by Milo Woods
Seeko turned and walked out of the classroom before Winona could say good-bye.
Before long, only a mere fifty feet separated Seeko from the abyss. He slowed his pace. He could hear the chaos surrounding him, the screams of victims and the roars of monsters. As he approached, his feet grew heavy, planting him in place. He had to do this. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pushed himself forward.
He stood before the darkness. A trembling hand reached tentatively toward the void. A single heartbeat and time stopped.
What am I doing?
A deep breath and time began again. He reached into the darkness.
Instantly, the abyss pulled on him, forcing him into the void.
What have I done?
2: Arrival
22 Agen, 112 AV: Day 1
In a flash, Seeko found himself thousands of feet above everything, falling to certain death. The world below drew ever nearer as the reaper counted down. Abhorrent thoughts rushed through his head as he plummeted toward annihilation. Tears streamed across his paralyzed face. A town became more obvious as he approached at a frightening speed. His arms moved before him and he braced for inevitable death.
A deafening crash … and then silence.
Dust and rock clouded the air around the impact site. Seeko eyes snapped open, life renewing itself within him. Ringing assaulted his ears and he tried moving a finger, but failed. After a sharp inhale and some coughing, the sense of feeling returned to his body. He ached everywhere, but was surprised he was not hurt further or killed outright. No, the pain confirmed that this was no dream. He squeezed dirt in his hand at the thought, then turned over and stared into a sky that he had never been so afraid of before now.
The sound of metal clashing and people yelling—a conflict of some sort—slowly filled Seeko’s ears as the ringing receded. He sat up and scanned the field of grass he had landed in. The town he saw while falling was nearby, populated with primitive buildings of either wood or stone. The sound of battle wasn’t emanating from there, however.
Seeko rose and faced the clamor originating from behind him. Hundreds of soldiers struggled for supremacy on the edge of the field, but it was not soldiers as he was used to seeing. Chainmail and swords were the norm for every one of the raging combatants.
Blinking, Seeko shook his head. Where was he? He wiped the dirt off his face.
A soldier wearing a black and gold tunic looked to Seeko. The warrior pointed and barked an order. Other soldiers turned and charged. Seeko took a step back and saw men from the other faction, wearing white, also running toward him.
Seeko turned and fled toward the town at the alarming sight of these soldiers rushing him. He jumped over low walls and fences until he tripped and dropped onto the ground. He quickly righted himself and continued toward the town.
But then, seconds later, a loud, distorted growl forced him to look to his right. A deformed, hairless wolfish creature was sprinting toward him, its beady red eyes fixed upon him. The yellow, crooked teeth of the beast opened wide as it drew nearer, slobbering saliva and blood.
“What the hell?” Seeko yelled as he turned to run away from the demented creature.
Again, though, Seeko fell, the air escaping him as he slammed into the grass. He flipped over and faced the animal, imprinting its snarl forever in his psyche. Oh damn … Why did he walk into that portal? The wolf lunged toward a petrified Seeko, and he closed his eyes.
The killing blow never came. He opened his eyes to see a white-clad soldier standing nearby, defending him. On the other side of Seeko, the wolf skidded to a halt, bleeding from a large gash in the head. The wounded beast turned back to face the armored man and Seeko. The creature pounced and knocked the soldier to the ground. Seeko scurried to his feet as the wolf devoured the man. He fled, terrified, even though the man cried for help—the screaming following behind Seeko, a hideous melody of death.
The two splinter groups that had run after Seeko now fought each other some distance away. He looked over his shoulder to see that the wolf monster had focused its attention back on him, and he veered toward the warring groups. He rushed to the soldiers who wore the same white tunic as the soldier who had saved him, assuming they would continue to protect him. Several white-clad warriors saw the charging wolf and attacked it. One pointed at the beast with an open palm, and a red plume of flame reached from his hand, lashing at the animal.
Magic!
