A World Beyond the Dark

by Andrei Navala

  “Why do you seek to disturb my meditation, I guess?” The voice was feminine but was annoying and monotone. Four blue lights flickered into existence, hovering above the room. Soon, more joined of both yellow and red colors and some even white. The chamber resembled the clear night sky when you could see all the stars and even more than they ever knew could be seen. Each and every wall and even the ceiling and the floor were brimming with stars on a dark background. What startled them most was that the stars were not motionless. They slowly traversed from one place to another.

  “What in the world is this?” said Marn with his mouth wide open, staring in disbelief at their surroundings. As he turned around to where the door was supposed to be, there was no trace left of it. It was as if they were in a completely different dimension… as if they were floating in space.

  “Nothing more than my home, I guess. You look worse than ordinary thieves. Who are you?” The woman was small in stature and her gold locks were all messed up. Her deep blue eyes though stared right in the souls of those looking at her. It was an uncomfortable feeling as if she was gazing right at their deepest, most hidden secrets. “Are you going to stand up or do you like being like that?” Her nagging tone was starting to bother them.

  Rylan listened to her and slowly stood up, still enchanted by everything going on. Talas suddenly kneeled before the woman which brought upon him a distressed gaze from her that went unnoticed by the other two. She smiled with superiority, raising her eyebrows.

  “Is your friend stupid or does he do that to everyone?”

  “Listen here, if you’re going to be so rude how about we just go straight to cutting you up.” Marn was reaching for his bow and Rylan tried to stop him but something most unexpected happened. The woman raised her hand and threw a sapphire circle of light which bound itself around Marn’s mouth and duplicated so that it grappled his hands too.

  “Excuse my companions. They are all lacking, I know.” He sighed and looked at them and then back at her. “I am Rylan slayer of demons and these are my allies, Marn and Talas. I ask that you do not mock Talas for he is disabled.” Silence fell afterwards and they stared at each other for a while before he continued. “Enlighten us as to who you are and… what exactly is this place.” He was having a hard time finding his words about something so magnificent and otherworldly.

  “You fancy yourself with a great title for a commoner. You are nothing more than their equal, I guess. I am Rhea and this is my place of meditation. Anything else you’d like to know before I throw you out?”

  “Rhea…” Whispered Rylan as he tried to remember from where he heard that name before.

  “That is… my name. Can you leave already? You’re bothersome.” She was visibly annoyed and so was Marn who couldn’t say a word but was glancing at her.

  Behind her materialized an orb of light all of a sudden, and from it was coming a voice.

  “It’s me Eryn. How strange of you to have visitors. Should I contact you later?” Even that voice and that name were highly familiar to Rylan for some reason. When he glanced over her shoulder at the orb he saw a slightly darker than usual face with red eyes and tar black hair. Suddenly, realization struck him and he was left in awe at the two astounding beings with which he had the chance to talk to.

  “Are you perhaps Lord Eryn, one of the four champions of legend? And then you must be her mentor that lives hidden in seclusion, Ainnea’s mentor.”

  “You hit the mark, young lad.” Spoke Eryn with the same deep voice that he remembered. It was strange that he was in human form and not a dragon. “Do I know you?”

  “No sir. I used to serve under Élerion but as a simple warrior. I was part of the squad of the maiden.”

  “Élerion you say… I haven’t heard from him since the great battle. I hear he was troubled with different affairs but I don’t know much of what he’s been up to lately.” Rhea was more and more disturbed by their talk and slowly walked away in the shadows. “I will catch you some other time Rhea. It seems you have a lot to talk about with this young human.” The orb suddenly faded along with Eryn’s visage. Rylan was left staring at Rhea who was trying to fade away from existence if possible.

  “Are you really her mentor? I remember Ainnea speaking your name and this can’t be a mere coincidence.”

  “I see you’re less of a demon and more of a man now, Anvalth son of Geralt.” Her tone was deep and powerful as if she was all knowing.

  “I have long abandoned that name.” He responded with a strange look in his eyes.

  “It defines who you are, does it not? You’re still a demon, I guess.”

  Rylan was on the verge of giving in to his anger. All his past memories came back to him, filling him with hatred for everything.

  “You seek answers, don’t you? Fire away.” She said as she conjured a chair and sat down on it with a bored expression.

  The only way for Rylan to show her the flower was to drop his sword which he was gripping tighter than ever. Talas that had been so quiet suddenly moved from his place and grabbed the flower from Rylan’s pocket, leaving both him and Marn staring at him. He handed the pristine, white flower to Rhea. Her eyes widened and her breath was taken away for a moment.

  “It surprises me that you have a seed from the ethereal kind. Perhaps there’s more to you than I anticipated.” She hesitated for a few moments, still inspecting the flower. “You must take it to Ainnea for it will be a sign of her royal return. Only with this will she gain the throne. Causality never ceases to amaze me.” Her last sentence was only a whisper which never reached their ears. “There is one other thing I must tell you now that you have showed this to me. Your bond with the ethereals is quite peculiar and perhaps something can be done about your missing arm. Drop your weapon, abandon your stupid rage and come forward.”

