They looked around, feeling slightly panicked but not terrified. They trusted everything Gaibriul said. The black shadows did not come near them, but they slowly followed in the distance, lurking quietly. When they stopped the shadows stopped—when they quickened the shadows did as well.
It was really quiet all around them, except for the noises of the horses. The mighty beast called Serafim whom they followed did not make any noises and was as quiet as the cold air around them. But they did hear random squawks of the crows that randomly perched around them, or the sounds of branches breaking or leaves moving in the darkest parts of the forest. The thought of something moving in the blackness of the forest made them nervous. Gaibriul could have been nervous, but they would never know it because of his intense and serious mannerism. But his calmness and peace he carried about him comforted them, and that was something they needed most of all in the forest.
There were strange whispers in the distance, sounding haunting and familiar. The whispers seemed to call their names but each one of them only heard their own name. Each call sounded different in their ears and sounded like a companion each one of them had possessed in their lives.
“Do you hear that?” Natalia finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She began to look around frantically. She wasn’t sure if she was hearing things in the forest or hearing her thoughts in the terrible silence. “A familiar voice is calling me…”
“I hear it too…,” Tairren said in a low tone, “they are calls for help.”
“Do not listen to them,” Gaibriul said, intensely looking into the forest. He appeared as a cat that sensed something threatening around him, alert and cautious. “There is no one here whom you would know...”
It became quiet again as they continued through the forest. The haunting calls Tairren heard reminded him of the day he and his father came into the Black Forest…
“Many years ago when I was young,” Tairren said, breaking the haunted silence, “we rode through this forest, my father and I, to search for things to sell in our shop—ingredients for my mother’s elixirs and ointments and things such as that. But I remember it being more alive and the presence it held was not as terrifying as it is now. I remember being nervous, because my father appeared as if he knew that something was following us, but he did not say anything. I remember when we took a quick rest my father fell asleep, and I heard the voice of a woman…
“The woman was singing, and I remember how beautiful but sad, and haunting her voice was. The melody of her voice seemed to pull me. I remember how her voice echoed through the trees like a faint breeze—and that I couldn’t understand it because it was in another tongue. But I knew it was a song of sadness.
“I followed the voice to an old ruined temple. I remember that the temple was taken over by the forest and I thought it appeared so intriguing. I did not go into the mysterious temple and only stood in its massive threshold. I saw something in the temple move—something swift like a shadow but it did not linger. I looked again and it was gone…
“I was disturbed, so I ran back to our small camp and woke my father. I brought him there. My father took my hand and we left quickly when he saw the temple. It had a symbol above the once grand post and lintel and he recognized it to be the symbol of Dolsia. He told me that it was dangerous around there and we left abruptly, never returning to these southern parts ever again…” He became quiet again as they slowly and vigilantly made their way through the morbid forest.
Natalia sat silently as well and remembered when Tairren had told that story to her and Marrisa one summer’s evening. Her mind drifted off... It seemed so long ago and the thought of it put a strange sadness upon her. She wished so badly that she could turn back time to those innocent moments of her past. Those moments were filled with freedom and happiness…
Just then that whispering call came again to her from the darkness of the forest. The voice was familiar and seemed to bring back more memories. The whispering voice caught her attention. She quickly looked towards the darkness where the voice was coming from. The voice sounded like Marrisa’s! It whispered her name and called out to her for help, trying to draw her into the darkness…
Natalia saw someone in the darkness of the wood, someone who looked like Marrisa but wasn’t sure if it was her. She whispered her name and urged Natalia to come to her—to go with her into the darkness. Natalia’s heart raced as she could clearly see that it was something that looked exactly like Marrisa. That someone stood still and silent in the shadows of the forest. She could see its long red hair and white gown, and fair complexion but she could not see the face—it was covered in black shadows. She quickly became frightened for some reason.
Natalia squeezed her eyes shut then brought them back to Gaibriul. She remembered what Gaibriul had said and brought her mind back to their quest , just like he told them to do when they felt that they were being drawn into the darkness of the forest. She brought her gaze back to the thing that looked like Marrisa—but it was now gone… It all seemed to go on forever to Natalia, but it happened in a matter seconds. Nobody else seemed to even notice any of it.
“Do you know the story of Dolsia?” Gaibriul asked, breaking the silence once more. “The singing voice that fills this black forest is the haunting cries of Dolsia...”
“Yes. Dolsia is one of the many ancient legends of Minslethrate,” Tairren said, seeming to perk up a bit. Stories and legends intrigued him, and he liked to reveal what he knew about his homelands. “Dolsia was one of the pagan goddesses to the ancestors of this land, ages ago when the beliefs of Minslethrate were dark. The ancestors of Minslethrate blindly worshiped Dolsia as the goddess of earth and life. But she deceived our ancestors—as you can see these parts of Minslethrate are full of sadness, anger, and death and is far from living and her temple is in ruins, just as is she…
“After the great war, which was led by one of our great ancestral kings, between the north and South parts of Minslethrate, her temple was stormed and destroyed… Dolsia was never recognized as the goddess of earth and life hence forth…”
Gaibriul was quiet for a moment, as if in a deep thought and seemed to be reminiscing on something that was far in his past. His face was fierce but kind, but the quietness that emitted from him revealed that something nostalgic came over him.