Coming to a halt, Seeko watched as the soldiers killed the wolf and finished off the other group of soldiers in quick succession. The rest of the black-clad army retreated while the bulk of the white army returned to town. Seeko’s defenders, though, waited around him, shielding him from the prying eyes of other soldiers. Seeko felt like his mind was going crazy, wondering how he had avoided death twice in five minutes … while being attacked by some wolfish monster … and being saved by soldiers dressed like some medieval knights … in a place that looked like nothing he had ever seen.
What the hell was going on?
“Come with us,” said one of the soldiers as they prepared to rejoin the army.
“Uh …” Seeko said, taking a deep breath. He could understand them? He gulped. “Uh … Where … Where am I?”
The soldiers shuffled, muttering strange things to another. “Ya hit your head or something?” asked the one who had spoken to him.
“He did fall from the sky …” another said.
“Are ya going to go with us or not?” the first one asked.
Seeko really didn’t feel like he had a choice, so he nodded and followed. They escorted him into the small town. Seeko’s darting eyes found many white-clad soldiers judging his own comparatively strange garb. What do they see in me? Whatever it was, he could tell from their motions that he was failing to impress.
Eventually, they entered a large stone building, and soon Seeko found himself facing an imposing man in a full suit of plate armor. “We’ve been waiting for you,” the soldier said as he took off his helmet. A middle-aged man with a hard face and thick mustache stared down at Seeko. “Welcome to Irenic’s front line. I’m General Todd.”
Seeko looked down at the ground. Irenic? “Where am I?”
A smile pulled at the side of Todd’s mouth. “The town is called Irris. We captured it earlier this month from the Halcyon Empire—bunch of barbarians.” He took a step closer to Seeko. “That was the largest attack in a while. I think they anticipated you, as have we. But we were the ones that got you.” He placed a hand on Seeko’s shoulder.
In this strange place, Seeko found the large hand comforting. “I don’t … understand. Where am I?”
“I told you already. That impact do something to your head?” He frowned. “I expected you to be some grandiose hero, not some kid with ugly clothing. Ah well. Can’t be helped. I think we can shape you into something.”
That only made Seeko more confused, adding more questions that needed answers. “But … But what happened after I went into that blackness? Is this some other world or something? And why are you acting like I’m supposed to be some sort of hero?”
The general snorted out a laugh. “Curious, aren’t you? You’ll get your answers, but this is neither the time nor the place. The Halcyon are still out there, and we need to get you to a safe place away from them.”
Todd walked away from Seeko and gestured to the soldier that had escorted him into town.
“Kazuma, take your company and the boy back to Asilis,” Todd said. “Oh, actually …” He faced Seeko. “You have a name, I assume?”
In spite of his roiling stomach, Seeko was not amused. “Seeko Dris.”
Todd nodded. “Kazuma, brief the boy on the way to Asilis. I have an army to manage.” With that, the armored man walked through another door, deeper into the building.
The soldier nodded. “I guess I’m stuck with ya a little longer.” He moved to the door, pausing when he noticed that Seeko was not following. “Are ya coming? Ya won’t get any answers standing ther
e like a fool.”
What had he gotten himself into? Why did he go into that thing? He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. It was too late now.
He followed the soldier, but anxiety still weighed on his mind.
/ / / / /
Kazuma spent the next half hour rounding up his hundred-man company, with Seeko following close behind. The group departed as soon as they had gathered everything they needed. Seeko shook at the idea of leaving the town’s safety, but he hid his trembling hands from Kazuma and the others.
“It’s a long trip, so don’t push yourself farther than what ya can take,” Kazuma said without looking back at Seeko.
Seeko nodded. “I … still don’t understand. What was that darkness that brought me here?” He looked at Kazuma for an answer.
“Your guess is as good as any of ours—probably better.” Kazuma said, looking ahead as he walked along the road. “None of us saw where ya came from. We only caught a glimpse of ya falling to the ground.”
Seeko looked down. “Can you at least tell me where I am?”
“Heh, okay. So ya really are as clueless as I thought. Like the general told ya, this town is Irris. And it’s on Endetia. That’s the name of the continent you’re on.”
Seeko stopped in his tracks. “What year is it?”