  With all gazes focused on him, he could do naught but give in to her request. It was so long since he had been like that it even surprised him. He shook his head trying to chase away all his thoughts and let the weapon fall. Instead of lying by his feet, it was simply engulfed in the mass of stars and void. His heart skipped a beat and he looked at her with a furious look but it was too late. She had both her hands forward and a ray of arcane magic erupted from her palms which struck him right in the chest. The ray began to split into tendrils that lifted him off the ground and she continued to channel the beam towards him. He was roaring as if going through the most agonizing of pain while Marn and Talas were powerless to help him. Rhea’s eyes burned with a violet flame and her arms were covered in spirals of mana, swirling violently and letting out sparks of arcane. All of a sudden, something was growing out of Rylan’s stub but it wasn’t demonic as before. It appeared to be only light but it soon took the shape of an arm ending with a hand and his fingers. The shape of light looked real and physical. His agonizing screams took a stop and he fell on the ground, his head spinning. He slowly raised his right hand up to his forehead, rubbing it thoroughly.

  “M-My head hurts. Just what happened-” His voice cut as soon as he opened his eyes and noticed the mysterious arm, of a texture resembling that of the astral being he recently met.

  “Call it a gift, I guess. You will need it if you wish to protect this flower and the one whose destiny is tied to it.” As soon as she spoke, the bonds around Marn shattered into tiny pieces of sparkling mana which faded in thin air.

  “Does that mean you have gifts for us as well?” Marn’s eyes were glinting in anticipation while Talas continued to observe Rylan with an intrigued look.

  “Indeed.” Rhea slowly approached him and pointed at him to hold out his hand. “For you, I have the gift of nothing.” Marn shook his head as if he didn’t understand her. “And for your disabled friend…” She turned to Talas. “I offer you the wisdom to keep yourself safe and protect those you care about.” She reached out for his forehead and gently touched it with her fingers as a faint wave of mana spread and was imbued into his being. She turned around and sat down on the tal
l chair. “Now be gone and make haste. Goodbye, I guess.” The world beneath their feet was fading and pulling them down as into an abyss. Darkness engulfed them and there was naught but silence. With a bright flash of light, they were back in the cave next to the campfire, but it was just breaking of dawn. They had no clue for how long they were gone but that experience was something from another world.

  To their surprise, the three were no longer alone in the cave. A large bear was slowly making its way towards them, unaware of their presence in the dim light of the extinguished fire. They stood in silence as it crept closer and Rylan only raised his arms holding the sword. The weapon served its original purpose, chopping off the head of its enemy.

  “This day we feast like kings!” He shouted full of excitement and vigor. He acted like a completely different person with the gain of his new arm. Maybe he was just happy he had regained what was long lost. With great care, he skinned the large beast and then cut it to pieces. Marn relit the fire and they prepared all the meat they had, feasting like starved animals. Once the deed was done they picked up the skin, let the fire burn out and set out through the forest. Rylan’s senses were more accurate and clear than ever before and he could clearly tell apart the shortest path to their destination.

  They encountered a small town and Rylan upon remembering his last fight with Atheol went to sharpen his blade. The blacksmith had a fearful look on his face, seeing his unusual features. Through that sheer intimidation, the sharpening was done for free and he then moved to an herbalist to get his sword coated in either poison or oils.

  “What in the world!” Exclaimed the shop owner who was around his fifties and bald. “A man covered in scars, dressed in nothing more than rugged pants and a fur coat, having a glowing arm. May I take a look?” Before he could get an answer he already darted towards him. Upon touch, the arm was cool even though it had a fiery aspect to it. And it was as solid as an ordinary arm of flesh and bones.

  “I don’t have much on me right now but I am wishing to get my weapon coated in something to make it deadlier. Do you have anything of sorts?”

  “Oh yes, yes. Poisons of all kinds: lethal and non-lethal, crippling and painful. I recently acquired a particular batch of refined, holy oils against demons. It’s a rising market with the outrage of fiends out there. You interested?” He had quite the energy for his age.

  “I’ll take two flasks of holy oil and one of crippling poison.”

  “How about I give you a satchel filled with multiple flasks of those you requested, in exchange for one finger from that arm.” He said, pointing at the glowing arm. Hearing his words, something strange happened inside of Rylan’s mind. He lunged forward suddenly, smacking the shop keeper in the head with his pommel. The hit left him flat on the floor. Rylan was breathing heavily and his eyes were erratic. Blood was pumping through his veins and he could feel his right hand tremble with overwhelming power. He swiftly searched through the shop and found exactly what he needed. Just as he requested, he took two flasks of oil and a vial of poison with a tag on it but as soon as he was about to walk out the door, another idea came to his mind. He turned back around and found a satchel in which he stored the vials and a large leather strap with which he could hold the sword behind his back. He hurriedly left the shop before the man woke up and looked around the town for his companions while trying to hide his hand beneath the coat. The two just walked out of a clothier’s shop, carrying a strange glove. Marn handed it to him and upon inspection it was a leather glove with a sleeve attached to it. He put it on but it wouldn’t stay tight over his arm and it just kept falling down so Marn showed him a strap it had at the end which he tightened and was now a perfect fit. It was only slightly uncomfortable to move his arm around while wearing it.

