The Cursed Herald

by Rina S Mamoon

  As the creature dragged her down the dark halls, her body began to tingle again. Her muscles spasmed and the sensation returned to her limbs. Mara felt relieved. She thought she was going to be paralyzed forever. The creature didn’t seem to notice. When the shadow beast reached its destination, it dropped her. Pain shot throughout her body. The creature leaned towards her face, opening its mouth to reveal a row of razor sharp fangs. Before the wolf-like creature could take a bite, she drove her hand through the creature’s chest.

  A red haze blinded her while a brief screech escaped from the monster. She pulled something out of the beast. Coppery-tasting liquid filled her mouth as her fangs pierced flesh. Mara felt much better. She was famished. Taking a few bites, a question rose in her mind—where did she get the meat?

  Clarity set in as the red haze faded away. Looking at her right hand, Mara saw a still and bloody heart. It was half-eaten. Where did it come from? Her eyes drifted to the corpse of the shadow beast before her. A gaping hole was present in its chest where the heart should have been. Now it was in her hand and stomach. Her mind was reeling. She wanted to vomit, but her stomach had no intentions of releasing its contents. Her body needed sustenance. The taste of the blood reminded her of the mysterious illness she almost died from as a child.

  She recalled the strange ritual performed by Dad’s home village. The chanting in a foreign tongue and the pounding drums echoed in her mind. The shaman, Alkina, approached her with a bowl of mysterious red liquid. She painted it on Mara’s face before making her drink it. The coppery taste matched the blood inside the heart.

  Fight poison with poison, as Mara recalled the shaman’s words.

  What was that ritual? Why did they perform it on her? With Dad gone, she might never get her answers.

  Now wasn’t the time or place to organize her thoughts. She needed to find a way out of here. Exploring the room, she found several corpses. No doubt they were also victims. Using the moon water, which by some miracle wasn’t taken away, Mara investigated the pile. She found the two Holy Blades who dragged her down here. The unfortunate fools never stood a chance. The golden armour bore deep claw marks while their faces were riddled with scars.

  She began to pillage the bodies. Every time she was captured, she always lost her essential belongings. Although she was allowed to keep her flask of moon water and the number of useless trinkets, including the tarnished comb, the faded letter, and the withered flower—obtained from the three undying she slew. Her weapons, gold, and things of value were taken away. Before, it was her trusty Silver Thorn straight sword and Saskia’s bestiary. Now she lost Godstruck and her crossbow. She reckoned her weapons were taken away after her capture. She needed to find another alternative. Using the Holy Blades’ weapons were out of the question. Talon mentioned their flimsy nature—great for dealing with human opponents, not so much against monsters. The Holy Blades’ weapons were broken. No wonder why the shadow beast won! All she got was a thousand gold from pillaging their corpses. After some searching, she found a sickle. It was sharp and sturdy. Further examining it, she noticed it was made with steel and silver. A perfect weapon, considering she was in a labyrinth filled with monsters. Mara wasn’t too familiar with sickles, but didn’t have much of a choice. She walked back to the area where Allen’s body was.

  ***

  Upon returning, Mara noticed the absence of her friend’s body. The cadaver was nowhere to be found.

  “Mara…”

  Mara’s ears perked up to the familiar voice of Aspen, but she remained alone.

  “Aspen? Where are you?” Mara questioned.

  “I am unable to teleport to your location. The magical essence flowing through this particular area is interfering with most of my powers,” Aspen spoke.

  “Mara,” James called to her. “Are you okay?”

  “James?”

  “I am letting him speak through me,” Aspen explained.

  “Is Allen okay?” James asked.

  After a long pause, Mara shook her head. “No, he’s not.” She took a deep breath. “He’s gone.”

  Mara was greeted by a long moment of silence. She figured James didn’t want to hear his brother was dead. She stared at the ground where Allen’s body was. Thanks to the light of the makeshift lantern, she spotted some tracks. His body was dragged away to another area of the labyrinth. She gazed at the doorway, then took a step towards it.

  “I suggest you make a swift exit,” Aspen recommended. “I can meet you at the entrance. My powers will not be limited.”