“It’s the year 112 AV.”
“AV?”
“After Violetta. Is any of this helping?”
“Uh … no,” Seeko muttered under his breath. This was certainly not home. Where had that black orb taken him? What had happened to Earth?
They continued down the road, and soon were out of Irris and into the verdant grasslands that surrounded it. The afternoon sun was pleasant, but not pleasant enough for Seeko to remove his sweater. Seeko wanted all the protection he could get against those wolf creatures if any of them appeared. The company of soldiers kept a fast pace, and soon Seeko had to hurry himself to stay in the front with Kazuma.
Presently, Kazuma spoke. It was his take on the battle they’d just fought. Seeko figured it was just to hear his own voice. Or perhaps it was his way of taking in the fight without going insane. Seeko examined the soldier—his only line of defense in a world of crazy monsters—in more detail.
Kazuma had short black hair and distant green eyes centered on a dark, scarred face. The pointer finger on his right hand was missing. When asked about it, Kazuma’s eyes grew distant and his lips drew thin, reliving a memory he despised.
“It’s a relatively simple story,” he said. “When I was seventeen, the Halcyon attacked Vicussa. It was the first time they used demons. That deformed wolf ya saw was one.” He paused. “Anyway, a giant lizard broke into my house. I killed it, but not before it took my finger.” He fell silent and looked up, preventing tears. “I joined the Irenic army that next day.”
“Demons?” Seeko said after a moment.
Kazuma nodded. “Yes, demons. Vile monsters from your nightmares. The rotten Halcyon Empire uses them, but no one knows who really commands them. They’ll kill anyone loyal to Emperor Physis and can tell what side you’re on at a glance. We know next to nothing about them, but what’s to know? They want us dead, so that’s reason enough to kill them all.” Kazuma saluted at the end of that and his soldiers let out a cheer.
That horrific wolf’s maw entered Seeko’s thoughts, and then he remembered that these demon creatures had also been on Earth—coming out of that same black orb. Were the Halcyon attacking Earth? If so, why?
Silence fell on the company again. Seeko surveyed the grasslands as the company marched along the well-worn dirt road. The cool breeze blew the tall grasses around, forming little whirlwinds far in the distance. The familiar yet alien landscape felt somewhat soothing to him.
Eventually, a large shadow quickly crossed the grasses. Seeko jumped as he looked up to see a giant bird soar up into a cloud. “Um, are there giant birds on Endetia?” he asked Kazuma after his heart had stopped racing.
“It’s a thunderbird, most likely. It also could be a demon that looks like a thunderbird … but I doubt it. It would have attacked us, a demon that big.” Kazuma smiled, then asked, “Where ya from, Seeko?”
Seeko didn’t know what to say. Would he believe him if he told the truth? “I’m from … I’m from … I guess, another world—a world that was being attacked by demons when I left.”
Kazuma cursed. “They’re everywhere. Nowhere is safe.” He scratched his head. “So ya came through darkness to get here? Why did ya come here?”
“I have no idea.” Why had he come through that portal? For answers? His memory showed that he had been though one of those dark portals before … It didn’t seem worth it now. His rash decision had likely permanently stranded him on this insane world.
His stomach flipped. He was stranded here, he just realized. Stranded and alone. He began shaking again and couldn’t stop.
Kazuma didn’t seem to notice Seeko’s rattling. “The world works in strange ways, the gods say. Emperor Physis says you’re here to save us. Says you’re going to be a hero.”
“Save you? From what?”
“The demons.”
“What? How could I do that? I don’t have anything—and you have magic.”
“Beats me. Wait, ya don’t have magic? Everyone on Kismetia has magic!” Kazuma conjured a weak red fireball in one hand. “How are ya going to help us?” Kazuma dispelled the fireball with difficulty. “Maybe ya have something else to offer.”
Seeko had no idea how Kazuma had materialized fire from nowhere. “I’m no hero. I’m just a scared kid. Sorry to trouble you.”
Kazuma laughed. “Come now, that mopey attitude will get ya nowhere! You’ll be fine if ya stick with me, okay?”
