The Beginning After the End: Book 7: Divergence

by TurtleMe

  Confused, I continued following the crowd until I spotted a few stands on the side of the street. Most were almost finished wrapping up their goods and putting down the tarps that hung over their stands, but there was a clothing stand that had yet to be completely packed up.

  I veered away from the knot of people and approached the stand, keeping my head down. The shopkeeper watched me warily from the corner of her eye. Without a word, I carefully set several silver coins on her table, pulled a set of clothes—a long leather cap, matching mantle, and pants—from a rack and walked away. Glancing back, I saw the wide-eyed shopkeeper scoop up the coins and go back to breaking down her stand, pointedly looking away from me.

  Sliding into another nearby side alley between an abandoned bakery and butcher shop with broken windows, I hurriedly changed into the clothes I had just bought.

  I tied up my hair and tucked it into the leather cap, which ran down past my neck, making sure most of my silver hair couldn’t be seen. After putting on the mantle and pants, I ran my fingers along the ground and then smeared dirt across my face.

  I thought about maybe taking out the practice bow I had borrowed from Ellie to complete the adventurer’s ensemble, but I realized that no one was carrying their weapon. Darting out of the alley, I once again blended in with the tides of people all walking solemnly in the same direction. Despite how much more crowded it had become, there was still an eerie silence lingering over the city.

  “Excuse me. What is going on?” I asked, disguising my voice to make it sound deeper.

  The man didn’t answer, instead speeding up in order to put some distance between us.

  I tried again, this time to an elderly woman, but was met with the same response. On my third attempt, a younger lady—just a bit older than me—finally responded.

  “I-it’s over,” she said, choking back a sob. “Those invaders told us to move to Etistin center if we didn’t want to be hunted down.”

  “Hunted down?” I said quietly. “What about the Dicathen army stationed in Etistin?”

  The woman’s pace quickened as she looked back nervously.

  I followed after her, matching her pace, and asked again before she finally answered, in an even quieter voice. “They… they left.”

  “Left?” I said a bit louder than I had intended.

  The woman’s eyes bulged like a startled deer and she zipped off, clutching tightly onto the drawstring bag in her arms.

  I tried to repress the frustration and anxiety building up inside me. My short conversation with the woman left me with more questions than answers, and it seemed like everyone else was too scared to talk.

  Adjusting my leather cap, I walked on. The only way I’d get some answers was by going to the city center. The Grand Mountains were at our backs, so I knew we were walking toward the west.

  I must’ve crossed through the eastern gate of Etistin, which makes sense as it’s the least used teleportation gate and the farthest one from Etistin’s castle.

  The longer I walked, the denser the crowd around me became. It got to the point where we all had to shuffle forward, our shoulders pressed against each other. The cries of children could be heard over the nervous shushing from their parents.

  The tall, ornate buildings that made up the inner portions of the city of Etistin blocked the view of the city center, but it was as we approached that area that I spotted Alacryans.

  They weren’t any different from the humans of Sapin, but they all wore the same gray and black uniform streaked with blood-red. They were also the only ones with weapons, and they used them to herd the people up ahead into the pathway leading to the city center.

  That’s when I heard it: the first scream.

  That was only the beginning—that first scream triggered more as the crowd in front reached the open area of the city’s square.

  I pushed ahead through the crowd, trying to squeeze toward the front. I was in the middle of the dense press of people shuffling into the open area that had once been the hub of commerce and trade in Etistin.

  As I got closer, I noticed the change in the atmosphere—from fear and worry to despair. Underneath the screams that resounded from the buildings around us, I could make out the gasps and groans and quiet sobs from the people up ahead.

  I noticed a broad man pointing a trembling finger at something I couldn’t yet see and a woman with both hands covering her mouth, eyes wide and tears flowing freely; another man wore a hard expression as he looked the other way.

  That’s when I reached the front.

  My gut heaved and a lump in my throat threatened to suffocate me as I saw the four figures: two men, two women, with black spikes pierced through their bodies—high up in the air for all to see.

  Blaine and Priscilla Glayder and… my parents.

  248

  Day of Rebirth

  I stumbled back, only kept on my feet by the press of bodies around me. My breath came in short, uneven bursts, and my head spun. Everything faded out of focus except for my parents—I couldn’t bear to look, yet I couldn’t look away from their corpses hanging in the air with black spikes jutting through their backs, their arms and legs dangling limply as blood trailed down the three-story tall spikes.

  The worst part, though, was the fact that I could see their expressions. Their eyes were wide and bulging, their mouths hung open grotesquely. They had been positioned alongside the king and queen of Sapin for everyone arriving to clearly see the pain that they had been in before their deaths.

  Blood rushed to my head, pounding in my ears, and I felt power leak from my mana core. The primal strength of the elderwood guardian’s beast will threatened to break free and wreak havoc on the Alacryans here.

  Control yourself, Tessia, I thought, pleading with myself. It took every ounce of strength left in my body to resist the beast’s power. My parents did what they did believing they were keeping me safe, and, regardless of how things had turned out, I needed to make sure that I didn’t throw their efforts away in vain.

