FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE

by S. K. Ng

  “Sorry,” said Slide.

  “Apologise _ I will not do of this, Senior Dencon; for I believe that what Slide said is true,” insisted Thunder.

  Ray had wanted to say something, but refrained for fear of making the situation worse. Besides, he felt he needed to find out more about what was going on before he could develop an opinion on the issue.

  “Speculating _ you are doing of this and this is very dangerous, Thunder; for you could cause a serious misunderstanding between us and the Wind Elementhars,” cautioned Senior Dencon.

  Thunder stood up in defiance.

  “True _ I still believe what Slide said is of this, for no one supports his proposals! Welfare _ if he truly thinks of this of ours, then why did High Elementhar Dulcet Calnen of the Earth Elementhars not support those proposals,” he argued.

  “True _ it is not of this, Thunder; for as you know, I have just come back from Monune Sapphire and the Water Elementhars seem to support High Elementhar Shay’s proposals,” corrected Cart.

  “Lying _ you are of this, Cart Dirrell!” accused Thunder.

  “Lying _ I am not of this, Thunder,” replied Cart.

  Grand Elementhar Santlyn started coughing again.

  “Enough! Worse _ you are making master of this, for all your bickering only serves to worry him unnecessarily,” said Senior Dencon firmly.

  Thunder opened his mouth to say something, but held it back out of respect for the Grand Elementhar. He then sat back down.

  “Worry _ you need not do of this about me, Rock. Speak _ let them do of this, for we need to hear their honest opinion,” said Master Santlyn.

  “Wish _ as you do of this, master,” replied Senior Dencon.

  But everyone remained silent. No one intended to argue against Senior Dencon and certainly they did not mean to aggravate Master Santlyn’s condition.

  “Support _ why do the Water Elementhars do of this of High Elementhar Shay’s proposal?” asked Ray, breaking the silence finally.

  “Support _ they do of this because the advantages are enormous. Recognised _ we will be of this as a government entity, and given authority and mandate to enforce certain laws and demand public co-operation; and we shall receive funding. Recruitment _ we can also afford a massive drive of this by using government funded incentives and this will swell our ranks to the tens of thousands. Incentives _ the government funded of these are fixed salaries, a pension scheme, free treatment at Citizen Health Centres, tax exemptions, insurance coverage in case of injury, handicap or death; and maybe, free land ownership if we perform well. Support _ why should we not do of this of the proposal?” answered Cart.

  Bang! Slide’s fist slammed on the table. He stood up. His face was red and contorted with rage and his nostrils were flaring. His eyes were blood-shot.

  “Dare _ how of this of you!? Sacrifice - you would do of this of our nobility in purpose, our beliefs, our traditions, our values and all that we hold dear, just for the sake of money or land ownership!? Forgotten _ have you done of this of the fact that every single one of us has chosen to become Elementhars because we have, in one way or another, suffered from the existence of demons and their attacks; and that by becoming Elementhars, we hope to prevent others from suffering as how we have suffered!? Forgotten _ have you done of this, Cart!?” yelled Slide.

  “Forgotten _ I have not done of this, Slide! On _ but we have to move of this, for we must think of the future, not sulk in the past!” said Cart, trying to justify himself.

  Thunder stood up and shook his head at Cart.

  “Agree _ I do of this with Slide, for as you know, Cart, I was about to leave the order to get married and whatever government incentives I could get before leaving would be a great help to me; but the Grand Order was created by Pioneer Vanguard as an organisation of volunteers to combat demonkind; and although we charge a token amount for every demon that we kill, that money goes to our monunes for our basic upkeep and to finance our expenses; the money was never intended as a profit to the Grand Order and was never accepted as payment, salary or personal gain to any of us Elementhars. Incentives _ to accept the government funded of these would invalid the charity that we have done for our society, cheapen our sacrifices and basically ‘prostitute’ our services! Understand _ do you of this, Cart?” he said.