  “No, I have to find him,” Mara said. “I won’t leave him here.”

  “That is inadvisable,” Aspen responded. “There is nothing more you can do for him. He’s already gone.”

  “This is my fault!” Mara argued. “He’s dead because of me.”

  “No, this isn’t your fault,” James told her. “Just come home.”

  She stared at the doorway. Mara had two choices, but her decision was final. She took another step towards the entrance.

  “I would not advise you to go down that path,” Aspen warned. “You are about to enter a very dangerous area of the Dark Labyrinth.”

  Mara didn’t care. She was resolved to retrieve Allen’s corpse, even if it meant descending into a nightmarish hell.

  “Mara!” James and the Watcher called her name in unison, trying to persuade her to leave, but she ignored their calls. Mara descended deeper into the Dark Labyrinth.

  ***

  Mara saw darkness as always. Even the light from the moon water was being choked out. She walked until she stepped on something soft. She looked down, trying to see what she stepped on. She took her flask and gave it a shake. In the growing light, a corpse deformed by lacerations appeared before her. The victim bled to death. Mara glanced up, finding herself in a large circular room filled with corpses. The frozen bodies lining the walls looked as if they were trying to scale them and escape through the hole in the ceiling. A faint chime of a bell and a white glow drew her attention.

  She turned to the right and saw a glowing feminine figure. Gripping her sickle, she watched the ghost-like entity with apprehension. Judging by the white dress, it appeared to be Kallisto. If it was really her, Mara would keep her promise with or without Godstruck. She followed after the glowing figure, her pace growing faster. As she closed the distance between them, the woman in white stopped. Mara froze in her tracks. Aware of her presence, the ghostly figure turned around and stared at her.

  Mara had seen the ghost before during the procedure to protect herself against Anna’s powers. Allen dismissed it as a hallucination, yet here she was again. The woman in white continued to gaze at her before lifting her left hand. She pointed to the doorway in silence. Mara was baffled. Who was this woman? The undying couldn’t see anything past the hood and veil. As she approached her, the ghost vanished from her sight. Mara glanced around in confusion, but knew she shouldn’t tarry long. She still needed to find Allen and leave this place. She looked to the doorway before entering another room.

  Allen’s body was being dragged across the floor by what appeared to be some sort of undead creature. It wore rusted armour and wielded a long knife. The muscles were unaffected by time. The skin was pale, and it possessed stringy white hair. The eyes glowed an icy blue colour. Glowing blue tattoos decorated the left arm and torso. Further inspection revealed it was male. Some kind of magic or an unknown type of embalming created this creature. He appeared lucid.

  Based on what Harold told her, Mara assumed this was a Labyrinth Guardian. Once part of the Order of Aazalith, this guardian was entombed with the purifier he served in life. Even in death, he continued his duty. He seemed to be alone. The guardian tied a rope around Allen’s feet, then he pulled on it, hauling the body up. Once the rope was secured, the creature approached the hanging cadaver. With the large knife in his possession, he made a deep cut across the corpse’s neck. Blood gushed out from the wound to the floor.

  Mara saw red. After seeing
Allen’s body treated with indecency, she ran at the creature. The labyrinth guardian stared at her with an eerie glow in his eyes. She heard inhuman growls and stopped. The smell of the red liquid spilling from her friend’s body attracted monsters from deep within the labyrinth. Soon, another shadow beast appeared.

  Knowing what the creature came here for, Mara needed to kill the shadow beast. She wouldn’t allow the terrible monster to eat her best friend. She swung her sickle at the beast, but it disappeared before her eyes, leaving behind a plume of black smoke. Mara forgot about the creature’s ability to teleport. It wasn’t fair, considering she was supposed to be part shadow beast. The monster reappeared behind her to take a swipe, but Mara spun around and countered its attack. She parried the shadow beast, allowing her to land a critical hit. Her hand disappeared into its hide, tearing the flesh apart and ripping its heart out. She stared at the fallen monster while gripping the heart, drawing the pungent ooze from the organ. A strange euphoric sensation rushed through her brain as she crushed the creature’s heart. She dropped it before targeting her next prey.

