In front of him, the creature, face still leaking dark mist, thrust its larger arm out again, and its spear reappeared with a flash of blue light. Groaning, Reiem pushed himself to his feet, but he knew immediately that he was in trouble. His sprained ankle sent stabs of fiery pain up his leg and would not hold his weight.
The creature, eye pulsing with fierce intensity, stabbed out with the spear, forcing Reiem to stumble to the side. His ankle gave out, and he crashed back to the ooze. He, again, forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth. Reyfablight had noticed his incapacitation and approached slowly, cackling.
(…poor…little…man…)
(…don't worry…)
(…I'll…make it…quick…)
It thrust the spear again. And Reiem stumbled to the side. This time, he was too slow. It cut across his blade arm, leaving a deep gash and causing him to drop his dagger, which clattered to the pool of ooze and was immediately swarmed by the revolting stuff. Drops of red slipped from his limp fingers.
The creature stopped, towering over him, and drew its arm back again, preparing to thrust. Hurriedly, Reiem pulled his chains from the ether, hoping to reattach the rune dagger, but he couldn't find it and it wasn't heeding his silent calls. Reiem stumbled back, but then his ankle gave out. He cried out and fell to the ooze, the chains vanishing as his strength faded.
The blighted goddess thrust the massive Sentinel spear down into Reiem's chest.
"No!" Charlie shrieked.
"Reiem!" Griff shouted.
Reiem could barely hear them. He'd felt the sudden, blinding pain, but then it was followed by cold, unfamiliar numbness that quickly spread throughout his body. His arms buckled, and he collapsed into the ooze.
The creature was there, standing over him, having dismissed its spear. It chortled in that low, inhuman way, knowing that it had won. It had slain the immortal protector; something no being had accomplished in nearly two thousand years. He moved his head, shifting his eyes to the three still locked behind the barrier…a barrier that would break the moment his strength fully faded. They were all there, staring, helpless.
Reiem smiled painfully at Charlie. No healing ability, no light from the goddess, and no help from the runic dagger—he could no longer move his limbs. He was barely even aware of his own body anymore. He was fading.
"Forgive me…Miss Charlotte…"
The darkness encroached on his vision. Charlie's expression shifted from fear and worry to that of anguish. Her mouth opened in a cry that he could no longer hear, and she crumpled to the floor. Her form began to glow with a blue-green light.
And so did his own.
‡ † ‡
His body drifted, weightless, descending through what felt like water.
The last image he had was that of Charlie's still form as the cold waters of Death rushed to claim him. Waters that swirled and swarmed, ceasing in their starving endeavors. Yet these waters were still—warm, even—embracing him as he sank slowly into their depths.
A silvery voice echoed through the ether. It was powerful enough to awaken the immortal from his endless slumber, yet so gentle like a mother's tone.
Be rejuvenated, O Fallen One.
Your time has not yet come,
bound so are you and she to the mighty
Tree of Life.
He opened his eyes. A glittering watery expanse, as if someone had mixed the sky and the ocean, surrounded him. Stars gleamed all around him, twinkling in a rhythm almost akin to a million heartbeats.
A gigantic form appeared in front of him, breaking Reiem's slow descent by holding him on her hand. What he could see was an armored, feminine humanoid figure of emerald and silver. The helm was fashioned like the head and crest feathers of a peacock, and many elegant swords floated behind the figure as if they were wings. Under the lowered visor, Reiem could see human, purple eyes.
"What…is this place?" he asked.
The calming depths of the Ebonsea,
where born is all life from Chaos.
And is it in this place that the Crowned One
will regain the power to fulfill his calling.
"Crowned One…" He shook his head, a dismal glower on his face. "Lady of Starlight, please… Release me from this accursed spiral. So long I've dreamt of slumber… So long have I served you. Hasn't it been…enough?"
Your friends stand against the darkness
and abide in hope, sustained by faith
unfaltering that the Crowned One
shall reawaken and bring deliverance.
At this, he looked up into those glimmering eyes. They seemed so gentle and full of warmth. Like Charlie's eyes.
By bonds reaching through time and space,
one has seen all that has been…and all that will be.
Only when True King and Crystal have shed
their earthly forms and subjected themselves
to the entirety of the world's light can all futures be saved.
And only by the hands of Elder Blood and
Crowned One can the Usurper be banished and
balance be restored.
Usurper? Does she mean the harbinger of The Fall? But that is…
"Are you speaking of myself? The Fall—the near total annihilation of man and mer. All on my hands…" He looked from the glimmering starsea back to those eyes, his own dark and turbulent like the countless thoughts swirling within him. "How can you name such a monster arbitrator?"
No, Fallen One.
Such lies so deeply instilled must be shattered
for the light of truth to shine.