  A sob clawed free of my throat and I couldn’t bear it any longer. Falling to my knees, I wept quietly amidst the crowd, one of many who mourned the loss of these kings and queens, though I mourned for different reasons. To most of the people here, their deaths meant that Dicathen had lost. The people cried because for the grim future filled with hardships and uncertainties.

  For me… I cried for my parents—I cried for all of the things I would never be able to do with them, for all of the things I had said to them, and all of the things I couldn’t say to them.

  “Citizens of Dicathen,” a soft, honeyed voice said, practically oozing through the city square. Despite how loud it had been, the crowd quieted. On the top of a stone pillar stood a woman wearing the gray and red uniform of Alacrya. Her red hair billowed like a dancing flame as she looked down at us, her hands clasped in front of her.

  “Your kings have passed, your armies are fleeing, and your most powerful warriors are in hiding. The castle is ours, Xyrus City and Elenoir City are ours, and now, Etistin City is ours. But do not despair, for we do not come as pillagers.”

  All was still and silent as everyone waited for her next words.

  When she finally spoke, she made a subtle but welcoming gesture with her arms slightly raised. “We come here as agents of something greater—of someone greater. You know of the asuras, the mighty beings you worship as deities. You have long believed they have watched over you, yet it has been a lie. The asuras had abandoned you… Those days are no longer. Alacrya has won this war, yet not by our own power. We won because our sovereign is no lowly human or elf like these you see here.” Her voice quieted, but her words carried even more clearly than before. “We won because our sovereign is an asura. Our victory was the will of a deity himself.”

  Murmurs could be heard throughout the large crowd, but the Alacryans didn’t stop it. They let the chatter and hesitance amongst the crowd grow. The woman on the pedestal sighed sadly, and I could hear it as if s
he were right next to me in a quiet room.

  She used earth magic to raise that stone pillar, and she’s been manipulating sound to spread her voice. How many elements can she control? Was there more to the Alacryans’ powers that we’d managed to discover? In the face of someone capable of not only manipulating multiple elements, but who was also a deviant like myself, I began to wonder how many mages as powerful as this person, or even more so, existed amongst the Alacryans.

  “Your disbelief is reasonable, and what I say or do here will only fan the flames of doubt growing within you. This is natural, and this is why we had to do what we did—because of stubbornness, because of pride, because of greed, and because of doubt, peace can only be achieved through war,” she said solemnly. “You may feel like the prisoners of a defeated country now, but I assure you that, as time passes, you all will feel like a part of something bigger—citizens of a godly kingdom.”

  “My name is Lyra Dreide. Today, I have stood above you as victor, but I pray that the next time we meet, it will be as equals, and as friends.”

  The Alacryan’s words lingered in the air like the smell of spring flowers after rain. She didn’t stop there; she then raised the stone pillar even higher and gently pulled the bodies of my parents and the king and queen of Sapin from the black spikes.

  After setting them down one by one on the ground, she created a pit around their bodies, then conjured a flame in her hand.

  “Our sovereign has decreed today, the twenty-fifth sundown of Spring, as the day of rebirth.” With a single motion, she lit the pit on fire.

  I pressed my hands over my mouth, physically restraining myself from screaming as I watched the flames burn higher. The thought of not even being able to properly send off my parents clawed at my insides, making it harder to control my raging beast will.

  “This is not a time for mourning or reflection of the past. Today is the start of a—”

  The woman—Lyra Dreide—stopped in midsentence, scanning the crowd around me.

  It was then that I felt the subtle shift in the air.

  My hair stood on end, and I could feel the primal instincts of the elderwood guardian inside me tremble. Every fiber of my body told me I should get out of here.

  I watched the bright flames dance in the pit as if mocking me. Rage and indignation bubbled in the pit of my stomach, but I knew it was too late.

  Biting my lower lip, I took one last look at Lyra Dreide. I knew she wasn’t the one responsible for those black spikes that had killed Kathyln’s and my parents, but I wouldn’t forget her.

  There was another shift in the air, and suddenly the Alacryan was talking to a figure that hadn’t been there the instant before. I thought I recognized his short black hair and thin frame, but he had his back turned toward me. Regardless, my body screamed at me to run away, and, considering how much was at stake, I followed my instincts.

  Staying low, I weaved through the crowd of numb men and women, burying my own feelings. Wiping the tears from my face, I headed towards the buildings in the hopes that I’d be able to squeeze through the alleyway to escape.

  There were two Alacryan soldiers guarding the path that I had come from. It would’ve been smarter to wait for at least one of them to leave, but, behind me, I could feel the threatening presence growing closer.

  Barely able to think over the sound of my own heart trying to break out of my ribcage, I ran past the Alacryan guards, blasting both with a gale of wind. Unlike the previous guards I had met, however, these Alacryans seemed ready.

  One repelled my attack with her own blast of wind while the other managed to anchor himself to the ground, his entire body covered in reptilian scales made of stone.

  The earth mage swung his arms, launching a barrage of the stone scales that covered his body while the female guard conjured a funnel of wind that pushed down on me from above like a giant fist, pushing me to my knees. Knowing that my presence had already been felt and there was no point trying to be subtle now, I ignited my beast will and shrouded myself in the protective green aura of the elderwood guardian.

