Reborn- Journeyman

by Luka Petrov

  “I will not answer to a coward, such as yourself. I all of your loyal subjects knew what you have done, then they would serve the Demon Lord as well. Abraxas may be evil, but he is just and fair to his subjects. You will sell your own mother or feed her to the wolves if it meant that you increased the size of your kingdom and gain more power. At least with Abraxas, he will promote those who serve him,” Raymond explained.

  King Harold retorted with a sneer, “Another who has been brainwashed by Lord Abraxas, the one thing that the Demon Lord has is loyal followers.” Then the King turned to the few onlookers who were there to witness the beheading, “Fellow citizens of Gilmore, this man was caught in the act of sending a messenger raven to the Demon Lord himself. This treasonous act would have put hundreds if not thousands of our men at risk. The locations of our troops would have been known by the enemy only to be thwarted and succumbed in due time, and the bodies of our men would eventually return to Gilmore. We would acquire the bodies of our husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers to bury. I sentenced this man to death. He did not deny the charges that were brought against him. Is there anyone who will speak on his behalf and object to the charges?”

  King Harold looked around at the sparse crowd, looking for anyone who objected to the charges brought forth on this man. “Seeing that there are none, we will proceed with the last rites and execution.”

  The high priestess stepped forward, the bottom of her red gown blowing in the gentle breeze. She opened her book and read, “Gods above and below, be merciful on this man. We have found him to be a traitor in this life. Do not allow him to be one in the next. Transition his soul and help him have the peace he did not have in this life. Despite the harm he caused in this life, bless his soul he will reincarnate to another life and learn the lessons he should need to find life everlasting.” The high priestess shut her book as the soldiers forced the prisoner onto his knees.

  One of the soldiers commanded, “Bow your head.” The prisoner refused, and the soldier grabbed the hair on the prisoner’s head and pulled his head down. “I have no patience for traitors, you hear!”

  The executioner slowly stepped forward, towering over everyone who stood next to him. He drifted, preparing for what he was about to do. He took his ax and lifted it with both arms, high over his head. The executioner paused before he would take a full swing down to severe the prisoner’s head, who was now bowing while he waited on his knees to meet his ultimate demise. Before the executioner could make that swing, King Harold had swung his sword first, causing the head to roll several meters before the spectator’s feed, the severed head’s eyes blinking their final time. The brain, nerves, and muscles still able to operate, but not for long, with the little blood that was left. I wondered if the head was still conscious and aware that it was no longer attached to the body.

  I had heard the obscene sound of King Harold’s sword moving through the muscular column of a neck, the cutting of the muscles, the bone, and the nerves. The sword made a ghastly noise as it tore through the spine of the prisoner. When the head was no longer attached to the body, I could smell the wounded flesh and iron in the blood.

  Since this was my first execution, I took a moment to take all of it in. The prisoner’s lifeless body fell to the ground after the King decapitated it. I looked at the head, the piercing green eyes looked as though they looked off into the crowd with an empty stare. The most troubling thing of all was the expression on the head’s face. Despite all of this, a sneer still appeared on the face of the prisoner. It did not appear this prisoner had an ounce of remorse for the havoc he caused. The previously referenced raven that the other explorers in his party intercepted may not have been the first message that this man had been sending to the Demon Lord.

  Knowing what the prisoner had done to warrant such a violent and undignified death, I still felt bad. Death and dying were not entities I enjoyed. I could remember my most recent death, the confusion, and horror of not knowing where I was and the helplessness of not being able to console those who I had recently departed.

  With coming to terms of leaving one life, a life that I had not yet felt I carried out and lived to my potential, I was disheartened and shallow when I first reincarnated in this life. I wanted to get all the things back I had lost and took many things for granted. All I wanted from this life was to live a better life than the one I had left, but in doing so, I shortchanged my relationships with my friends and my parents. I did not want to get close to anyone again out of fear I would leave them, or worse they would leave me.

