A World Beyond the Dark

by Andrei Navala

  “There is no light left among the dead.” The elf whispered back at him as he leaned closer, piercing his back with his bare hand. He crushed the organs inside and brought them to his mouth, letting the blood slowly drip across his quivering tongue. The other man heard something strange and turned around, seeing what has befallen his friend. He gasped for air one last time as he died of a heart attack, collapsing right next to the cold body of the knight he was previously searching.

  The dark elf simply threw away the remnants and burst into laughter, raising his hands in the air, praising the Demon Queen. For the first time in his life he felt pure joy and satisfaction. At long last he had a goal which he had to accomplish.

  “Devour, desecrate and ruin… this shall be my task as your apostle. I shall not know rest until I have fulfilled your expectations, my beloved savior. Your humble servant Kaerethas heeds your call!”

  “Something happen?” Asked Marn, seeing how Rylan was holding his head and seemed to be troubled.

  “How long have we been travelling?” Rylan did not sound like himself. It was the first time seeing him insecure and confused.

  “Must be about a few days now… Where’d you say we are headed anyway?” He approached Rylan and took a seat on a nearby log, looking around with a suspicious gaze. “We’re in the middle of nowhere and yet you’re pretty certain on our path.”

  “Are you afraid? It’s not too far to turn back. I don’t even know if there will be something awaiting you at the end of this journey.” He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and continued forward through the woods, forcing Marn to stand back up and follow him.

  “I already made my decision and it’s none of your business-”

  “Through the powers of my Telaar I can tell the way, as if a string is pulling me towards it… a string of mana that is. We’re going to meet an old acquaintance who might tell me what the deal with this flower is and the being that entrusted it to me.”

  “Quite the powers you’ve got…” said Marn trying to resign himself. “I can stick onto any surface with my hands or I can just hold something without letting it go easily.” He leaned down and grabbed something off the ground. Upon turning around to Rylan, he handed him a mushroom. It did not look suspicious and as starved as they were it looked more than edible. They took a break to rest under a tree and silently munched on the mushrooms. They even managed to stumble on a handful of elderberries which they split together.

  “I had the strangest of dreams a while back, it all happened in a flash too-” Said Rylan in a low tone as he was lying against the tree.

  “Hold up, why are the trees striped?” Marn was talking obnoxiously loud and he seemed to be dizzy. “T-They’re towering… I can’t even see their crowns!” He stood up and walked around as if he was tipsy, feeling the rough bark with his hands. “And what is with this blinding light?” He stood in place for one moment before finally throwing up violently.

  “Oh no…” whispered Rylan trying to stand up. His legs were shaking so badly he only fell to the side, throwing up as well. His head was aching terribly and his vision was getting blurry. He was so intoxicated he started losing his connection to the ethereal world.

  As he started to calm down, he heard footsteps towards him and saw Marn approaching, still as dizzy as before.

  “Don’t you think it’s strange how your eyes keep changing color sometimes? They’re usually hazel but sometimes they turn white as if you were blind.”

  Ignoring his intense nausea and stomach ache, Rylan stood up and grabbed Marn by the throat choking him with all his might.

  “This is…” He was having a hard time breathing and his vision was still hazy. “It is the second time someone posed as my friend and drugged me, you-” Marn lightly smacked him and Rylan lost the force in his arm, letting go of him and collapsing next to the tree.

  “You’ll never catch- me.” Stumbling forward, Marn tried to run away from him but instead ran into every single tree in his path. Rylan slowly stood back up and chased after him, with his vision degrading as he was going forward. When he finally managed to catch up to him they were stopped by someone else appearing out of the blue.

  The newly arrived was simply staring at them and as soon as Marn tried to make a move after him, he started laughing and running in circles so that Marn couldn’t catch him. Rylan tried to watch but he kept rubbing his eyes because he could see nothing but lights and shadows. The lights that surrounded him were flickering and growing weaker until they were no more. He knew he was awake, there was just nothing left. He jumped up when he heard a loud hit and someone falling on the ground. He lost the power in his legs and collapsed as well. Rylan felt tired all of a sudden, and as he yawned he lost consciousness.