  Mara stormed over to the labyrinth guardian. The creature tilted his head to the right before cutting the rope. Allen’s body plummeted to the ground. She dashed to catch his remains, not wanting to see him more damaged. Mara saw the ugly gash on his neck. Much of his blood was drained away. His pale face took on the characteristics of a deceased person. She looked at him with sorrowful eyes. He was so cold, but at least she got his body back.

  She switched her attention onto the creature who stole her friend’s body. The guardian approached her with his knife drawn. She glowered back at the undead creature while lowering Allen’s body to the ground. While standing up straight, Mara gripped her sickle tight. Her eyes began to glow. She wanted to kill the guardian for desecrating the body of her friend. The creature slashed at her with his blade. She backed off and countered.

  The two clashed with their weapons. During the brawl, Mara noticed the speed and strength of her opponent. These traits were kept even in death. The labyrinth guardian was able to dodge and counter. He parried one of her attacks, knocking her to the ground. As Mara fell backwards, she had very little time to react to the knife driven into her chest. Time slowed down as the blade plunged into her torso with little effort. The blade missed her heart, but nothing stopped the bloodcurdling scream from escaping her lips. The guardian pulled the blade out of her body.

  Unable to stand, Mara rolled onto her stomach and crawled away from him. She wasn’t fast enough. The guardian plunged the knife into her body again. She cried out in pain, coughing up blood. She looked at Allen’s body and tried to reach for it, but the guardian kept stabbing her. She had enough. Rolling onto her back, Mara grabbed the blade. She stopped the creature’s attack, although she didn’t know where the strength came from. The tip of the blade was three inches away from her chest. She wanted to leave this place with Allen’s body. Dying wasn’t an option. The guardian kept pushing the large knife towards her chest, hoping to deliver the fatal blow. The creature showed no signs of tiring.

  Mara clenched her teeth while struggling to keep the blade from penetrating her heart. The tip of the blade came closer, inch by inch. This was too much for her. She didn’t know what she was thinking trying to take this creature on, but she refused to give up. A faint white glow grabbed both of their attention. It was beneath Mara, growing brighter by the second. She glanced around, seeing black and gold coffins glowing in a similar white light. Some were buried while others were abandoned on the ground.

  In a bright flash, the guardian was thrown off of her. Ten glowing orbs flew around and entered Mara’s body. The familiar searing pain surged throughout her veins, but it wasn’t enough to knock her out. Instead, she felt her flesh regenerate. Mara lifted her gaze to the guardian, revealing a more human face. With her strength restored, she could stand again. The guardian recovered and dashed towards her. She gripped the sickle tight. Once he got close, she aimed for his neck and struck once. A single slash was all she needed. Blood splashed from the guardian’s wound as he fell to the ground defeated. His cold eyes watched her as the blue glow faded away. Mara gazed down at the large guardian knife. While claiming her prize, she also noticed a healing stone in the creature’s possession. It was very convenient because the one she obtained from Harold was taken away. Although she didn’t need it now, she took it anyway.

  Rising to her feet, Mara stared at the guardian and sighed. The fight for her life was over and she survived, but she couldn’t help but wonder about the light. Those were the souls of the undying. There was no mistake, though she noticed how absorbing them didn’t knock her out. They seemed weaker compared to the three she slew on the surface. Unlike Evelyn, Aria, and Madeline, none of their names emerged in her mind. Perhaps it was by sheer will Mara remained awake. She fought a strong enemy and couldn’t afford to pass out. She turned her attention back onto the half-buried casket. The force from earlier unearthed it. Mara approached it, then placed her hands on the lid. The coffin was easy to open. Whatever was inside was trying to get out. Opening the casket, she froze. It was her. No, someone who looked like her, but in an advanced state of decay. She was another reincarnation of Thalia. Judging from the state of the mummified corpse, she might have existed in a time between Amara and Evelyn. A green and gold dagger was embedded in her chest. Mara gazed at the other coffins while a sense of dread washed over her. She found the remaining undying Harold mentioned.

