I had taken a blow to the heart upon hearing how George had taken the lives of three defenseless people. Even if they were cruel, nothing should have driven him to commit murder, but I continued to listen.
“It was the curse, Sui. You saw it for yourself back in the jungles. I can’t help myself at times. I lose my body to something creeping deep within my soul. I need you to understand, Sui; I’m not a murderer. I’m not a member of a demonic cult. I’m not a thief. I’m a victim.”
I believed everything he told me and accepted that he wasn’t perfect. Most people would use this curse as an excuse to get out of punishment. I didn’t want to accept these claims that he made against himself. But in his cat’s gaze, I could see that he was honest. During his time in Rïdeneer, George had proven himself to be an upstanding citizen and a beloved member of the family; contrary to the monster described in his story. I asked him about the jaqae and the goblins; how else he could have become enemies with them. His forsaking of the cult was one theory, but there may have been other factors that might have played out.
“The jaqae are as evil as their leader. I’m against them and they’re against me. I think I know why they were trying to kill us last night; the same reason why they’ve been searching for me this entire time.” His tone was grim, “One day when I was on the roads of Bonitheraj, two of them came after me, trying to take my life. I fought back and killed them with my daggers. But ever since then, they’ve been coming after me with the help of goblins, satyrs, and orcs. There’s no escaping them alone, Sui. I had to hide with you, even though I knew that I would be putting your entire village in danger.” He lowered his head in shame, “It appears this was my fault.”
I didn’t care about the village at this point. I wanted to know why they took me of all people.
“Do you know why they brought me with you, George? What did I do to deserve this?”
“Like I said before, I’m not sure!” I could tell he was getting annoyed at this point. I kept forgetting that he had already answered me, but I was so unsettled that I needed an answer more than anything. “Why is it that you’re so worried about it? We’re safe and Äbaka is probably fine if he’s the wizard your family claims he is.”
That damned note Äbaka wrote entered my thoughts again. I wanted reassurance that I was not this ‘chosen one’ that he was talking about. My mother even spoke of the prophecy, concluding that it wasn’t just something the wizard made up.
“Sui,” he interrupted my thoughts, “is everything alright?”
“I’m fine, George. I just-”
“Well?”
I couldn’t let anyone know what the note said, “Nothing.”
“Sui, what is it? Come on, you can tell me anything. Was there something in that note that might have-”
“I said I’m fine!”
I started to sweat and every nerve under my skin started to itch. I had the urge to hit something, so I marched away to my bedroom as a tear fell down my cheek. I didn’t want to tell him what was written on that letter. I didn’t even want to talk to Äbaka about it. How could he put that letter there while I was being kidnapped? If he had time to write that note, then he had time to get to us sooner! My forefather always had odd reasons for doing strange things, but this time, I could find no reasonable motive. Several hours passed since I last saw Äbaka, and still, he did not return. The whole village began searching the plains for him, some even turning over every stone in the southernmost jungle, but there was no sign that any man had been out there.
That night my mother served us diner, not eating a bite herself. She was in a rush for something that none of us knew about. Sitting at the table was me, George, Molli, and my father. The roasted pheasant breasts covered in brown gravy, sided with hot seasoned rice and steamed cauliflower looked delicious with the glasses of white wine. But before I could taste it, I heard my mother scuffling around in her bedroom. Moments later, she grabbed a thick coat hanging by the door and prepared to leave.
“Wait,” my father stood up, “where are you going?”
“I’m going to look for Äbaka. Over the hills and among the trees he’s somewhere out there suffering that harsh environment. I won’t allow him to stay out there. Are you coming with me, Jon?”
“Sellina, wait!” my father called out, hesitant to leave the table and all the food.
“No!” my mother shouted, “if you want to sit here and eat a warm meal while he’s out there starving to death, then go ahead, Jon! You just do that and stay comfortable!”