  He was woken by someone rocking him really hard. Slightly farther away, he could hear Marn mumbling.

  “My head, for crying out loud.”

  Rylan was back in a state of complete, utter blindness but he did not panic. With a swift motion of his hand, he grabbed the arms of the assailant and stood up.

  “Who are you?” He shouted but no response came.

  “It’s that dude who was staring at us before.” said Marn as he continued to rub his head. Rylan let go of him and the man swiftly walked away from them. “He’s still here, looking from behind a tree. He thinks we can’t see him.”

  “He must be crazy or something… In any case, we wasted enough time because of you.” continued Rylan on a cold, frustrated tone. “Let’s get going.” He walked in the direction he felt was the manor but Marn grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back.

  “Were it not for him, we might’ve fallen from this steep hill.”

  The two felt a gust of wind blow, bringing a cold air filled with the scent of pine. They were stuck there for the moment, having an uncanny visitor stare at them from afar.

  “He’s driving me insane. I can’t stand him staring at us!” Shouted Marn in anger all of a sudden as he stood up and was about to run off. Rylan stopped him before he could.

  “He might be disabled in some way, just as I am currently.” He explained to his companion his condition and the two decided to settle there for a while longer until they could figure what to do. Rylan was lost in thought and started to wonder. “Why are people born like this? Most of them only know suffering, especially if missing limbs or senses. It is outright unfair if they have no way of overcoming their disabilities.”

  “Why would it matter to you or me? We’re not responsible for anyone’s lives other than our own. As long as you live how you wish to, there’s no need to be concerned about anything else-”

  “And if you were in their position, would you say the same thing? Could you so happily live out your life?”

  “I believe we should be thankful for what we have-”

  “These people don’t have anything damn it!” Rylan was really fired up all of a sudden. “How would you feel if you were retarded, blind or Tela knows what, and nobody chose to help you? Everyone would just shun you and you’d feel like there was no place for you in the world. And the same goes for poor people who are despised for anything but their fault.” He was sweating as he talked and he was visibly triggered by something. “Why can’t there just be peace? Because of monsters sick in the head like the Demon Queen we just cannot enjoy life the way it is meant to be.”

  “This all sounds pretty subjectively. I’m guessing you had a rough past…” Seeing as Rylan was about to cut him off, he continued. “But I do agree with you. People are pretty stupid, no matter what. This still doesn’t change the fact it bothers me for someone to be gawking at us like that.” He glared back at the man behind the tree who hid himself for a few moments, before resuming his watch over them. Rylan stood up, taking a deep breath.

  “We’ll just walk around the edge and you’ll tell me if there’s a place that’s less steep. I hate lazing around so much, especially when I’m feeling so uneasy about something I don’t know.”

  The
y eventually found a way down the hill but they were followed by the mysterious person. At first they simply ignored him, but as he was getting bolder they just allowed him to travel with them. He didn’t seem capable of communicating but would just laugh sometimes. They had to share each hard earned meal between three people yet it wasn’t that terrible. The atmosphere was strange and awkward at first but the newcomer brightened the mood and lessened the tension.

  As Rylan’s sight was returning to normal, he was getting suspicious seeing as they did not encounter any demons for quite some time. Only after about a week had they come across the signs of one and proceeded with caution. The desecrated land and slaughtered wild life was a clear indicator of something unnatural, evil. The three ventured in search of the demon and as they thought they reached their goal, in the middle of a clearing there was only the carcass of the creature now dead.

  From the bushes and trees appeared a group of hooded people, all wearing green cloaks and insignias on their chest. Rylan and Marn drew their weapons but they were outnumbered and surrounded. One of the members most likely to be the leader stepped forward and took off his hood. Rylan was left staring at his old companion from the army, the elf Atheol. He looked unchanged except for his much darker and serious figure. All the others followed the lead of Atheol and took off their hoods yet there was no sight of his brother among them. There were even a few women amongst their party.