We speak of a man blighted so that no
light can ever banish his shadow.
Whose shackles to this coil stem from the selfsame crown that beats in all pulses of life.
One so impure of body and soul,
he was deemed unworthy of the Crown,
and bound by Fate to be torn asunder.
His mind twisted by spite and tempered with revenge,
the Usurper came to bring darkness down upon our world.
Only through the union of light and dark can
the Usurper be truly destroyed.
Lies?
Tattered memories stabbed at the deepest recesses of his psyche. Who else but he was there to blame? He'd never taken the time to think that there was the possibility of another. And why should he? Countless centuries he'd endured, tethered to the very bloodline he'd sought to destroy so long ago, so then…what lie?
"What lies do you speak of?"
A deception greater than even the power of the Seven,
placating the scourge so as to allow healing.
Remember who you are, O Crowned One,
and know that you are loved.
Faint whispers in the back of his mind echoed the words of this starlit goddess, bringing a sort of cold familiarity to him.
This was no lie—this was the truth, a truth hidden for hundreds of years. No. Not hidden. Forgotten. Through years of toil and strife, the splitting of the bloodline into two, these terrible truths were willingly forgotten as a lie was accepted as the truth. As was a disrespectful child reprimanded to forget bad behavior, so too was he reprimanded—again and again—to forget his own dark truth.
However…
In a moment, several pieces fell into place: His Master, thinking herself alone, whispering quietly to Abigail or Sebastien if anyone suspected the girl; The odd men in black and the shadowed nightmare that tried to claim Charlie in Death; His own shared bond through Loire; And now this 'Elder Blood'…
As if sensing Reiem's inner turmoil, the Lady of Stars spoke again.
Let your mind wander not into the tides of Chaos.
Simply be and let be, and allow the threads of Fate
to weave in their ways towards the mighty truth.
Awaken now, O Fallen One, for there is
still much to your story—
one long and loving, full of light and life.
Awaken, Reie
m Incen Deverat.
He felt an energy flooding his system. It was a steady pulse which grew, very slowly, inside him. Through closed eyes, he saw images set to the racing of his own heart—the Mighty Loire, a blackstone tomb sealed deep underground, a trio of ancient pillars amidst the burning sands.
The sense of weightlessness ceased.
V
"That's it, buddy! Come back to us!"
Griff's cry pierced through the glittering haze.
Where Reiem's normal healing abilities felt like a cool, soothing rain, this felt like a bucket of ice had been poured over his entire body. His back arched, and he gasped sharply, eyes opening wide. For a moment, every pain in his body seemed to flare with life, and then, in the next breath, it was gone. Every pain. Every wound. His back, chest, side, and arm all knit closed. His internal organs became whole. His ankle righted itself, muscle and sinew growing strong again.
Reiem met Griff's eyes, and saw that he seemed more relieved than shocked.
Behind Griff, the creature shrieked in its fury, its spear reactivating in its outstretched hand. Reiem threw himself back onto to his feet, his body feeling energized. When the next spear thrust came, Reiem spun away and then used his foot to hook under the rune dagger and kick it up into the air. He caught it and called a chain from the ether, looking up at the furious creature. He attached the blade, lips pulled back into a grimace, and hurled it. It struck the creature directly in the center of its eyes.
The creature roared in agony, shuddering as the lifeforce-stealing runes spread over its face and body. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it collapsed to the ground, twitching from the electricity. Its spear deactivated. Reiem pulled back his chain, removed the dagger and clenched it tightly. He sprinted at the creature, yelling a war cry, and thrust the blade deep between those eyes. A blinding light and chiming almost like that of shattering glass filled the room.
The blighted deity reared back, screaming with a new, terrible sound that reverberated off the walls and caused Reiem to stumble back, leaving the dagger lodged in its face. It back into the air and thrashed, throwing its head back. Its arms shook violently as they reached up to its face, clawing blindly for the source of its agony.
The black-purple ooze that made up its body darkened and seemed to grow hard. Brittle. There was an audible crack in the air, and its larger arm broke off, falling to the ground with a splash. When it hit the ground, the entire arm—armor and all—shattered and dissolved into a thick, cloying black mist.
The creature trembled violently, drawing its legs and remaining arm in. It curled around them and then it, too, shattered into the mist. Reiem—as well as Ignis and Griff—watched with awe as the mist spun around itself briefly, as it trying to reshape itself again, but then began to dissipate. The ooze coating the walls and floor soon joined it and, after a few more seconds, it was gone, and they were left in the empty ruin.
Reiem watched Reyfa's statue as the light upon it glowed. It pulsated madly, steadily weakening before, finally, fading away entirely. His shoulders slumped and his racing heart began to slow. He turned and Griff standing a few feet away. He looked down at him, a tired, lopsided grin on his face.
