by J. D. Netto
I nodded slowly, took a deep breath and composed myself.
“Which way should we go?” I asked, trying to spot a way out.
“If we follow the river we can probably find a way out of here,” Adawnas replied.
“Adawnas, carry Demetre,” instructed Devin. “Isaac, let me carry you so we can gain more time.”
I wasn’t too fond of the idea but time was our adversary. The moment Adawnas had Demetre and Devin had me, we took off at an amazing speed. I held on firmly, trying not to lose my balance. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins; my cheeks were flapping rapidly.
“Stop!” Devin yelled. We came to an abrupt halt as a wall burst out of the ground in front of us.
“What is this?” Adawnas asked in confusion and awe.
I looked to my right and saw the shadow of a man standing near one of the cells.
“Over there!” I pointed in the shadow’s direction. “Do you see it?”
“What do you see, Isaac?” Devin asked, confused.
I climbed down from his back and walked toward the shadow.
“Isaac, where are you going?” Devin asked as he followed.
“I know I saw something—or someone. He is right there.” I tried to show him where the shadow was but he could not see it. A thick gray mist gradually rose around us. It touched my face, hands and neck.
“Do you see this now? Any of you?” I shouted. Judging by Devin’s surprised expression, I knew that this time, he saw the mist—it emerged into the form of a man.
“Ely?” I asked as the mist shaped the traces of the face.
“You have not done well by coming to this place.” His voice sounded more like a whisper and his eyes were hollow. I noticed he did not have legs, but he stood above the mist.
“Ely?” Devin asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I am being held captive. I have been here from the time you went out to help Isaac and Demetre. The Council discovered that I had informed you about the Fallen Star that sought you. Immediately I was thrown in the Prison of Despair.”
Devin’s eyes widened. He bowed his head slightly, shaking it with disappointment.
“Who arrested you, Ely?” Adawnas asked.
“A blond girl—beautiful but wicked. Her face was as sweet and kind as a summer morning, but her heart is as evil and as dark as Athalas’ soul.”
“What exactly is this Prison of Despair?” I asked.
“Why, dear boy.” Ely’s voice was cold. “You are in it as we speak.”
My breathing failed. My eyes met Devin’s.
The mist, along with Ely’s color, changed from gray to dark red.
“You only see here a part of me. I have mastered the ability to communicate by sending a part of me out, but the place that I am in is not in this world. We are now near the entrance of the Abyss where the Shadows and the other foul creatures of the world are. The Creator constructed this prison only for those who willingly gave up their lives to serve the Darkness. I am locked deep in the dungeons. Athalas sent me to the darkest place so I would not be able to reach you. I was lucky to have never mentioned to him my ability to transport myself.”
I looked at Adawnas and Devin and could see the anguish on their faces as they listened to their friend’s account.
“You have not done well by coming this way.” As Ely spoke, a brick barrier sprung forth from the ground. “Have you not noticed how there are no soldiers guarding this prison?” he asked. “The prison guards itself.”
“It…self?” I muttered.
“When the red bars were destroyed, a curse was placed upon you by the prison. It was appointed to follow the orders of the head of the Council, Athalas, whatever they may be.”
Silence loomed over us for a moment. We could no longer hear the cry of the Aquilas or the rumble of falling debris.
“What are we to do?” Devin asked, his voice filled with despair.
“I apologize, but that I do not know,” Ely replied. Unexpectedly, the mist slowly began to vanish.
“What is happening?” I asked him. “Where are you going?”
“My body cannot support the transport for long. I must go back to my body or I might turn to dust and ash.” His voice cracked. “Good tidings to you and may the Creator guide you.” As quick as a breath, the mist dissipated.
Loneliness came over me. Despair knocked on my heart’s door, trying to make its way in. A million thoughts tried to invade my mind and I was trying with great difficulty to resist.
“What to do now?” Adawnas asked softly. Her bright blue eyes did not blink; they focused on the spot Ely had just vanished from.