  “What brings you here, betrayer? Are you seeking your own demise out in the wilderness?” He spoke with a cold, unforgiving tone towards him and Rylan was reminded of Rilwen and Rousseau.

  “I understand we’re not on the best of terms, but I had hoped you could forgive me.” responded Rylan, stepping in front of the other two.

  “What happened? Who are these people?” Whispered Marn to him but getting no response in return.

  “I was willing to forgive you if Sebastian and Joachim returned with your head but they are still missing it seems.” He cleared his throat and took out his crossbow, pointing it towards him. “Draw!” He shouted, as the others grabbed their weapons and prepared in a stance.

  “Wait, wait! We mean you no harm, and no matter what he might’ve done to you I have no reason to be slaughtered as well. So if you’ll excuse me…” He wanted to walk away but one of the hooded rangers pointed a sword at his throat, pushing him back next to Rylan.

  “I don’t remember quite well what I have done to Rilwen and Rousseau, so if you’d care to explain before you kill me at least-”

  “You don’t even have the courage to mention Haldris, do you? You insolent scum!” he let loose a bolt which Rylan dodged with uncanny agility. “You killed my brother!”

  Rylan’s heart sank. He had no clue what he was talking about yet judging how everyone was furious with him, it must’ve been true. He didn’t know if he should feel guilty or not since he did not remember his own actions. Haldris was already reloading another bolt.

  “Then tell me why are you here and not with the old group.”

  “After that terrible defeat we each went our separate ways. That is to say after you slaughtered Haldris and Rousseau, and raped Rilwen.” Marn was staring at him quite shocked by the unexpected news. “Sebastian and Joachim went searching for you to enact our revenge, Liam ran away from us without a trace and Oswald died of a strange disease soon after. I and Erik on the other hand decided to join demon extermination groups organized by Élerion himself and you came just in time to continue our hunt, demon. Charge forward!” he let loose another bolt which Rylan parried with the blade and afterwards, Atheol drew a curved blade from his sheath, charging towards him.

  “Does that mean Rilwen is still alive?” Shouted Rylan with faint hope in his heart, but he could be heard over the loud cries of battle.

  “Screw you…” mumbled Marn, drawing his bow and swiftly preparing an arrow. “I’m not taking care of the potato.”

  “Keep yourself alive and try not to kill them. They’re good people.” said Rylan before charging towards Atheol.

  “Good people my ass.” sighed Marn as an arrow flew from his bow right in the shoulder of a man approaching him with a large battle axe.

  An all-out skirmish started between the two parties and despite the overwhelming numbers, Rylan was mowing down through his opponents, knocking them all unconscious with the blunt of his blade. Atheol jumped on his back from nowhere and stabbed him right between the ribs, making Rylan cough blood. He threw him forward and hurled his giant sword over him. The impact and weight knocked out Atheol instantly but he was now without a weapon. A woman came towards him shouting from the side, raising her sword above the head. Rylan caught it with his hand and pulled it away from her, grabbing it by the hilt and smacking her in the head with the guard. He turned his gaze at his two companions and noticed they were cornered and only Marn was really fighting. What caught his eye was the movement of their disabled friend who was brilliantly dodging every single blow coming his way and seemed to have a good time. That fired him up as well and he dashed towards them, giving them a hand in combat. The two easily knocked out the remaining rangers and sighed in relief at their unexpected victory.

  As the group was about to run away, when Rylan bent down to pick up his sword he felt a sharp sting in the stub of his right arm. The bandages were ripped open and small fiendish tentacles had sprouted. At first he thought he was transforming into a demon just as Atheol had said, but taking a moment to calm down and analyze the mana inside his body, he found a correlation between the stab wound in his back and the creepy tendrils. He grabbed the sword and decided to cut them off while Marn wasn’t looking, but upon doing so he roared in pain as he felt his whole being shake violently from the cut. His mouth was foaming and he was about to collapse, had it not been for their mute friend which held him. With his arm around his shoulder, the three ran away as fast they could.