“There is some history that is turned into legend…,” Gaibriul said mysteriously. “As the earth ages, so does its stories. And over time, the men that had witnessed such great things, told them many times as stories—and then died, and fell away from the earth and from the minds of every living man. The stories of these dead men turned into legend, and merely become an age old tale, a story written on a page—something that may have not happened... But I speak the truth. The men of Minslethrate see Dolsia as an ancient goddess, the creator of earth and life… She was worshiped as so—indeed Tairren, those men were blind. The legend is this…”
Gaibriul began the legend of Dolsia—a story he knew very well… The time Dolsia first stepped upon the earth was many ages ago, around the birthing era of Minslethrate, but seemed to Gaibriul that it had just happened. Gaibriul knew their journey to the camp would be a little longer than expected, so an intriguing story seemed appropriate. With the story beginning, they continued to pass through the frightening forest, anticipating the moment when they would leave the forest and see the opened field again.
“Long ago, during the beginnings of Minslethrate, when these lands were new and vibrant and this very forest was full of life and beauty—my king began the first Settlement of Light. And the very beginning of his grand Settlement of Light was called the Garden of Nede. This garden resided in the very location of the ruins of the earth temple, the temple known by man as the Temple of Dolsia. The Great King of light created the Garden of Nede for the very first son and daughter of light, which are your earthly ancestors. Everything they needed was in that garden—it was to be the most perfect dwelling place for a human. The Great King knew it
was good and adored his first children of light very much.
“But these first children of light disobeyed The Great King and they were casted out of the garden, exiled unto the wild of the new and young lands of Minslethrate and forced to fend for them-selves. The Great King wished us to close up the Garden of Nede, never to be seen ever again by human eyes. So my king chose Dolsia and I to come to Minslethrate to do just that. You see, my comrades, Dolsia is a Legna, she was a very respectable and beautiful being of light in the kingdom of Nevaeh and my very close companion. This was so very long ago. She is fallen now, lost and dull and the light she had once upon her is now gone… A fallen Legna is what we call her—because she has fallen away from light… This very forest was once beautiful, and now reflects the curse of Dolsia...
“In the beginning, she was the first lady of song and was blessed with the most beautiful voice. The Great King of light gifted her with a voice that could soften anyone’s heart. She sang for the king of light and worshiped him every morning in the kingdom of Nevaeh… She sang for him amongst the royal court of light during every feast and celebration. So out of great love and delight, my king chose us to be his trusted ones to come to Minslethrate and close up the Garden of Nede.
“The garden was beautiful—even more beautiful than any man-made garden. Every color in the garden was even more vibrant than a sunset and there was an abundance of fruit and living things that could be eaten. The animals and plants that resided there would never be seen again upon this earth. Tranquility was the feeling of it.
“But amongst all of this beautiful nature, there was a tree that was forbidden to eat upon, and sat in the center of the garden. This tree produced fruit unlike any other—but it was the only fruit in the garden that was not to be eaten of.” Gaibriul stopped talking for a moment, as if going into thought, but then began again. “When Dolsia entered into the garden, she admired it with all of her heart. Her eyes began to become of the world. The beauty of the garden caught her heart and she began to see how much The Great King loved your ancestors, the first children of light.
His love for them is the reason why he produced such a beautiful, serene safe-haven—why these lands were created, why this earth was created.
“Dolsia began to become tempted by it—she longed to feel what humans felt. Her eyes caught the splendid tree and she was also tempted by the luscious fruit that dangled from the tree—and ate from it… Dolsia’s actions reflected that of the first son and daughter of light, for they did the same thing—ate from the forbidden fruit when The Great King of light had forbid it.
“Dolsia revealed to me then that a being in a black cloak said she would live forever in love if she just ate from the fruit and simply lie to his majesty. She said that the being in the cloak was dark but beautiful and its voice was pleasing to her ears... He told her that he once loved The Great King of light and once followed him—but now he stands on his own and lives forever… He said that if she ate from the fruit, her life would be complete and she would live an immortal life filled with everlasting love… I told her that she had been deceived by darkness… And she was deceived by darkness…
“My king came back to the garden, but he already knew of what she had done and what her intensions were. He knew that she dishonored him by disobeying him—and dishonored him by having lust in her heart for eternal love, which was not through him… He asked her three times of what she had done—she tried to deceive him all three times… But you see—my king knows all… And he punished her by not allowing her to come back to Nevaeh, The Great Kingdom of light—but if she were to simply ask for forgiveness, she would be blessed and able to come back. But because her heart was not pure anymore, her heart did not desire The Great King anymore… It is a sad thing, a cursed thing…
“You see, over time a curse fell upon her. This curse of eternal life on earth came from the being who walked with her in dark robes. Her heart became hardened as it fell upon this being in dark robes. Dolsia was condemned to that garden forever… She would live in the spot where the Garden of Nede once flourished, for eternity—even when everything around her dies and decays. She would dwell in darkness even when all man passes away and she would become but a faint light of sadness.