  Ten caskets later, Mara came to a horrifying conclusion. She knew the Faith hunted the reincarnations since Amara, but had no idea how dire the situation was. The victims ranged in age and size. Two never grew up to become teenagers. Three never reached adult hood. Four were adults. One stood out from the rest, possessing a large bulging stomach. She appeared to be at least seven or eight months pregnant. She wasn’t the target, but the life growing inside of her was. Mara grew numb. She couldn’t believe the lengths Kallisto would go to stop Thalia’s return. This could have been her. Mara recognized the coffins for she was sealed in one of these. She was one of the lucky ones to escape. Although she was unsure about being blessed to learn of the Faith’s dark secret. All the corpses had identical daggers embedded in them.

  A weak moan drew her attention. Mara looked behind and noticed Allen standing on his own two feet. All she saw was his silhouette. How was he alive? He was murdered by Kallisto, had his throat slit, and was drained of blood. Allen saw Mara and shuffled towards her. He only made raspy moans. Both his hands were up, reaching for her. She realized this was no longer Allen once the zombie-like creature lunged at her. Dark circles surrounded his white eyes. His lips were dark grey. It pained her to see him like this, but she no longer had a choice. The reanimated corpse lunged at her again, unaware of the knife before him. He released a stuttered moan while the blade penetrated his heart. The magical essence left his body quicker than it reanimated the cadaver. Allen stared at her with his dead eyes before falling backwards.

  Mara froze like a statue. Her mind went numb again. The knife tumbled from her hand. It fell to the ground with a clang, jarring her out of her frozen state. She shuddered with each breath. Falling to her knees, Mara kept gazing at Allen’s corpse. She trembled as pain and sorrow overwhelmed her. Lifting her shaky hands, she buried her face in them and sobbed. Mara broke down. Her eyes burned from crying.

  A glowing hand touched her left shoulder. Mara lifted her head and looked at it. She calmed down, though her breathing remained hitched. The other hand rested on her right shoulder. Mara grew more calm as she sensed a presence behind her. She looked behind, but the woman in white disappeared. She was bewildered, but had an epiphany.

  Hope kept Mara from caving in. It made her believe she could be free from her curse. Despite the lies and being used, she never gave up. She came this far and there was no turning back. She gazed at Allen’s body and stood up. She also picked up the large knife and tucked it under her belt. Approaching the corpse, Mara kne
eled down and took him into her arms. After lifting his body up, she proceeded to leave the Dark Labyrinth.

  Chapter Ten

  The Third Truth

  It was past midnight on December 14 by the time Mara emerged from the Dark Labyrinth. It took a while to appear because she was hauling some precious cargo. Aspen was waiting outside the entrance on Golden Mountain. As the huntress came out, she noticed the unconscious Holy Blades surrounding the Watcher. She suspected Aspen had knocked them out with her psychic powers.

  “It was unnecessary to take his body,” the Watcher told her. “It slowed you down.”

  Mara shook her head. “He’s my friend. I won’t leave him in there.” Then, “I remember now. Spent the last thirty years hunting in the Dark Labyrinth to become stronger, so I could end the ones who hurt me and my family.”

  The Watcher stared at her. “My powers are no longer restricted. I can take us home.” Aspen offered her hand.

  Mara remained still while gazing at her hand. “You haven’t been honest with me,” she said, looking back at the Watcher.

  Aspen tilted her head to the right. “What are you talking about?”

  “Why did you erase my memory?”

  Even though the visor hid her face, Mara could tell Aspen was surprised. The Watcher lowered her hand.

  “How did you know? When did you find out?”

  “I knew for a while,” Mara admitted. “If you can restore my memory, then you can erase it.”

  “You’re telling me this now?”

  Mara nodded. “We should be honest with each other if we’re to save this world and survive.”

  “Very well.” Aspen confessed, “I did seal away your memories. Only I could retrieve them until you fought Anna. The serum Allen injected into your brain allowed you to regain them without my help.” The Watcher stared up into the starry sky. Mara opened her mouth to speak, but Aspen glanced back at her. “You want to know why I did this?” She took the words right out of Mara’s mouth. The Watcher already knew what she was thinking. Aspen turned away. “It was the only way to seal away the Huntress.”