Seeko had nowhere else to go, so of course he was going to stick with Kazuma. But even with Kazuma’s cocky attitude, Seeko’s trembling stayed. He thought of that monster that almost ate him—the monster that did eat someone. The screams rebounded in his head.
Why did he go in that portal?
3: Hero
22 Agen, 112 AV: Day 1
On the first day at dusk, the hundred-man company set up camp in a copse parallel to the road. The group consumed a light meal of bread, cheese, and fruit. Kazuma started a campfire and ordered several soldiers to take up guard positions around the camp. Seeko was situated in the center for the most protection.
When Kazuma finished prepping the camp, Seeko pointed to the heavens. “What is that?”
Kazuma looked at the boy. “What? The Wall?”
“Wall? No, the ring in the sky! Why is that there?” Sure enough, there was a thick band of light curving across the night sky, looping around the horizon from east to west.
“That is the remnants of Ava, the creator. She sacrificed herself to create this planet, Kismetia, and Avaroda, the Wall, is how she shields us from her evil twin Yedra, even in death.”
Seeko stared in wonder as dusk fell across the land. The ring grew in brightness as the evening faded. The ribbon of light soon shone brighter than any star in the sky.
“Why do you call it a wall? It’s a ring around … what did you call it? … Kismetia.”
Kazuma smiled. “You’ll see if you’re up later tonight. Avaroda is born every dusk, dies in the dead of night, and is born again at dawn. It remains faint throughout the day, but always protects us. It shows that we are at our most vulnerable in the night, and that is why the second shift has twice the number of soldiers.”
What could happen to the ring in the middle of the night? How could it die and be reborn? Seeko changed the subject: “Does Kismetia have a moon?”
Kazuma cocked his head to one side. “What’s a moon?”
“Never mind.”
Kazuma fiddled with his pack and eventually handed Seeko a blanket. “Here ya go, kid. Get some sleep. We have a long way to go.”
Seeko nodded and looked around for a place to sleep. “Uh, where?”
Kazuma laughed. “Pick a spot and put the blanket down
. Anyway, I’m part of the first shift. Think ya can get along without me?”
Seeko didn’t want to separate from Kazuma, but also didn’t want to admit it to him. So he watched Kazuma leave, feeling the shaking return. Around the edges of the fire, Seeko could see shadows dancing. Were there demons out there, just out of reach, waiting for him to fall asleep? Yet, part of him wished for the darkness to come, to reach out, grab him, and funnel him back to Earth.
He found it difficult to sleep. His eyes closed, but his mind wandered. In fact, Seeko was still awake when Kazuma’s shift was over. The shadow of the planet cast a black void on the east side of the ring by the time Kazuma returned.
“You’re still awake, aren’t ya?”
Seeko sat up. “I can’t sleep.”
“What’s on your mind?”
Seeko didn’t know where to begin. The reality of his decision was being made brutally apparent in everything he saw. He had come here searching for answers to his strange vision.
When it became clear that Seeko wasn’t going to say anything, Kazuma smiled and spoke: “Ya know, ya remind me of Prophet Mithuna, daughter of the destructive Yedra. It was Yedra who banished Mithuna to Endetia after she disobeyed him. She was scared at first, but eventually she grew into a hero and united Endetia peacefully into the Halcyon Empire. That was over a thousand years ago.” He looked at Seeko. “I think you’ll unite us too.”
A cool gust of wind rushed by and Seeko drew his knees close. “I doubt it. I just want to go home.”
“If you’re the hero everyone says ya are, then ya are home. So quit moping and start fresh from where you’re at right now.”
Seeko closed his eyes and tears came to them. It hurt to hear someone else tell him he was stranded here. His heart fluttered and he slumped back to the ground. “I’m going to try to get some sleep.”
Kazuma nodded and set his blanket down. Soon his snores joined the other soldiers and helped with Seeko’s insomnia. Eventually, exhaustion overtook fear and sent him to the land of dreams, but not before one final, fleeting thought: What if this is home?