"Hell yeah, dude."
"I… What healed me?"
The reality of the situation began to set in. He looked over to Charlie. His heart set to racing once more as he rushed to where she was, still on the floor. Her face was still warm, chest rising and falling. All in all, she appeared to be asleep.
Ignis reached down, moving Charlie's hair from the back of her neck. There, her bondmark shone with a faint blue-green light. Reiem reached to his own, feeling the warmth flood his fingertips.
"You better thank her when she wakes up."
"You have my word."
Ignis snorted bitterly and picked Charlie up, cradling her against his chest. He called to Griff over his shoulder. "I'm going home."
Griff chuckled softly and shook his head. He clapped a hand down onto Reiem's shoulder. "Haven't seen you move like that in years. You saved us. You saved Charlie."
Reiem looked at him in a mix of surprise and apprehension. It took him a moment of indecision before he spoke. "And I always will." He closed his eyes and allowed himself a deep, calming breath. After a moment, he opened them again and faced Griff. "There is much for us to discuss, you and I."
"Oh? There…is?"
Reiem nodded. "Indeed." His gaze dark and unflinching, he recited the words the Lady goddess had spoken to him: "'By bonds reaching through time and space, one has seen all that has been…and all that will be.'"
Griff stared at him but didn't move to deny it. Instead, he sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over his hair. "Yeah, yeah. You got me," he said, defeated. "No matter how I try to keep this from getting out, something always wants it to come at the dumbest time."
"Are there others?"
"Yeah. Just one, though."
Reiem made a humming sound.
All of a sudden, the statue of Reyfa lit up, causing the entire structure to tremble with pure, gentle energy. The pair prepared to defend themselves, but when Reyfa's form appeared to them this time, she laughed. The joy was apparent on her translucent face.
I am in control once again. You have my thanks.
Somehow, even though I am deified,
my tethers to the Starlit Realm
were momentarily severed.
Reiem considered this for a moment before it finally dawned on him what this meant. His eyes widened. "Someone did this to you?"
Reyfa nodded.
Yes.
Now that I am once more freed,
I can bring my full power to bear on the
monster responsible.
"And the other two?" Griff asked, motioning to the statues of Dalheim and Anachtyr. "Are they all messed up like you were?"
I cannot hear them, so it must be true.
Their light still shines bright,
but behind cages of smoldering shadow.
It burns to touch,
corrupting any and all that would try.
This was proof all on its own that Griff could, without a shadow of a doubt, understand the languages of the gods—both High and Low. Somewhere in his own trials, he'd been touched by grace and tainted by malice, and deemed a worthy participant in the fate of the world. And it was a nightmare all on its own. Ages past saw the divine corrupted to lay blade and bane against man only for them to rise up against them, but it never really occurred to Reiem that such a thing could happen again.
Silence fell between the pair as they considered the path forward. So much had gone into freeing just one of the lesser gods. It was daunting to think that they would have to accomplish this all again two more times. Not to mention should this same fate befall even one of Seven…
"Hey." Griff reached out, placing his warm hand onto Reiem's shoulder. Without looking he could feel the warmth of his smile radiating. "We can do this. Believe me."
"I do hope you're right."
"Duh." Griff's hand lingered for a few more seconds before he pulled it away with a reassuring squeeze.
Reiem gave him a grateful look before stepping over to where his dagger fell after the blighted Reyfa disintegrated. He found the blade laying with a bed of fresh clover growing around it. He noticed cracks along the edge, allowing the stored life energy to seep out. He touched on it to see how badly it was damaged before casting it into the ether. Perhaps he could repair it.
Griffith, please approach. I have a request for you.
I want you to give this to Warren.
There is no other I can think of more apt to wield it.
Reyfa was standing over by her statue at the very back of the ruin. Griff approached her as she motioned to the weapon gripped in her statue's hand. Griff's eyes widened.
"Your trident?"
Reyfa nodded.
Griff wrapped his fingers around its haft, pulling it to him with ease. It was pristine, without a spot of rust, despite
resting within this sacred glade for countless years. It was made of a combination of black and silver metals, adorned with beautifully etched Soltic knotwork. At its base, just above the bottom spike, was a delicate wing ornament. It was an incredible piece of craftsmanship.
He gasped as the trident dissolved into thousands of blue-green particles, which floated towards him before vanishing into the center of his chest. A blue light surrounded him, and Griff squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to find words.
Whatever he might have said, however, was lost when a slew of weapons, clothing, documents, and items whirled through his mind. One by one, they shattered until there were only a handful left. Reiem called out Griff's name, but then the sensation inside his head traveled quickly to the rest of his body and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. Reiem looked to Reyfa.
"What's happening to him?"
His soul remembers.
The Silence Between Page 20