  Cart sat silent. He had never thought of it that way before. He, like Ray, came to the monune when he was just a baby. He never really knew his parents. An investigation by Master Santlyn revealed that his parents were killed by demons and a neighbour had somehow managed to rescue him and left him at Monune Ruby. When he was old enough, though, he was told who they were and how they died. Since that day, he had hated demonkind for stealing from him the happiness of family and a normal childhood that should had been his to experience. So in that sense, he had never received a ‘normal’ upbringing, being brought up in the way of the Elementhars. As such, he had no understanding of the complexities and intricacies of ‘normal’ life, societies, governments and politics.

  But Slide and Thunder were different. They were already working adults when tragedy struck them. Thunder’s wife and newborn baby were devoured by the same demon that killed Slide’s parents and siblings. Therefore, their outlook in life and towards society and its norms were very different from Cart and Ray, who were both raised by the order.

  “Point _ I think Cart gets of this now,” said Senior Dencon as he made a hand gesture for Slide and Thunder to sit back down.

  Both Slide and Thunder sat back down and took sips of water to calm themselves. Senior Dencon looked at them sympathetically and at Cart even more so. Unlike the rest of them, Senior Dencon was the only Elementhar who had never lost anybody he cared for to demonkind. When he first showed up at Monune Ruby, he was already a well-educated adult of the age 18 who was looking to break away from his family tradition of being seafarers. He was smitten by the ‘glamour’ of being a demon hunter and had chosen the Order of Fire Elementhars based on someone’s recommendation. So he just showed up one day at the monune asking to be trained and had been with the order ever since.

  Grand Elementhar Ridge Santlyn took in a deep breathe and shook his head.

  “True _ it is of this that we have all suffered and we have all lost someone or something to the demons; and that the true nature of our organisation is rooted in charity and service; however, Cart is not totally wrong, for we are now possibly facing a danger far greater than that which we can handle, and we shall be needing a vast number of recruits to swell up our ranks; otherwise the whole Kingdom of Free Falls, perhaps even Farhayven itself, will perish,” he said in between bouts of heavy coughing and throat clearing.

  “Back _ but master, if we choose to integrate, there will be no going of this for us anymore; and we shall forever be changed and deviated!” objected Ray.

  Slide and Thunder nodded their heads in agreement. Senior Dencon and Cart sat still so as not to contradict Master Santlyn.

  “Choice _ it is of this between survival and purity, is it not?” pointed out the Grand Elementhar.

  Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

  “Choice _ there is none of this, for it is purity that is more important even if it is at the risk of death and total destruction; so my answer is still no!” said Slide.

  “Answer _ of this, as is mine,” expressed Thunder.

  “Agree _ I do of this with Slide,” said Ray.

  “Error _ I concede that my judgement is of this, and I shall tread the same path as my brother Elementhars,” said Cart.

  “Think _ what do you do of this, Rock?” asked Master Santlyn.

  “Answer _ mine of this has always been as theirs, master, but I must admit that it is a close call either way and I am not confident that we are right,” answered Senior Dencon.

  Master Santlyn looked at Ray.

  “Right _ do you think that we are of this, Ray; and why?” he asked.

  “Right _ I am sure that we are of this, master. Allow _ if we of this of
ourselves to deviate or become impure, then the original purpose of our existence will be lost; and the problem which we were meant to control and solve will be unhindered and it will grow worse than ever before,” replied Ray.

  “Elaborate _ please do of this, Ray,” requested Senior Dencon.

  “Elaborate _ of this, I shall say that the Grand Order was created to hunt and kill demonkind, and that this is the original and only purpose; and that if we integrate into the government, we shall be distracted from killing demons, so in the end, the demon population will increase again. Effort _ all of ours of this throughout the centuries will be undone,” explained Ray.

  Master Santlyn nodded his head. As did the others. But Senior Dencon pursued the matter further.

  “Survive _ but what if none of us do of this after we engage this demonic society in battle, then how can our original purpose be still served?” he queried.