  “What is it now?” Said Marn in an exhausted and annoyed tone, seeing in what condition Rylan was. They put him down and found the wound in his back in which was lingering some sort of dark purple liquid. Marn cleaned it out with some herbs and managed to tie the bandages back on his arm. They lifted him together and continued in the same direction until nightfall.

  It was rather cold out in the woods and the sky was filled with grey clouds. Winter would soon be upon them. The wind was growing stronger but Marn luckily found a small grotto at the base of a hill to which they retreated. The fire was sizzling and the three were all recovering from their wounds. It didn’t seem as if they were tracked but Marn still decided to keep watch until Rylan woke up. It was late in the night when he regained consciousness and saw his two companions next to the fire, on the verge of sleep. He looked down and saw his hand still tightly clenched on the handle of his sword.

  Rylan sighed in disappointment seeing as all his past bonds were broken with the squad of the maiden. Yet he didn’t feel completely guilty, especially after finding out the sliver of hope presented as Rilwen being still alive somewhere. Even though his body was sore he was well rested and ready to depart, but he couldn’t leave them alone now, nor could he force them to follow after trying their hardest. What he did learn from his last encounter was to still be cautious, even of his allies.

  As much as he rolled around, he just couldn’t go to sleep so he stood back up with an intrigued look. There was more to the cave than met the eye. Rylan strode forward silently, carrying the sword in his hand. At first glance, it seemed to cave in with no way of access but upon pressing his hand against the wall his fingers slipped right through. Rylan was capable of sensing the mana and was driven to it. The illusion swiftly faded, revealing a neat corridor of stone with a door at the end. The floor was rather dusty, so whoever lived there either never came back or never went out. As he was face to face with the door, his instinct told him to touch the door slightly. Upon contact, he could feel immense warmth coming from its knob. He took two steps back and attempted to smash open the door with his blade but ended up hitti
ng the ceiling and dropping his sword which caused a lot of noise. He turned around only to see his two companions standing up all alarmed. They stared back at him with surprised gazes and ran up to Rylan.

  “What in the world is this? Did you dig this much and decided to build us a settlement?” Marn was still half asleep and his speech was barely comprehensible. Their friend was simply nodding and looking at them back and forth. Rylan was about to speak up but Marn continued over him. “I had thought of a name for him while we were carrying you around. How about Telas? After all, he literally saved our lives once and this is derived from Tela.”

  “Talas sounds better.” Said Rylan with a smug expression and Marn actually agreed with him. “That aside, I have stumbled upon something we should be weary of. Someone took great care to protect this hideout. Not only was it behind an illusionary wall but the door is trapped with some sort of magic, I can only assume to be of the nature type… more precisely fire.”

  “How is someone like you so well acquainted with magic? Even with your Telaar, I highly doubt you came up with this all on your own.” He was slightly doubtful either of him or his words.

  “I had a great mentor who taught me such stuff but it is trivial now. We should focus on opening this door because I believe something of high value may be hidden behind.” While they were arguing, Talas silently approached the door and reached for the knob. All that the two heard was a loud explosion and upon turning around they saw the door was blasted to shreds.

  “What did you do?” asked Marn with a surprised and slightly terrified expression, coming closer to him. He was unscarred and yet the door was obliterated. “Hey, can you determine other person’s Telaars too?”

  The same idea crossed Rylan’s mind as well. He walked up to the two and grabbed Talas by the hand. He focused his mana into his own palm, trying to sense the incoming energy coming into contact with his. All that he could discern was an enormous mass of latent power stored within their disabled friend. He shook his head without revealing the tad bit of information acquired and the group proceeded through the door frame. Inside was complete and utter darkness and they couldn’t tell apart anything. Rylan’s magical sight was suddenly blinded by something brighter than the sun. He fell on his back covering his eyes as they burned.