by J. D. Netto
I could no longer argue with him. He was right. My eyes filled with sorrowful tears. I knew they were going to die; their fate awaited them on this day. I knew there was one thing Devin could not understand; one thing he did not know. He did not have the power to see the people’s souls. I could see them, feel their hearts as they died around me. The experience was overwhelming, disheartening.
“Let us be courageous now and head out!” he charged as he struggled to get up. I inhaled a deep breath, wiped away the tears and nodded, reaching out to him, helping him to stand. As he stood to his feet, I was surprised to see the wounds on his neck and legs were rapidly healing.
“Devin!” I heard Adawnas’ voice. She appeared out of the woods “We cannot linger any longer. The Shadows are going to turn this place into ash. I saw their army. There are many of them coming…still coming,” she panted. I was not able to miss the scarlet stains on her clothes. Seeing the blood was in some way a confirmation that the citizens of Valley Hills would be dead soon.
“I am sorry, but we have no choice now,” he said, displaying no emotion on his face. I understood what he meant. We had to leave the people behind.
At that moment, the faces, thoughts and emotions of the people flooded my mind. Their deaths would be intolerable for me—at least for some time.
In the midst of the explosions and the destruction, we ran with all the speed that our legs could carry. It was foolish of us to think that we would escape unnoticed by the Shadows. The moment we caught sight of them, they immediately followed us.
I separated myself from Devin and Adawnas and headed toward a huge monument that was to my left. It was covered in pure white, surrounded by many golden columns. On top there was a statue of a woman holding a scale. Aside from the monument’s architecture, something else grasped my attention; there was a sentence written above the columns:
“Justice and Vengeance Come by the Measure of the Scale”
I broke through the monument’s wooden door. The moment I walked inside, I knew what this building was used for. It was a courthouse. Behind me, many Shadows followed. Exactly what I wanted! I wanted to take advantage of every single moment I had before I actually had to leave. I wanted to annihilate as many Shadows as I possibly could. And the recompense of being able to destroy them inside of a courthouse caused my heart to burst into joy.
My heart wanted vengeance; vengeance for the people that were dying outside. With my sword, I slashed every one of them. The more Shadows I decimated the more Shadows appeared. Some descended from the ceiling, while others came from the door. I continuously wielded my sword around, wounding as many as possible. Then my body slowly trembled; my eyes widened. With a simple thought, I was pushing the Shadows back, away from me. They growled contemptuously.
They still tried to assault me, but their onslaughts were ineffective. With my mind I created a shield around me. I noticed as my hunger for justice increased, the shield gained more strength, instantly causing the Shadows to burn.
Inside of my shield, a cloud of smoke formed. My heart felt heavy, almost as if falling from my chest. I noticed the Shadows’ movements decreased in speed, slowly stopping. The world around me stopped. I heard low groans.
A voice echoed behind me.
“Isaac, you have come to my chamber.” After the voice spoke, it hissed like a snake.
My breathing quickened.
“Who are you?” I asked, hesitant.
The voice laughed malevolently.
“I am the nightmare of your soul. It has been so easy to play with your head, Isaac. You fell right into my trap.” Again it hissed slowly, with deliberate contempt.
“Lucifer?” I held on firmly to my sword as I spoke the name. The very sound of it sent a chill down my spine.
“Yes,” a hollow breath countered. “It is I.” A shadow appeared and slowly transformed itself into human form.
“Your mind is a vast field of information and excitement for me, little Isaac. I have learned a lot from watching you lately. I must say, the Creator has not been training his…puppets well.” His shape did not seem to be symmetrical; his shadow moved like rising smoke.
I tried to speak but I couldn’t. My mouth failed to respond, as did my body. My sword thudded loudly on the ground as my hands unwillingly released it.
“What you are doing is absolutely senseless. My body might be asleep, but my spirit moves unhindered over these lands. It is not hard to find you, Isaac…your thoughts are…really loud.” A portion of his shadow shrouded my face in the shape of a human hand, dimming my view. My teeth chattered and my breathing faltered as I felt the frozen cold soul he possessed touch my face.
“You cannot hide from me. I still control you. You still belong to me. That is why I must tell you a secret, little Isaac.”
The weight I felt inside of myself was overwhelming. It was as if all of the wickedness of the world had been birthed into me.
“Oh—I don’t think I should. You will see it very soon. You shall see that the Diary does not stand alone.”
My eyes constantly averted his stare as his vileness was intolerable to me. I felt that his presence would pollute the very core of my being. Not only did I hear the hissing of a snake, but now there were also rattling sounds reverberating throughout the chamber, and hollow voices echoing.
“Isaac…what are you doing in here?” I faintly heard Devin’s voice in the midst of the other voices. After quickly assessing my immediate surroundings, I soon realized that Lucifer had slowed down the dimension of time.
“Isaac, what is wrong with you?” This time it was Adawnas’ voice. The moment the voice echoed again, Lucifer disappeared, along with the rest of the Shadows that had entered the courthouse. Instantly, time resumed to its normal pace.