  “Survive _ even if none of us do of this, our original purpose can still be served by the Independent Elementhars who will be inspired by our deaths, in particular, the purity of our deaths; and thus, by the example of our martyrdom, we shall give birth to a new generation of demon hunters who will fill the void we leave behind,” explained Ray.

  Senior Dencon clapped his hand, obviously impressed.

  “Spoken _ well of this, Ray,” he said.

  Everyone nodded in agreement again. The rest of lunch was eaten in silent contemplation.

  Teardrops of the heavens patted Ray lightly on his head and shoulders. The light drizzle was a welcome change to a hot afternoon and a hard day’s work. Ray had always liked it when it rained. The air seemed to feel fresher somehow. Many of his fellow Elementhars were already indoors, but not Ray. He sat on the giant boulder. The wind had begun to pick up. The trees below the hill began their gentle swaying. Then a lightning flashed across the sky and the loud boom of thunder announced the arrival of the heavy downpour. The first blast of the icy cold shower was invigorating. Ray felt awakened. He felt alive. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He listened to the loud patter of raindrops hitting the boulder surface. He absorbed the gentle massage of the raindrops that hit his body. It was the 28th Day of Fourth Month of Wet Season, and he was at peace.

  Turning and looking behind him, Ray could see two female Elementhars walking towards him. He recognised them immediately. He shifted his position so as to give them some room.

  “Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this, Twins Dellix!” greeted Ray.

  “Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this, Ray Iddell!” replied the female Elementhars.

  “Hunt _ how was yours of this, Bloom, Radiance?” asked Ray as the Dellix twins sat next to him.

  “Hunt _ of this, it was a difficult one this time, Ray,” answered Bloom.

  “Hunt _ it was a difficult one of this indeed. Killed _ ten villagers were of this by the demon before we got there, and two more were taken alive as the demon tried to flee. Save _ we eventually killed the demon, but we could not do of this to the two villagers that it had taken,” confirmed Radiance.

  “Oh!” Ray expressed in a tone of sadness.

  The three Elementhars stared out at the forest below. The trees swayed from side to side as though they were tides in the ocean. The rain had lightened up a bit.

  “Strange _ it is of this,” said Ray.

  “Strange _ why is it of this?” asked Radiance.

  “Taken _ the two villagers were of this, which was not normal for a demon to do,” Ray elaborated.

  “Taken _ they were of this for the purpose of livestock,” answered Bloom.

  “Livestock!?” exclaimed Ray in shock.

  Demons taking people for livestock was unheard of until then. As far as Ray knew, they only kill for food and pleasure, whenever their evil urges commanded them to do so. It was always spontaneous. They had never kept livestock before.

  “Livestock!” affirmed Radiance.

  “Livestock _ it called the two dead villagers of these when we finally managed to kill it. Said _ it did of this, ‘you two will be dead just like these livestock of mine, for when my Lord comes, all will die’. Livestock _ of these, they were only children, Ray; a little boy and a little girl not older than the age of ten!” elaborated Bloom.

  “What!” responded Ray, shocked beyond his senses.

  Ray kept silent. He knew how the twins felt. He felt the same way too. Horrified. Disgusted. Sad. He had come to sit on the boulder for the view and the tranquility it offered. But the twins had come because they needed to hold on to their sanity. Therefore he decided that the best course of action was silence. He wanted to allow nature to do the healing. He wanted the gusting wind to blow away the fear and horror, the freezing rain to wash away any guilt and disappointment that they had for failing to save those villagers; and finally, the gentle swaying of the trees below to be the very cradle that rocks the baby of their souls to a gentle slumber. So the three of them sat silently on the giant boulder just like they had done for the past many years ever since they were kids.

  The sun finally appeared some two hours later and it did so low on the horizon. Ray, Bloom and Radiance got off the boulder and headed to the mess hall for dinner. Slide was already waiting for them with three mugs of hot chocolate. Thunder brought them three towels to dry themselves off. Then Slide and Thunder went off not only to get their own meals, but meals for Ray and the Dellix twins.