  “It’s getting dark soon and we should-”

  “How about we camp out in the woods?” Rylan cut him off. He had a persuasive stare as if he wanted to avoid the town if possible and Marn just went with his request. “And before that, there’s one last thing I must do. You can wait for me outside town on the road.” He darted off in a direction and Marn was quite suspicious of him. He hadn’t known him for long but his behavior changed. Talas was going after him but Marn grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along with him towards the outskirts of the town. Once out, they waited only a couple of minutes before seeing him return with another blade strapped behind his back. This one was a regular greatsword and it amazed Marn how he could carry them both on his back. What was even more intriguing was that a cart seemed to follow him.

  “What’s going on?” shouted Marn as he waved his hand so that they would be noticed in the creeping dark of dusk.

  “I made a deal with this man so that he would take us down the road while we sleep in the back of his wagon.” Responded Rylan as he returned the wave. Once they were together, both he and Talas hopped in the wagon but Marn noticed something. The man with the reins was slightly shaking and his look as much as he tried to hide his gaze was full of fear. Marn shook his head trying to convince himself it was just his imagination and joined the other two over a mound of warm furs which they used as blankets. The following day came without any trouble despite Marn’s worries and so they journeyed as far as the roads could take them in the man’s cart.

  Two weeks had passed since they left from that town and they were now standing at the edge of a turbulent river. Rylan was resting since he was awfully drained of energy by the maintenance of his own arm while Talas and Marn were looking for ways to cross the river.

  “Slightly uphill the river might get narrower.” Marn soon realized there was no one who could respond. As he turned to his sleeping companion, he saw him talking in his sleep and fretting.

  “I didn’t… kill them. I’m innocent!” He violently rocked his body and fell off the log on which he rested. He woke up with a frightening look in his eyes and drew both his blades, looking around for any enemies. Marn wasn’t really sure it was a good time to approach him so he spoke out from afar.

  “We decided to go up the stream in the hope of finding a narrow spot. You coming?” he was slightly pitying Rylan because he too had the same nightmares when he moved into the old man’s cabin.

  “It was a dream.” Muttered Rylan still confused, but loud enough that Marn could hear him. “Yeah, let’s hurry.” He strapped his blades and they went uphill. Just as Marn predicted, they encountered a small waterfall with rocks on both sides which allowed safer passage if they could make the jump. Before they could sort out an order in which to jump, Talas already made it on the other side with ease. Marn followed with a large, agile leap right on the stone and then followed Rylan. His steps seemed hesitant and unsure but he took a few steps back, ran across the grass and flexed his legs right on the very edge of the rock, jumping across the river like a sprung coil and landing beside the other two. He was panting yet he looked in top shape unlike before. Only he knew how excited the thought of seeing the mansion again made him. Rylan started sprinting throughout the woods, feeling the presence of the hideout closer and closer. He was so enthralled by the imminent encounter with Ainnea that he had not noticed the change in aura of the place. The other two were barely keeping up with his pace but as they travelled deeper into the forest, they could hear the loud sizzling of flames and dense smoke was reaching out to them and in the air above.

  Rylan knew only one thing. He had abandoned all reason and hope and sprinted as fast as his Telaar allowed. Because he shifted all his mana into his legs, his sight was getting worse and his arm was starting to shake and shiver. His heart was beating out of his chest and he did not even care he was alone and far from his companions, all he wished to see was the source of the fire. He wanted to believe it was not a tragedy. He grabbed his executioner sword in the left hand and mustered enough energy to hold the greatsword in his right. He sprinted for what seemed like ages before he was face to face with the source of the flames and smoke.

  Large roaring flames that reached the sky were
engulfed in black smoke. Cinders were being blown by the wind all around and a single humanoid shape was standing tall among all that chaos. His sight was too hazy to distinguish more than the shape but he was standing on something large, collapsed on the ground. Judging by the form of the body, the one beneath his feet was Silhelm, drawing his last breath. There was nothing in Rylan’s eyes other than pure hatred and rage.

  Chapter 9 - Complicated developments

  “I cannot leave you alone out there. You will be slaughtered!” roared Silhelm, jumping in front of the gate and impeding her way.

  “It’s because I love you that I don’t want you to come. I need you to protect this place more than anything. You’re the only one who can do it.” said Ainnea with a gentle yet pained expression.

  “What is there to protect if you are not here? You raised me ever since I was only a pupper and now you want me to abandon you when you need me most?” He was completely outraged and howled in an attempt to calm out his anger.

  “I can take care of myself-”

  “I don’t even want to hear it.” Silhelm cut her off and sat down in front of the entrance, putting his head on his paws and watching her.

  “Is there any way I can change your mind?” She lied next to him, leaning on his massive body and caressing his beautiful, soft fur.

  “I’m never moving from here…” said the white wolf as he yawned. It was only morning and yet his eyes lids were getting heavier. His mind was blank and it did not take long before he started snoring loudly.