“What are you doing here? Why didn’t you follow us? Are you incapable of listening?” They kept on mumbling, but I paid little heed to their preoccupation with the nonessential matters of the present moment. My mind and body had been devoured by this evil being and it was in a complete state of shock.
The disaster around me was incomprehensible. To witness so many innocent lives that had perished by the most profane and merciless murderer drained my soul.
After we jumped over the wall that encircled the village, we headed deep into the forest. As we fled, the screams of the people slowly faded, but their thoughts and feelings didn’t. My mind was obsessed with the recent slaughter from the Abyss—thoughts of their fate lingered inside of me.
At last, we were far from danger’s path. My body was extremely weary. I pondered whether or not to mention the visitation I just had to them. We were all silent. Devin headed to a nearby oak tree and sat by its side, not speaking a word. Adawnas climbed up one of the trees and relaxed there. I remained in the same stationary stance, gaping at the dense, black forest.
My mind was crowded with the desperate cries and screams for help from the villagers; helpless to protect them as the Shadows plundered and killed the innocent ones. The images of the village being completely destroyed by fire were vivid in my mind.
I rocked my body back and forth; my breathing became much labored. I tried to make sense of it all, especially the reason why Lucifer had shown himself to me…why did he withhold the secret…the reason why he said I was still his? Could this have anything to do with the visions and dreams I had been having?
As a feeling of loneliness crept inside of me, I found myself weeping over all of the things that were bottled up inside until now. My parents, Demetre, those people…it all happened so fast. Some things I had gained, but I had lost many others. The tears rolled down my face and this time, I was just too exhausted to hold them back. My soul was so wounded. I laid my head down on the tree and wept bitterly, releasing all the emotions that had drained me mentally, emotionally and physically. It was time to rest.
IX
With the darkness that covered Elysium, the only way to discern that morning had arrived was when the darkness of the clouds w
as washed away by the rays of the sun that shone behind them. The moment I opened my eyes, I immediately felt the change of temperature. To my surprise, I saw flurries of snow falling. Quickly I rose and glanced at the gray sky.
“Strange, isn’t it?” Adawnas asked. “I have never seen snow fall at this time of the year. It is indeed quite unexpected.”
“Anyone hungry?” I heard Devin’s voice echo from within the woods. Shortly after, he appeared with a deer in his arms.
“I have food,” he said with a grin on his face.
I shook my head. “Have I slept for long?” I asked Adawnas.
“One hour probably…not that long.”
Since our journey, the forest had been very quiet and it surprised me when I heard the chirping of birds and the faint squeaks of rodents stirring from their holes among the trees.
“You know, I tried awfully hard to ignore your weeping but I couldn’t,” Adawnas spoke with her mellow voice. “It is alright to grieve over those who have passed, but you must not allow grief to rule you.”
Unexpectedly, from afar I saw some men heading in our direction. I felt the strength of their hearts, the indomitable courage they had within. Devin looked ahead and smiled. He seemed relieved.
As the men drew near, I recognized one of them. It was the same man that approached us in the Valley Hills, the one that led the Underwarriors. Four other men had joined with him. Their armors were broken, their swords and shields shattered.
“I am glad to see you all made it out alive,” the man I recognized spoke.
“I am relieved to see you have survived. We didn’t get a chance to talk,” I replied as I walked closer to him.
His skin had burn marks all over it. “Unfortunately, many of the women were killed, the children were taken, and we lost many men,” he added. Their faces looked weary, their breathing hard, even their hands trembled.
“Please, sit down. I am pretty sure you are all tired and hungry. We are about to have deer,” Devin said as he prepared the meal.
“What is your name?” Adawnas asked.
“My name is Alexander, head of the Underwarriors. These here are Adamo, Gluglielmo, Nathan and Lino. We are the only ones who survived the attack of the Shadows,” he said as they sat on one of the broken logs.
“How did you find us?” I asked. My eyes analyzed the wounds scattered throughout their bodies.
They all looked at each other and then set their eyes on Devin and Adawnas. “It is not hard for us to find your kind.”
Devin immediately released the deer.
“I suppose you are here to destroy not only Shadows, but my kind as well?” Adawnas said sharply.
“But they are not like the others,” I contested. “They have been nothing but brave and loyal on this journey.”
“We are not here to kill any of you—not even your kind,” Adamo spoke. “We noticed you were different the moment you walked into Valley Hills. That is why we joined with you in battle.”
Devin had already started the fire. The temperature continued to drop as we spoke.
“What are Underwarriors? I have never heard of your kind in all my years of existence,” Adawnas affirmed.
“Which I assume you have many long, well-lived years on this land, am I correct?” Gluglielmo added. We all chuckled softly.
“Well, where to begin?” Alexander scratched his head. “We do not differ from your kind in many ways, but we have something that…” There was a sudden pause, and then he continued, “Privileges that you were not given.”
“You mean the opportunity to be redeemed?” Devin interrupted. At this question, Alexander became apprehensive.
“We are humans now, but this was not always the case,” he stammered. “We can even consider ourselves to be related, if that is even possible.”
Silence fell.