Devin sighed. “I have not the answer to your question now,” he admitted, standing like a statue, barely breathing.
“Visitors? Do we have visitors?” a broken voice reverberated around us. “Where d’you come from, eh?”
None of us replied.
“Oh, I do see now. Visitors don’t answer. Pity to know ye will rot hea’,” the voice spoke once again. Devin looked at Adawnas and me.
The ground shook violently.
“Why do ye fea’ desperation, eh? I can be your closes’ friend. Do not judge I becoz you can’t see I, eh.”
I heard rumbles coming from behind me. When I turned, I saw a door being drawn on the mildewed wall.
“I show you way out of hea’. Desperation will never betray ye. Now answer, what are your names?” This time, the voice sounded loving, yet malefic.
“My name is Isaac,” I responded. “These are Adawnas, Devin, and the sleeping one is Demetre.”
There was no response from the voice.
“It vanished,” I murmured as I looked at the door.
Footsteps were then heard, coming in our direction. We were on high alert as they quickened their pace.
“Do you see it?” Devin yelled. “Do you see it?”
I looked around but was unable to see anything.
“See what?” I asked. I looked behind me and saw a disfigured being standing in front of the door, its skin as shriveled as an old prune, its eyes as golden as the rays of the sun, its teeth glistening in the dark. I looked at its arms and hands and saw that they were disproportionate for its size. It had no legs, but the tail of a snake, covered with thin gray stripes.
I stood there paralyzed with fear. The creature’s low snarls sent shivers down my spine.
“My, my, who do we have hea’, eh?” the creature whispered. “Isaac, son of Dustin and Diane Khan.” After it had finished speaking, it dragged itself toward Devin. “My, my, and hea’? An immortal at the entrance o’ death?”
“We have not died,” Devin replied, enraged, under heavy breaths. “Adawnas was sent here by Athalas. We came to rescue her.”
The creature hissed softly.
“Amusing thing—the human heart, eh? It’ll get so caught on things of passin’, no? Shame to know his heart died. I felt it comin’ but I could not say much.”
Devin took a step forward.
“What are—”
“Devin Analiel, born from…” the creature interrupted Devin, its eyes gazing at the door. “This one…hard choice…” It made its way toward the door and banged its head against it.
“I cannot see…No…can’t see parents of he, eh…” It stopped abruptly and looked at Adawnas. “What about she? What might ye be?”
“As immortal as he,” she coldly responded, her fingers tightened into fists.
“No, no, immortals no. Give me dead, dead ones, eh?” it snarled as it approached Demetre.
“Demetre Aliward…this one…dead…eh?” It smiled.
“Not dead. This one is not dead!” I yelled.
The creature laughed hysterically and then quickly wrapped its tail around my body.
“Young one, this one died…in his heart, eh? You cannot sees what Death sees,” it hissed as its tail released me. “Death sees the heart that no one can. You sees outside as I see in.”
“So you are Death
?” Devin questioned. “That is your name?”
It once again growled, its eyes meeting Devin’s. “Indeed, I is.”
“Why have you come to encounter us?” Adawnas asked.
Death looked at Adawnas and leered at her with a grotesque smile.
“This immortal, not so fool, eh? Death comes to show ye this door. Secret, dark ways behin’ it, eh?”
“What is behind it?” Devin asked. Death looked at all of us with inviting eyes. With a churlish tone, it started to sing a dark song.
“Oh eyes, for those who don’t see.
Poor, little, witty hearts that cling to ye
Through the darkness they shall go
Let darkness take them whole.”
As Death sang the sad, short song, the door burst open. Screams of agony and pain resounded from the other side. My soul weighed down inside, a weight much too unbearable to carry. My heart felt as heavy as a rock. Devin screamed, Adawnas cried bitterly. Demetre did not wake up, nor did he move. I approached the door to investigate what was on the other side. The screams were deafening.