  It took witnessing my first execution to have these feelings flood to the surface of my consciousness, and now I could begin to process the grief I felt for the two parents I left and whom I missed dearly.

  I was jolted back to reality when I watched the executioner’s ax swing through where the head once was. King Harold had already put his sword in its holster before the executioner plunged the polished ax into the ground. The executioner had prepared to sever a head, and with the head already severed, the force the ax came down with plummeted into the ground.

  “Ed, did you see that?” Walter asked.

  “Yeah, I did. That was crazy, the king lobbed off the prisoner’s head before the executioner could swing his ax,” I replied.

  “You seemed like you were entranced while the whole thing happened. Are you all right?” asked Walter.

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I was just, you know, thinking. I had never seen one of these. It was moving. I could not help but feel bad for the prisoner,” I replied.

  “Don’t feel bad for the prisoner. I guarantee you, he deserved it. I have seen a thousand of these. Little Brook is known for their beheadings. The laws there are very strict, so we do almost three executions a week,” Walter explained.

  “Gees, that is a lot,” I replied. I was astonished by the number of executions that were carried out in that small town just south of Gilmore. This was the first execution that I witnessed, but we had one every couple of years. Obviously, the King does not like traitors because justice was served fast and dirty.

  “What was hard was watching my mother die,” said Walter. “She was innocent,” he added.

  “Your mother is passed?” I asked.

  “Yes, she got extremely ill and laid in bed for several days before she died. She was my life before that, always making sure I was doing well in school, always cooked the best meals. She took care of my dad and brothers all day long. We were never the same after she died,” explained Walter.

  “I had no idea, Walter. I am so sorry,” I said apologetically. I was sorry that I had not gotten to know him that well while we were at Draererth. I had been so wrapped up in learning magic and literally obsessed about beating the Demon Lord that I neglected to get to know the people who mattered in my life, my friends.

  A lot can be said of Walter Colla, but most know that above all else he's friendly and active. Of course, he's also enthusiastic, efficient and good-natured, but they're far less prominent, especially compared to impulses of being devious as well. His friendliness though, this is what he's so well-liked for. On many occasions, people will count on this and his sense of humor whenever they need cheering up. Nobody's perfect of course and Walter had a range of flaws to deal with too. His cynical and pompous nature pose plenty of problems, though more on a personal level than for others. Fortunately, his active nature helped lighten the mood when needed. I remembered Hamon mentioning to me that Walter struggled as a magic user and would have a lot to overcome. He came across as arrogant and jealous of others’ abilities. I wish he stopped focusing on how well others do things and worked on his own ability scores.

  I was clearly moved by witnessing the execution, but I had to get my wits about me soon. Soon, the King would clear us, and I could go see my parents and Emma. Perhaps Bradan at the bookstore and my friends could go and see their families and we could decide what our next step would be in regard to our studies of magic. Draererth was in rubble, the same with Pronerth
. We could rebuild Draererth or study at a different school. This is not taking into account what effect Demon Lord Abraxas would have on the future of my apprenticeship, let alone what has happened to Hamon, my dear friend.

  I was brought back to reality once again by the voice of the king, my mind was definitely wandering after this pivotal moment. It was almost too much. Too much emotion going on at once. King Harold justified his action as he spoke to the executioner, “I noticed your ax was freshly sharpened. That would have been too easy of a death for this one. My sword hadn’t been sharpened since the last war. It was nice and dull. I’m sure it caused some pain as I cut through the neck.” King Harold patted the executioner on his shoulder as he walked away, “Did I mention, I can’t stand traitors?” With a chuckle, King Harold added, “I will pay you double for this execution and the trouble I caused. And I will see to it that you get a new ax.” Then King Harold walked to his horse, mounting it and was followed closely by his entourage who mounted their horses. Before riding off the King said, “Make sure he is quartered, and his body displayed at the four corners of the village as a reminder to all who dare even consider giving knowledge of the whereabouts of our men to the enemy!” King Harold shouted as his horse grew restless from lack of training as it wanted to gallop and ride, but its rein did not all it to do so. King Harold noted as he pointed the horse in the direction of the castle, “Stake Raymond’s head outside the castle gates. I would like to be reminded of his acts each time a body returns to his family who is carried by his fellow soldiers to be buried.”