My mother was a calm and polite woman with a gentle voice and an easygoing manner. To hear her talking to my father like that was like seeing a bright pink carnation transform into a bush of nettles. But I think she had the right to be angry at all of us for not offering to go with her. At my stomach’s discontent, I forgot about the meal and stood from my chair, “I’m coming with you, Mum.”
George threw his napkin on the table and stood, bowing respectfully, “I shall help you find him.”
Molli jumped up and bravely shouted, “I’m coming too!”
A hearty chuckle came from my father’s mouth in objection to my sister’s enthusiasm. “No, you’re not, Molli. I will though.” The look on my parents’ faces was intense; never had I seen them so far apart. I could tell that my father was trying not to upset my mother, but despite all his efforts, she saw him as a careless fool. “Sellina, I’m so sorry. Dinner will have to wait. Finding Äbaka is far more important.”
“Then get dressed, all of you!” demanded my mother, “and yes, you’re coming too, Molli Su. Don’t let your father keep you from coming just because you’re the youngest.”
Something was wrong about how my mother was treating my father. He bowed his head with his feelings obviously torn apart by her shrewd tone. Molli leaped into her room to get ready, singing merry songs, as if nothing was really happening between Mum and Dad. I could understand why my mother was so adamant about searching for Äbaka, though. When she was very little, my mother was lost in the plains of Crosscc and wandered up the ancient stairs into the jungle. The whole village got together to search for her, but after a few days of searching, it was Äbaka and her grandfather who eventually found her curled up by a tree. They took her home and cleaned her up. So, now that he was lost in the woods somewhere, this was her chance of repaying him for his compassion in the past.
For the past few days, George and my father had been getting along like father and son, so he let George borrow an old coat of his after telling him how special it was to him. Knowing my mum wanted to be left alone, I went to my room for preparations. I put on a heavy woolen coat of gray, a pair of fur pants, and a heavy pair of hide boots with steel bottoms. This entire outfit was a gift from my deceased grandfather who once lived overseas in western Rïdoranna, which is connected to the largest continent known as D’Guños. When I came out into the hall, I found George and my father wearing jackets with hoods, long pants, and regular shoes. My sister Molli was bundled up from head to toe, resembling a big stuffed doll.
My mother looked at us all with a single raised eyebrow and chuckled cynically, “It’s not that cold outside, you know.” We stood there awkwardly as the neighbors walking by our house stared. “Anyway,” Mum shook her head, “let’s get moving. Äbaka isn’t even wearing half the clothing I’m wearing, let alone you four.” She wore a long sleeve shirt made of cotton and a cotton skirt reaching past her knees with a pair of leather shoes. “Jon, you’d better hope I don’t catch you packing a sliver of meat with you unless it’s for the wizard!”
Unless it was the deaths of her closest friends, I couldn’t understand why she was acting like this. Never would my mother take out her emotions on those she loved, even if it was more overwhelming than she could handle. I followed her out into the village, walking beside my father, who was unable to tell me exactly what was happening between them. The community was ruined by those damn rampa
ging goblins. Even Molli Su was crying, having again laid eyes on the burned-down houses of some of her friends who didn’t manage to survive. George only shed a few tears since he didn’t know this land as well as we did. Blood had to be washed over night and the bodies cremated. We had a grand funeral for the people who died. Rebuilding Rïdeneer would take much time and money. But for the result, it would be timeless and priceless. Upon leaving Rïdeneer, we wiped away our tears along with our sentimental feelings. If we were going to see to Äbaka’s return, we needn’t have sadness engulfing our minds.