  “On _ what is going of this?” asked Ray.

  “On _ going of this, what do you mean, Ray?” responded Thunder.

  “On _ going of this, I mean the hot chocolate, towels and even our food trays!” insisted Ray.

  “Leaving _ we are of this, Ray,” Thunder finally admitted.

  “What!?” said Ray and the Dellix twins in shock.

  Slide and Thunder gave Ray and the twins the straightest and most honest look that they could give.

  “Leaving _ we are of this, Ray; for this will be our last Grand Creation Day together and then we shall go our separate ways. Marry _ Thunder will do of this of that mystery woman whose identity he has kept secret from us all these years and I will be leaving to return back to my parents’ farm,” said Slide.

  “Reason _ of this, as far as Thunder’s is concerned I can understand, but why are you doing this now, after all these years, Slide?” asked Ray.

  “Tired _ I am of this, for I have hunted and I have killed my fair share of demons and I think it is time for me to walk away from it all and go back to the life I once had, before all of this,” answered Slide.

  “Back _ but can you go of this, Slide, after what we have learnt and done, for you are now a Master Elementhar; so can you return to being a simple farmer?” asked Radiance.

  “Yes,” was Slide’s simple reply.

  Ray shook his head in disagreement, but actually, he was in mild denial.

  “Society _ what about the demonic of this?” said Ray.

  “Society _ as for the demonic of this, I shall return as an Independent, to help should I be needed. Expedition _ of it to find the demonic society will only be set out two years from now and I am only needed when we are ready to attack it; which would be even later, but in the mean time; I feel I need to return to my roots,” explained Slide.

  Ray did not understand. He could not understand. He was raised in the monune his whole life. Life outside the monune was strange to him. But it was not so for Thunder and Slide. They had known life outside the monune. They had known life unrelated to Elemental Sorcery and demon hunting. And now they felt that it was time to move on.

  “Sad _ do not look of this, for as you know, nothing in this universe is permanent, and our presence here or anywhere for that matter, will always be temporary. Return _ I too, shall do of this if and when the demonic society is found and the Grand Order is ready to attack it,” said Thunder.

  “Go _ will your future wife let you of this, Thunder?” asked Bloom.

  “Go _ she will let me of this, for she has already made this
promise to me,” answered Thunder.

  “Happiness _ I wish of this to the both of you!” said Radiance.

  “Happiness _ may the feeling of this be forever yours!” added Bloom.

  “Happiness _ of this, and the best of luck I wish you in your new paths!” added Ray, finally accepting reality.

  A smile and a nod was how Slide and Thunder showed their gratitude for Ray, Bloom and Radiance’s well wishes, for in this case, gestures spoke louder than words. They finished their dinner slowly, talking well into the night; with Slide and Thunder sharing their experiences and memories of their lives outside the monune, the very lives they intended to return to.

  All the Fire Elementhars had gathered at the empty field. It was the darkest of nights, with the moon in full eclipse. Despite the gloom of the night sky, there was nothing but a glowing radiance on the cheerful faces of the Fire Elementhars as they waited in eager anticipation. The tables were set. Food and drinks were prepared and laid out. In the middle of it all, a single candle stayed lit. The candle was lit when the sun dipped below the horizon that evening. Slowly and steadily, it burnt itself away, under the watchful eyes of approximately 100 people who comprised the entire order.

  The candle burnt to the halfway mark signifying the end of the 30th Night of Fourth Month of Wet Season. It was midnight and the start of a new day, a very special one for all Elementhars of the Grand Order. That day marked the 1st Day of Fifth Month of Wet Season and it was exactly 685 years to the day Pioneer Elementhar Nova Vanguard took in her first novice, thereby giving birth to the Grand Order of Elementhars. This special day was known to all Elementhars as The Grand Creation Day.