  The king and his twelve men rode toward the castle, I could make out in the distance. Two slim, round towers surrounded the castle, they reach twice the height of the walls and were connected by fortified, solid walls made of red stone. Wide windows were scattered thinly across the walls. A moderate gate with hefty metal doors, a drawbridge, and a moat protected those who lived inside of the castle.

  The green and the purple flag of Gilmore waved in the breeze standing on a mast from each tower, signifying that this was the Village of Gilmore to all the surrounding lands. The founding members of Gilmore made the flag up of two horizontal green stripes and a triangle in dark purple. Our emblem inside of the triangle comprised a catapult on top of a hill. The emblem stood for our misfortune when we lost our emperor to Lord Abraxas, but Gilmore thrived when Abraxas was banished to the Abyss. Therefore, the catapult also served as a reminder of our bright future ahead.

  His people loved and admired the current king of Gilmore. He saw himself as someone who served and protected his people. My dad spoke highly of him, and after meeting him, I felt they treated me fairly and justly.

  I watched the men ride and reach the castle, with the light reflecting in the most picturesque setting. I was nearly enamored with King Harold as his ethical nature to do what was right. Cecily interrupted my gaze when she said, “Let’s go back to our cots and see if we can get cleared by Balfomeir.” She tugged at my arm, and I had noticed that Walter, Agnes, and Yves were already headed back into the barn.

  Part of me did not want us to be cleared just yet. That would mean that I would have to say goodbye to my dear friends. I did indeed want to see my parents and let them know that I was safe, however; I did not want to say goodbye to my friends. I followed them back to our cots where we kept what things of ours, we had, which was, for the most part, the clothes on our backs.

  I was the last to join the group. As I approached the group of four sitting on their cots, Yves asked Balfomeir, “What is Gilmore like? What is your history with the Demon Lord?”

  Balfomeir answered, “I am sure in primary school, you kids learned about the Emperor and the Demon Lord?”

  Walter answered, “Yes, we have. But it has been a few years. Would you remind us what the empire was like back then?”

  Balfomeir responded, “Many moons ago, a mighty Emperor ruled the realm, Lord Udoros Strifelaugher; a just Emperor standing for all that was good and lawful. The realm lived many years of peace and prosperity. He brought everyone together under his rule. There would be no wars within this realm, as long as he was alive.”

  “That sounds so peaceful,” Yves acknowledged. “What happened?”

  Balfomeir continued, “The Demon Lord was jealous of Lord Udoros Strifelaugher, and one night slaughtered him and his entire family, slicing their throats from ear to ear. Abraxas then began taking over each city, village, or town one by one until he was banished to the Abyss.”

  “What happened next? After Lord Udoros Strifelaugher was killed?” Cecily asked.

  Balfomeir continued his explanation, “During the King’s childhood, multiple kingdoms lived in prosperity and thrived. The realm’s economy and trade was strong, with amicable trade agreements between each of the small kingdoms. Lord Hofstra, the warden of Gilmore during that time, was a just man who loved his people to the fullest of his extent. His mom was warm, beautiful, filled with wonder. During dinner one night, there was an intruder who managed to sneak in and poison his mother. The poison was meant for the King. The poison was imbued with an unspeakable kind of magic that has long been banned. Lord Hofstra managed to find and capture the assassin. In doing so, he found out that Lord Abraxas had slaughtered the emperor of the realms, in doing so, plunged the realms into a war. Lord Abraxas at the time slowly assassinated and corrupted each of the kings in the realm. Making them fight against each other like they were his marionettes of destruction. Lord Abraxas grew his powerful army at the time, sending it to seize control of the different kingdoms of the realm. Lord Hofstra managed to push the demonic horde back, saving his people. The King saw his father bid him farewell as he sacrificed himself in order to save Gilmore.”