Without a word for hours, we crossed the entire Crosscc plains to reach the jungle’s staircase to the far east of the cliff. We climbed the stairs and stared up at the entrance of that green hell. When we entered, I noticed it was darker, and colder among the trees than the night before when we were being pulled away in those sacks. We all stayed close together; my parents had their swords drawn in case of an unexpected goblin ambush. Wild animals made noises that echoed through the canopy and caused Molli Su to shiver with fear. We were worried about goblins, but in hindsight, we should have been more afraid of the king of beasts, the shig. They had thick, black, wiry hair; huge, fine-pointed tusks; long, pointed ears; seven claws on each paw; a long tail with spikes on the end; and could reach a height of twenty-five feet when on their massive hind legs. All these attributes made it the fiercest of all predatory animals on the planet.
If there were to be any shigs in the jungles tonight, I hoped that none of us would become a meal for one. The fog became thicker as we delved deeper into the Shimbian Jungle. The cruel atmosphere here was making us feel like fish in a pond, swimming about in the dark waters tarnished with many barracuda and sharks that could swim up and easily take our lives. Misery followed close behind us as we were walking about, calling his name like no tomorrow.
“Äbaka!”
“Äbaka!”
“Äbaka!”
We all had a feeling that he had passed out farther north, way farther north, where the jungle nearly meets Shimbia. I began hearing the howls of the wild things echoing our calls for the wizard. We continued to call, screaming louder as we were trying to rise above the volumes of the beasts. If any type of monster or animal tried to come at me or my family, I wouldn’t mind fighting them unarmed, with my bare hands. I would die for my family and that was the reason that I was the first to stand up when my mother was chewing my father out.
Too many noises were being tossed around the trees, shrubs, thickets, vines, plants, and fungal growths. It was time we used our eyes and the moonlight to find him. Somewhere in these jungles, I felt that there was something else calling to me, but it wasn’t my forefather. It was a spiritual energy that was alien to me. It was too potent to be from Äbaka, even as powerful as he was. Whatever else was calling me, I had a feeling that it was coming from the stars above the trees.
Everything in the jungle was tinted a dark shade of blue by the moonlight, which slowly started to diminish under the aging night. The trees were taller with every mile and the dirt was thicker and richer every step we took. Suddenly, a light was flashing in the distance far north of where my family and I were walking. I came to a halt and pointed out the strange luminescence.
“Look! Do you see that?”
“See what?”
My mother stared in the direction I was pointing, but couldn’t see anything. The others were confused and stopped in their tracks to study the thickets that stood far from our vision. What I saw was coming closer and nobody could see it but me.
“See what, Sui?” my mother asked.
“That light over there,” I said, insistently, “it’s coming slowly in our direction. You cannot see it?”
“No,” George whispered, trying to spot it.
“I don’t see anything.” my father breathed, shaking his head.
My sister wasn’t even paying attention to me anymore. She was looking around for Äbaka as she quivered in the bitter cold. George looked at me dead on and just shook his head, wishing that he could see it as well. I needed to find out what it was. I slowly made my way over to it, avoiding roots and holes in the ground. I was not afraid of the unknown; in fact, I marveled at mysterious things like this. Perhaps it was a call from Äbaka that was directed towards me. The light slowly became clearer, shaping into a vague image of a bright golden man walking in the distance. He seemed to be wearing a robe and had a long, bright yellow beard. I became certain that he was a spirit of some sort.
As the ghost came closer, I noticed that he resembled an elderly man. The spirit stared blankly at me with black, hollow eyes. It’s difficult to explain, but I recall his face having that same uncanny feeling that a mask gives off. I parted my chapped lips and brushed my hair to the side.
“Do you know where my forefather is? His name is Äbaka; he’s a wizard with a long green beard and a head of messy, green hair.”
The ghost murmured with a deep, echoing voice inside my head, without opening his mouth. He had a thickly gruff accent, almost unintelligible, but I was able to comprehend the majority of his words by giving him my undivided attention.
“My name is Herald. I am a member of the Divine Array, their personal messenger. Your forefather is several miles northeast of here. Do not worry about him, he is doing well. You shall reach him soon if you keep walking in the direction I mentioned.”
“Thank you, Herald.”