Looking down, I saw many bodies aligned, resting against a dry wasteland. They were all in deep sleep; their features were hard to discern. I could see their cracked, dry skin, their bodies clothed in old rags. The demographic was mixed: men, women and children, forming a straight line as far as the eye could see.
I felt my body descend toward the bodies. I struggled not to go, trying desperately to find a way to stop, but I could not.
“Ye must sees, eh? Ye must sees where they are,” Death’s voice whispered in my ear as I continued my descent. “Their bodies lies in this prison, eh?”
My feet touched the dry ground. A putrid smell lingered. I was immobile, not knowing what to do or where to go. In front of me was a man, with pale skin and dark purple bags under his eyes. He had no hair on his head, but a full beard. I noticed his breathing was very shallow. To my right, I heard a rattling noise. I saw a dark snake approaching the body. I did not dare move.
The snake dragged itself among the bodies, carefully making its way. Its scaly dark skin shimmered with every movement. I did not understand why it was here or how it could survive under these harsh conditions. I stepped back as the snake approached the man, its yellow eyes fixed on his face. It gazed at him for a while and the moment he took a breath, the snake hissed. A little dim light sprang forth from the man’s slightly closed mouth and made its way inside the snake’s mouth. The man’s breathing stopped and his skin lost its faded color.
“Their bodies lie in cold places while spirits sleep. The souls are mad with hunger and vengeance. Ye needed to see,” Death spoke.
“Who is doing this?” I asked in a trembling voice.
Death slowly bowed its head. “Master not good ’nymore, eh. Heart as cold as ice, eyes as hollow as night.” After it spoke, it let out soft sobs.
“You mean to tell me Athalas is your master?” I asked, frightened of the answer I was about to get.
Death slowly reached out to touch my face; I recoiled resentfully.
“Yes…yes indeed…”
As my eyes were set on the man, a soft breeze blew and everything followed it. Like a morning wind that comes over a field of dandelions and carries them along, the Prison of Despair, and everything else, was taken by the wind, slowly fading away. A loud explosion echoed and I was sucked back to Justicia.
I was shocked when I saw the magnificent castle set aflame. The beautiful columns were all destroyed by the fire, the garden polluted by the smoke. The roars of the Aquilas were loud and ferocious. Behind me I saw Devin, Adawnas and Demetre.
“We are out!” I yelled. “We made it.”
“How did we…what happened?” Devin asked as he composed himself. Adawnas wiped away her tears.
“Isaac!” a hollow voice echoed in the atmosphere. I glanced over my shoulder and recognized Athalas and the other Council members stationed at the entrance to the castle. Devin clasped my arm and immediately we were on our feet, running as fast as we could. They transmitted guttural sounds as their bodies vanished into shadows. They were acting more like animals now. The ghastly screeches sounded terrifying, like wolves howling at the moon.
Ahead, we saw the mist that had brought us to Justicia. Without a moment’s hesitation we entered the mist. There was lightning inside, bright flashes that crossed from one place to another. It was as though the mist could sense something evil was coming. Shortly after we entered it, misshapen shadows appeared. They moved rapidly through the mist to the point where my eyes failed to keep up with them. I began to hear the same rattling sounds I had heard before.
The mist darkened and the shadows became invisible. The only thing that hung in the air was the terrifying rattling sound.
I felt branches from the trees brush against my face; we were back in the forest, back in the same place where Cyro had spared us. The moment we stepped foot outside of the mist, I felt pain strike my body. Not only did I feel it, but Adawnas and Devin fell flat on the ground, writhing in agony as well.
“Insolent fools. Did you really think you could flee from us?” Athalas spoke. I looked at him and noticed how different he looked. He was clothed in shades of black and gray, bearing the symbol of a dark lion on his chest.
I rolled on the ground in desperation. My body was afflicted from head to toe by his power. I was defenseless.
“Beautiful thing, isn’t it? To see one like you being taken by one like me. You will not die tonight, but you will be taken to them—the ones that badly need you. You are just like your parents.”