“The Garden of Nede was no longer a garden, but a memory of the past. The area where the garden once sat was no longer a beautiful garden anymore, but a wilderness of shadow and death. She would witness many deaths and seasons and phases of the earth—but she would never die with the many years that would pass by her… Her life shall be like a sorrowful breeze, passing through the shadowed trees like a dark spirit. Even when she yearns for death to take her—it would never come...”
They were silent as the story settled in their hearts—and it began to become as a burden to them. The sadness of the wood that lurked around them reflected the story. That sadness began to try to overtake them. But they would not let it.
Natalia sat quietly on Orchid, swaying side to side on the bumpy ride as they continued through the darkness. Her eyes began to swell with warm tears. Thinking of the story brought tears to her eyes and her heart broke for Dolsia. “She only wanted to be loved—like that of humans…,” Natalia thought to herself as a tear trailed down her cheek. “She only wanted to feel love…”
She thought of herself and felt that she could strangely relate to Dolsia. With her being the daughter of a Marquis, she had everything a lady of noble blood could ever want—but she felt that she had nothing. Being wealthy and having a large social stature cannot fill the human heart. She thought of how badly she wanted someone to love her own self as well. She wanted so badly to be in love. She wanted so badly to feel some kind of love, even from her own parents—whom she may never see again…
“She did not understand that The Great King of light did care for her, just like everything else he created,” Gaibriul continued. “But she wanted more and wanted to be loved like that of the first son and daughter of light—like a human…
“You see, the forbidden fruit that was eaten upon was the fruit of knowledge—the knowledge of human-nature, the imperfections that all human beings share. Once it was consumed, the doors of transgression would be opened wide upon the eater—and would be ravaged by not only human behavior, but impurity…
“Dolsia knew of this—and yearned for those human feelings. So she ate from the fruit—and her innocence was broken. But once the presence of the mighty king came upon her in the garden, she felt ashamed and dirty and felt the sins of man well upon the inside of her heart—and for the first time, she lied, three times to him...” Gaibriul was not angry when he spoke, but he had a sense of agitation about him, as if he cared for Dolsia but was very disappointed by her.
Gaibriul ended his story and began to become quiet. The darkness around them was still thick and the emotion that came from the Black Forest was even thicker. The story that was told by Gaibriul lay on their hearts as they began to think of the people they possessed in their lives.
Natalia thought of her mother and father, and how they never showed her any kind of love or appreciation—and then her thoughts went to Sora, who always appreciated her, and then to Tairren, because he was the only man in her life who did.
Tairren thought of his mother and how she always showed him love, he thought of his father and how he was the most inspirational father one could ever have, even though he only knew him in childhood, then he thought of Marrisa—for she was the only love in his life…
Phillip thought of his father, and how much he appreciated him even though his majesty was really hard on him and looked down upon him. Phillip thought of how sickly his father was and how greatly he pushed him to marry the princess of Minslethrate, but he seemed to realize that his love was not and would never be for Princess Marrisa…
Strange voices that they only heard came to them again from the shadows of the forest. Phillip began to hear a voice coming from the darkness of the murky wood that brought back childhood memories. The voice
sounded like his father. He looked over to where the haunting voice was coming from and he could see his father standing in the shadows! He stood off the path and further back in the blackened forest. His father seemed to be calling to him. He was dressed in the same garbs as his majesty and wore the same crown. His face was blackened by shadows. But Phillip knew it was him—it had to have been him. The voice that emanated from it was that of his father’s—it was deep and of older age and was in the Ishkarian language. Phillip wondered why and how he could’ve gotten there.
“Father… Father!” Phillip yelled, startling the travelers and the eerie quietness around them.
They quickly looked back at Phillip who was behind them all. Phillip appeared surprised and worried and was frantically peering into the forest. They looked over in the same direction he was, but only saw the black shadows that had been lurking quietly!
“I need to get to him!” Phillip yelled out as he hopped off of Sable. “The darkness will have him!”
They began to panic as a state of shock and confusion came over them. They did not know what was going on and wondered why he shouted out to his father who was not even there.
“Stop him!” Gaibriul shouted as he hopped off of Serafim. “The forest is taking hold of his mind!”
They got off their horses as quickly as they could, to get to Phillip who had already rushed off of the path and into the shadow of the forest. They would have quickly ridden their horses through the trees, but that part of the forest was too thick and was filled with many small trees, large nettles and poisonous bramble bushes.
“Phillip! Stop!” Tairren yelled out as he quickly rushed behind him. “Your father is not there!”
Phillip rushed through the forest to where his father stood in the darkness. As he came closer his father’s shape seemed to change and become darker. Phillip slowed down as the old man became a solid black shadow. His father was now nothing more than a morbid shadow! The shadow’s eyes became a red-green glare that flashed like that of a cat’s eye at night. A strong presence came over Phillip. The presence that came quickly over him went from a deep sadness to a sharp feeling of wrath. It was thick and seemed to take his breath away.
The Last Legend: Awakened Page 34