  “What happened to Gilmore during that time?” Walter asked.

  “The village was led by Lord Hofstra, Warden of Gilmore and King Harold’s father. At that time, we had a sophisticated communication system, still, do, and were able to lock down our village immediately. The King’s father challenged Lord Abraxas to a duel to end the onslaught. Lord Hofstra was eventually defeated. Before slaying Lord Hofstra, Lord Abraxas gave the father a choice. He was either to be slaughtered and have his kingdom taken or he would give himself to him and forever become his servant of darkness in exchange of the lives of his people and his son. The father agreed to sell his soul to the abyss, granting the kingdom many years of peace until now,” explained Balfomeir.

  “Why does Lord Abraxas want King Harold as well? Didn’t he get what he wanted?” I asked.

  Balfomeir continued, “As a village, we had always suspected that one royal servant would not be enough for Lord Abraxas. King Harold had always felt that he would join his father as a servant in the Abyss and make the same sacrifice that his dad did decades ago. I believe King Harold had always wanted to join his dad; he had felt guilty for his dad sacrificing himself for us. I believe that he wanted to make the same sacrifice.”

  “How was Lord Abraxas banished and dormant for all of this time?” Walter asked.

  “A force banished Lord Abraxas to the Abyss after Lord Hofstra was taken to be his eternal servant in an effort to save King Harold. No one knows where the force came from,” Balfomeir explained. However, I knew where the force came from. It was Hamon. The only reason I knew this was because the figure I met in the afterlife explained it to me through the mirror in my bedroom when he checked up on me.

  “What is the future of Gilmore with this latest attack?” Cecily asked.

  “King Harold now leads a mighty army with the most loyal subjects who are wholly devoted to him. We are not certain of what will come of our realm with this recent attack from the Demon Lord. You see, Lord Abraxas had been dormant for decades and his return would mark a new era for the village of Gilmore. Since Demon Lord Abraxas had been banished to the Abyss, he was not thought of to be a threat. The return of the Demon Lord was a sign that the universe had a false understanding of security. On one day, the beauty and prosperity will forever change, plunging
the realm into darkness. Long ago he was banished to the Abyss, the Demon Lord Abraxas laid in the Abyss. He was in a constant struggle to gain power, killing the multiple generals, increasing his ranks. He bided his time long enough; it was now his time to return to the physical realm. Because of his insatiable hunger, he is now consuming the souls of the world, distorting them into his zombie minions of the Abyss. He will forever enthrall them, serving them for all of eternity. We found this out from one of the explorers who made it to the army of mariliths. He captured one of the devoted, and the mariliths had told him about the key.”

  I interrupted the story, since I was not familiar about this part, “What is it about I key I heard?”

  Balfomeir continued, “Like I was saying, as the Lord Abraxas grew stronger and stronger, it was now time to unleash his unholy, chaotic fury upon the physical realm. Lord Abraxas was hungry for more power. During the time that the Demon Lord lived in the Abyss, he found a key to further his rank. That key was an ancient spell book that contained spells that were left by the most powerful magic-users before this modern era. If Lord Abraxas could gain the knowledge of those spells, not even the heavens or devils from the nine hells could stop his ultimate onslaught for power. There was one last thing that he must do, he must seize control of the multiple magic user colleges in the enchanted forest, the Bristlecone Mountain Range, and Terravaje Desert. In doing so would put him in the best position to seize control of Gilmore and the other kingdoms. There was one issue for Lord Abraxas that has prevented him from ultimate success. The one who banished him to the Abyss which no one knows who the great wizard who accomplished such a feat, had permanently blinded the Demon Lord in the left eye. This ailment, although minor given the magic that Abraxas has learned, prevents him from manipulating all the runes and making the spells he casts more effective. Lord Abraxas may only be able to achieve a level 17 given this deficiency, therefore, a wizard who could get a level of 18 or higher would have no difficulty challenging him.” After listening to this, I was glad to hear that there was a weakness that Lord Abraxas had, even small, it was still a weakness.