“As messenger of the Divine Array, I have a bit more to share with you.”
He told me things in mixed sentences. It sounded like he was bringing up the prophecy again about demons and the chosen one. I didn’t want to hear any more about that! He then began to talk about George and the last words I could fully understand were kiss, and metamorphosis. Soon after that, he vanished into thin air, leaving me puzzled and curious. All I remembered after seeing him vanish was falling to the ground, face first.
The next morning, I found myself lying in bed with fresh linens and a strange feeling in my gut. Äbaka was sitting in an old wooden chair at the foot of my bed, silently reading a book.
“You are very important you know,” he said, not breaking eye contact with the pages, “and it’s time you embraced it.”
“What are you talking about? How did I wind up here? How did you survive?”
“Hrm? I beg your pardon, but you’ve been sleeping here all night and I came to bring you tremendous news.”
“That note you wrote; I found it in the jungle on my way back home with George. What did you mean?”
“My dear girl, whatever are you talking about?”
“That note that you wrote about me and the beast. It’s that thing that sent the goblins to invade Rïdeneer. It was a huge, dark, demonic being with blood-red eyes, living beneath Shi Shii. Do you remember anything after you rescued us last night?”
Äbaka’s eyebrows raised high on his forehead. He pulled at his long, green beard, drooping to the floor. Then he jumped, realizing what I was talking about. But why he was shocked?
“You have learned the basics even if the details are clouded. But whether you wish to believe it or not, you are the chosen one. You will someday destroy the demon known as Jobik.”
“Shh! You mustn’t speak his name! Mum told me that-”
“In your dream, yes, but he has not been resurrected yet. He still slumbers in the void beyond the borders of the ever-expanding Fancore, where existence has not been reached. You know this story: I imprisoned him long ago when your parents were just toddlers. He attacked Rïdeneer with hundreds of jaqan soldiers who planned to use our home as a slave ground. But since I was present, Jobik’s plan was postponed until his next resurrection to face his ultimate foe: you, Sui.”
“That’s right,” I said, recalling the story he used tell when I was a child. “But I never understood the implications of it. The demon from the story was real? He’s returning soon?”
It was all too much to take in. Everything I recalled from being kidnapped by goblins to hiking through the jungles was just a dream warning me about Jobik? I assumed I knew so much about George without even asking him. The information Äbaka gave me about Jobik brought images of that monstrosity back to my memory. I wanted to forget how dreadful he was. This heroism expected of me was too much to bear. I asked Äbaka a most important question; a question that revolved around Jobik’s entire being.
“Why does he want to destroy all life?”
“Because, Sui, he knows nothing else. It is in his nature; he knows nothing else than to torture and destroy. He feeds on despair, and as you might not know, he is the physical embodiment of all negative forces in the Fancore. People molded him into existence just as we created all other life in the Fancore. To understand his existence, you must remember that every time you imagine something vile his power increases. He absorbs energy from around the Fancore and uses it to sustain a physical form when he is free from the void. The more negative energy flowing through the Fancore, the more powerful he becomes. In simpler terms, he is anti-life; he wants everything to die and never return.”
The Fancore: a limitless multiverse where all fantasies go after being fathomed. Everything that exists is a part of the Fancore. Anything from the most powerful gods to the smallest objects were created by someone else in the Fancore. It is a network of many minds creating other people, places, and things, just through a mere thought. This outlandish theory was always on his mind. I knew there were many other planets and galaxies beyond our own, but to believe that we were created by beings like us? Even though he got me to consider my role as the chosen one, I pledged myself never to even put that theory to mind as it sounded too broad a statement to be anywhere close to the truth. I was brought up by my mother and father to believe in the five main Imgan gods. I was taught by the church to believe that nothing in the universe could have existed without their wise counsel in the stars. Äbaka continued to talk about the prophecy, claiming that I should learn more about magecraft, which was an art form involving all manner of magick in battle.
The Spark Page 5