with their master’s banishment, the demons were wreaking havoc uncontrollably, more so than before. Their numbers seemed outright endless. Every waking hour was a horror because of all the dangers. As he put one final step forward, he threw his sword on the ground and kneeled. He leaned down and felt around the soft grass with his fingertips. He grabbed in his fist a tuft of grass and let it slip through his fingers. Its once green color was tainted in blood. He lied flat down and watched the sun rise up on the clouded sky. It was a crimson dawn, bathed in his blood and the blood of his foes.

  “What am I doing?” He thought before his eyes closed and he fell asleep. His dreams were violent, full of gore and bright flashes. His heart was beating rapidly and he was sweating heavily. He was drenched in blood and his body felt heavy. Everything was a mess. He felt shaking accompanied by a loud crashing noise. He looked up and the sky seemed to break itself upon the world. The stars were falling down, striking Reath and destroying all life. One star was headed directly towards him and he could only watch the inevitable.

  He woke up more exhausted than not. A few crows which were pecking him with their beaks flew away. Blood was streaming down from his head into his eyes. He wiped it away and felt a terrible sting in his head, followed by a headache. He raised his upper body from the ground and ripped the remainder of his shirt in multiple rags with which he covered his wounds. The cold wind of the night was rough on his naked torso. Remembering his dreams, he looked up at the sky. It was a starry night with no clouds. The view was completely different from the mountain side, rather than his field village. There were so many stars he couldn’t even count them. It was a full moon overlooking the crest of a mountain. It had a strange, eerie glow which gave Rylan a feeling of unease. The feeling slowly turned to anxiety and then to fear of unknown. He had a presentiment something was about to happen even though nothing seemed out of place. He tried to cope with the bothersome sensation and stood up, looking around. There was no trace of wild animals; he was all alone. He picked up his sword and waved it around. Rylan never really paid attention to how large it was. He always took his strength for granted. Now, the blade was really harsh on his wrist and his entire arm was shaking just trying to hold it up. He was both dehydrated and starved and that put a terrible strain on his mind as well. His vision was getting blurry and foggy as well.

  Using the massive sword as a cane, he wandered through the forest in search for anything edible. As he looked around, he thought of how lucky he was to not be ambushed again in such a weakened state. His fingertips stumbled upon some berries. They felt fresh and ripe and their texture was rather squishy and juicy. He grabbed a handful and stuffed his mouth with them, munching the berries with a grin on his face. They were really sweet and full of juices, delighting his dry mouth and sore throat. It didn’t take long for him to finish the entire bush of berries only to rest next to it afterwards. He contemplated how easy was the life of a peasant, not having to worry about anything other than his land and his family. Rylan had no family to turn to but he didn’t feel the need anymore, either. He had become so in tune with nature that interaction with living beings seemed pointless. If it weren’t for the abominations brought about by the Demon Queen, he could’ve actually found his peace in the woods.

  “What is the root of all evil?” He muttered, caressing the soft carpet of grass with his fingers. “Why did she do such gruesome acts? What spawned her hatred? Was she pushed to do so?” It was the first time he ever thought about the infamous Demon Queen who was thought to be defeated… or at least banished. He was so preoccupied with the effects upon the world that he forgot about the source. If his goal was to kill all demons, wasn’t she his priority. By wasting away his life with her minions, his task would never end. “Can I ever reach her? And even if I do… is there any telling I can do something against the odds?” He was terribly conflicted now that he realized the gravity of the situation in which he was. It was already too late to turn tail and run. The fight against her was now his own and there was no clear ending in sight. Lost in thought, he was oblivious to the incoming danger. He just felt the same unease as before. He tried to chase away the dark thoughts until he heard something far above. He looked up and gazed at what looked like a star, slowly moving across the clear sky. His heart started to pound faster when the star was getting larger by the second. The noise it made as it was crashing down was louder and only growing in intensity. It looked as if it was headed straight towards him. He was frozen in place, both by fear and awe. The sight was quite something to behold. He peered and tried to examine it but it was surrounded by flames as it came closer. He was silently watching his impending doom. When it became larger than the moon from afar, he felt a rush of adrenaline. If he really was to die there, he had many regrets. He couldn’t afford to throw away his life on a whim. Rylan picked up the sword and sprinted as fast as his legs could take him until he ran out of breath. Behind him, a deafening explosion in tandem with violent rocking of the ground and dirt and chunks of trees flying through the air made him fall to his knees, covering himself with the wide sword. When everything around calmed down, he noticed bright lights as the forest around the crash was set ablaze. He was struck with a sense of immense curiosity and felt the urge to investigate the site. He took a deep breath and approached the crater cautiously. The heat of the surrounding fire was hardly bearable but that morbid curiosity of his wasn’t suppressed by danger.