Athalas swiftly looked at Adawnas. His eyes were filled with rage. He stepped closer to her and slapped her across the face.
“Insolent fool! You knew I did not intend to kill our guests. I just wanted to put them to sleep so the Dark One could have his way with them!”
I heard footsteps approaching.
“Ah! My friends have arrived.” Athalas stood to his feet and laughed. “It really is pitiful to know that this is how it all will end, isn’t it?”
“Shadows,” Devin whispered; his body lay pinned to the ground.
“Yes—all wanting to devour you. Honestly, the only thing standing between you and death right now is me.”
After he spoke, the Shadows let out a series of screeches. Some were high pitched, others low, but they were all ghoulish.
“I am pretty sure you know the reason why I am here,” Athalas said as he let out a laugh.
“I am not giving him to you, Atha—” Devin protested, but before he could finish, one of the Shadows attacked him with a bite on the neck. Another one swiftly arrived and stole Demetre’s body away.
“Before you finish that sentence, I would carefully consider your words. If you want, you can freely and willingly come with me,” Athalas spoke as he walked toward me. “I promise you won’t come to any harm,” he said with a sneer.
Hastily, Athalas retrieved his sword and swiftly cut a small incision on my chest. I was paralyzed with fear. The pain from the blade was excruciating. “I would consider the option, young one. You do not know what lies ahead.”
“Your power is temporal, Athalas. You know it,” Adawnas spoke in a halting voice.
“Are you sure of this, Adawnas? How could my power be so temporal if the Darkness has endured this long? How temporal will it be if I am the conqueror of Death?”
Devin struggled, but managed to raise himself up with a wound on his neck.
“Because”—Devin could barely speak—“of people…like you…fools like you.” He tried to attack Athalas, but was much too weak.
“The immortal Nephilin is finally damaged!” Athalas clapped his hands gleefully.
Athalas’ eyes turned red and opened wide as he slowly turned his head to my direction. I was still bleeding from my chest, and I knew my blood was what he needed to open the book. He did not speak a word, but I sensed that he was penetrating my thoughts, speaking into my mind.
The pain i
ncreased. My vision dimmed and I visualized myself burning in a lake of fire. My flesh was detaching from my body and slowly melting away. I could not die in the fire, nor could the pain be stopped. As I burned, I felt something crawling on my neck. I reached for it only to find maggots eating at my flesh. My heart was pounding violently in my chest, almost exploding. I felt the maggots crawling over my organs, feasting on my burning flesh.
Seconds after it had begun, the vision faded. My sight gradually returned to me. I heard muffled screams, footsteps and the clanging of metal. My surroundings fell silent and the temperature dropped quickly. I had no control over my body. All sound faded into a deathly silence.
V
My body returned to life. Slowly, I felt my senses return to me. My eyes opened to see that I was locked in a beautiful room. There were enormous black curtains hanging down over large glass windows, a regal bed with two lions carved on the bedside dresser. The carpet had a delicately crafted floral pattern and a sweet fragrance lingered in the air.
I noticed my clothing was different: clean and ornate. I wore a black waistcoat over a black leather vest, a gray overcoat that fell to my knees with solid black boots. As I turned, I approached the mirror hanging on the wall to my left. Reaching for my chest, I could feel that the cut Athalas had made was still there.
I realized I was completely alone. I ran toward the sturdy wooden door, knocking desperately.
“Anyone there?” I yelled, hoping someone would find me here. The room was fully lit by torches.
I turned around to open the curtains so I could see where I was and I discovered a marvelous city under the gray skies. The beautiful houses all had very similar architectural characteristics, with huge pillars and gigantic windows.
I was alone and without the slightest idea of where I was. Eventually, I heard the door creak behind me. As I turned, I saw a man standing there. He was very tall with long blond hair, a fair complexion, and his eyes were such a brilliant blue that they seemed to shimmer.
“Please, come with me,” he instructed, gesturing the way with his right hand.
“Where am I?” I asked apprehensively as I studied him. His height was intimidating.