  The stone scales were repelled and the wind was deflected around the aura. Two translucent vines of mana shot out from me. The first plunged through the wind mage’s chest, killing her instantly. The second slammed into the thick, stone scales protecting the earth mage, who was sent flying into a nearby wall. I didn’t wait to see if he would get back up; I ran.

  The dread in my heart grew. The threatening presence followed behind me like a shadow even as I reached the outskirts of the city. My plan had been to try and make it back through the gate, but I found it under heavy guard by Alacryan soldiers.

  Cursing under my breath, I turned away, heading instead for the southwestern border of Etistin.

  The closest city with a teleportation gate was Telmore, which was just off the western coast. If I could make it there and use the medallion, I could still get back to the shelter. It was possible that the Alacryans would expect this, though, and have the gate there blocked as well.

  With that in mind, I didn’t go directly to Telmore, but made my way toward the shore, where the last major battle had occurred. From what I’d heard, General Varay had managed to build a massive field of ice in Etistin Bay. I held out a dim hope that I might find survivors of the battle hiding in the woods and hills near the bay.

  After hours of darting through the hills and dense trees—without using magic so as not to leave signs for the Alacryans to follow—the sky had turned a deep orange from the setting sun. I knew I wasn’t too far from the coast, but I needed to rest. I could sleep for a few hours, then finish the journey. I didn’t believe what Lyra Dreide had said. There had to be soldiers on our side still fighting out there.

  My mana-enhanced senses picked up a small movement nearby, making me stop mid-step. I instantly realized I had made a mistake. I shouldn’t have made it known that I could sense someone.

  “Get on your knees and show your back,” said a clear, authoritative voice from somewhere to my right.

  I immediately got on my knees and lifted up the bottom of my tunic to reveal my lower and mid-back.

  “Clear,” a deep voice grunted from behind me.

  A lone figure walked into my line of sight, moving slowly, her hands held over her head in a sign of peace. She was thin and a head shorter than me, older than most soldiers I had seen on the battlefield, but her weathered face and toned body suggested a lifetime of hard work. Her expression was knitted into a suspicious scowl as she studied me.

  She walked to within ten paces of where I knelt, then turned around slowly and lifted the back of her vest and shirt, revealing a tanned but otherwise unmarked back—clear of the markings that Alacryan mages had.

  She turned back around but kept her distance.

  “Nod for yes, shake for no. Are you alone?” she asked quietly, her gaze constantly flitting left and right.

  I nodded.

  “Okay,” she replied, walking closer and stretching out her hand. “I am—was the head of the third vanguard unit. You can call me Madam Astera. What is your name?”

  Looking around uncomfortably, I leaned in close and whispered. “Tessia Eralith.”

  Madam Astera clearly recognized my name, as she flinched when I said it. She otherwise retained her composure, however, simply nodding and gesturing for me to stand. With another quick gesture of her hand, the rest of her group appeared from the trees.

  “We’re going back to base,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  The rest nodded and I found myself trailing right behind Madam Astera. We followed the base of a steep hill, which shielded us from prying eyes from the direction of the coast.

  “Are you all soldiers of Dicathen?”

  She nodded in reply, but did not break her stride as she led us through the thick undergrowth of this untraveled wilderness, her head constantly moving as she watched for potential danger.

  “How many of you are there?”

  “You
’ll see soon enough, Princess,” she answered coolly. “For now we need to keep moving.”

  I bit my lip. I needed information, not these non-answers. My patience gave way, and I stopped, forcing the entire party to halt. “I’m on my way to Telmore City. If we can rally more soldiers from the battle going on at Etistin Bay, then I can take—”

  “Rally?” Madam Astera hissed, her gaze sharp as a dagger. She let out a sigh and held up a hand above her head.

  The other Dicathians around us held their positions, most hidden behind trees, some crouched in shrubs and hollow logs.

  “Follow me,” she muttered, climbing the steep hill we’d been using as cover.

  I followed after her, using the jutting roots and rocks as footholds. Madam Astera got to the top first and her expression turned solemn. Finally reaching the top, I followed the line of her gaze and I felt the blood drain from my face as a sharp gasp escaped my throat.

  Etistin Bay was directly below us. General Varay’s ice-field, which must have once been white and beautiful, had been transformed into a horrorscape of blood and gore; the snow and ice was splashed with pinks, reds, and maroons around the corpses—more corpses than I could count. Dark, smoky flames burned within many of the bodies, and many more had been impaled by the same obsidian spikes that had killed my parents.

  “You asked if we could rally more soldiers…” Madam Astera said, her voice low and choked with emotion. “I don’t think there are any more soldiers to rally here, Princess.”

  249

  Walking Catastrophe

  “She really is a princess.” The balding, bearish man named Herrick was studying me intently.

  “You’re making her uncomfortable, you big oaf.” Nyphia, his female companion, punched him in the arm.

  “Sorry… I’ve just never seen a real princess before,” Herrick mumbled, looking away from me.