  As he stood on the rim of the crater, he looked down upon it. In its center lied a mysterious object as large as a house and with a design which seemed to be coming from another world. It was like nothing he’d ever seen or heard about. Something like a trap door glided on its top and smoke came out. Through the thick haze, he could see a luminous outline. It was brighter than a human but the light it shone was gentle to the eyes. He couldn’t contain his curiosity any further and decided to rush down the abrupt slope. From the smoke emerged a humanoid being. Its body was made completely of light and yet it looked consistent and solid. Still gripping his sword tightly, he approached the mysterious being which suddenly collapsed and fell from atop the metal container. Rylan inspected him on the ground and he looked to be still alive. As he turned him facing up, the being opened its mouth.

  “L-Leave… and forget- me.” It was clearly in pain but Rylan didn’t know what he could do to help.

  “What are you? I must know!” He felt a strong connection towards the being of light. As much as he could describe it, his body looked and felt ethereal.

  “Reath must not… know yet.” The humanoid coughed and Rylan could see a stream of mana burst away, disappearing into thin air. He had one hand clutched to his chest while the other was limp on the ground. He slowly moved his shaking fist towards Rylan and opened it, revealing something. “Take this to Tela-” He coughed again and his body was getting lighter in Rylan’s arms. Particles of his body were flying away into the wind and he seemed to be disintegrating rapidly. “She will know-” His eyes suddenly lost color and his opened palm almost fell to the sid
e before Rylan could catch it. In the beings palm was a tiny, white flower with small, frail roots. Its pristine color gave him a sense of purity and elegance and he stared at it as the being of light faded away into nothingness. He felt terrible for not being able to ease the pain of his death or give him any hope at all. The scene reminded him of countless battlefields on which he fought, where his comrades would always die; only that this place was more remote and quiet. The large, metal container from which the being came was collapsing into a pile of rubble. Pieces of it were falling dangerously close to Rylan so he decided to climb back up on the crater rim, watching it from there. As soon as he turned his back away, he heard a deafening bang and felt a blast of heat in his back. He let go off the sword to protect the flower in his hand, before losing consciousness. The only thought he had in that moment was to maintain the legacy entrusted to him.

  When he woke up, Rylan coughed and felt pain in his back and his limbs. He was facing up but above him stood a solid roof and not the clear sky. He tilted his head to the side and noticed a man lying in a chair asleep. He wore a large, dark green coat and leather garments underneath. Leaning against the wall next to him was a long branch. Rylan’s gaze moved down at his closed fist and when he opened it, it revealed the white flower entrusted to him. If it weren’t for a physical memory, he would’ve said it was all a dream. The events seemed too surreal and incredible to have happened in his presence. He carefully placed the flower on the side of the bed and reached for the necklace, grasping the small crystal figure.

  “Thank you Tela for saving me from death once more.” Even though he called upon the goddess of the world, his mind was preoccupied with Ainnea’s image. After thinking so, he tried to stand up, making quite some noise. The ranger fetched the cane and smacked him in the head, knocking him back in bed. Rylan cursed and started rubbing his head, feeling intense pain.