“We were sent from Tristar in human form long ago, shortly after the fall of the Brightest Star. We do not age, and we cannot die.”
“But you’re still wounded and many of you did die,” I affirmed, my eyes boring into his. “How can this be?”
“Our bodies have retained vulnerability to war and the slaying of swords, but we do not die once these bodies are corrupted. Our souls return to Tristar where we stay until ordered elsewhere.”
As my eyes examined the severity of the Underwarriors’ wounds, I noticed they possessed a few traits resembling those of the Nephilins.
“I can see you are also wounded,” Adamo spoke as his eyes gazed at the bite marks on Devin’s arms and neck. Even though they were quickly healing, they were still very visible.
Devin placed the deer on a wooden stick and set it over the fire, ignoring his comment.
“What is your objective, exactly?” I asked them. “You sprung out of the ground like ants, came to our aid, eradicated the Shadows, and then you found us. What is it you have been charged to accomplish?”
“We have come to aid the humans and the Council in protecting the Diary.” Alexander’s words fell heavy and weary from his lips. “They have chosen their own ruin, and yet the Creator still gives them a chance for redemption.”
“It might upset you to know that Nephele has the Diary,” I said with grave distress.
A smile began to curve at the corners of Alexander’s mouth. “They may have the Diary, but they do not have you, young one,” he said.
“I will assume that you are on our side then—all of you, that is,” Devin said hotly. He began tapping his fingers against his arms in a sign of impatience.
Alexander smiled again and placed his right hand on Devin’s shoulder.
“Indeed, indeed we are.” There was a slight pause. “Who would have ever thought that we would see Nephilins and Underwarriors working together? Who knows…there might be redemption in the future for your kind, after all.”
“You say that you are from Tristar—does that mean you have met Lucifer?” After my horrifying encounter with him in Valley Hills, I couldn’t resist the impulse to ask him.
Silence hung in the air momentarily. Nathan scoffed.
“Yes, we have seen him. Better yet, we served him in Tristar for thousands of years. He tried coercive persuasion to defect over to his side, but we did not approve of his evildoing nor his malevolent intentions,” Nathan answered with a strong and authoritative voice.
“Have you also seen the Creator?” Adawnas asked.
Alexander smiled. “Why, yes! We have seen him many times. I clearly remember the day we came to life through him. We are created differently than humans, or your kind. Humans he molded with his bare hands—us he breathed upon the shining stars of the night sky and out of each star, we were born.”
As they spoke of the Creator, their faces lit like torches. Of course, as they spoke, I could not help but recall the divine moment when I first heard his voice in that ocean. To hear them speak of him brought me a serene peace.
Afterward, we sat by the fire, eating deer, enjoying the silence. I attempted to read the Underwarriors and I could discern that they were indeed not from here. Their thoughts were difficult to see and understand. It was like listening to many men speaking at once and trying to understand what each one was speaking.
“We must be off,” Alexander said, wiping his hands against his legs, cleaning his fingers. “We will be heading to the Gates of the Fourth Dimension to see what can be done there.”
“Just the four of you?” Devin asked.
“Yes.” Alexander walked closer to Devin. “You know, I really hope that your kind will find redemption from the Creator. I never thought that I’d meet a Nephilin with such an amazing soul. I still wonder why you are so different from the others.”
Devin was speechless. His eyes glimmered with joy as he peered over at Adawnas, but his joy was met with coldness. She remained stoic, arms crossed.
“I am really glad we met, Alexander,” I said. “I do hope our paths will cross again soon.”
“Don’t worry, we will,” he affirmed as they
all stood to their feet.
Slowly they walked to the woods, disappearing in a matter of seconds. After this visit, I felt hope springing forth once again within me.
I was so absorbed with our conversation that I failed to notice that the landscape around us had been completely covered with snow.
I was amazed to see how fast the snow covered the trees. A never-ending white road leading us deeper into the heart of the forest appeared ahead of us.
We walked in silence. I could tell Adawnas and Devin were as apprehensive as I was, entering the unknown depths of the forest. We did not know what to expect. Even Devin and Adawnas, who had been alive for so long, were completely oblivious to what was in store for us.
“It does not even feel like this is Elysium anymore.” Devin broke the silence. “So many changes taking place…” he mused as we walked.
“How difficult will it be to convince Mag Mell of everything that is going on?” I asked.
Devin shrugged.
“Well, from what I remember you were not thrilled to know our journey was leading us there,” I added. He shot me a cold look.
Devin’s silence implied that he was thinking of an answer to give me—one that would not expose his pride and morals.
“The bigger kingdoms here in Elysium are all very proud, holding dear to their hearts their traditions and cultures. To bring down these walls will not be easy,” Devin said, breaking his silence.
“Especially the people from Mag Mell,” Adawnas spoke in her soothing voice. “They are proud, Isaac; they have conquered territories, brought war upon many and proved victorious. Their thoughts will probably invade your mind as we approach the kingdom.”
As we continued on, pieces of broken concrete were scattered along the ground. Not long after we stumbled onto the concrete, towers rose from the ground of the forest.
“What is this place?” I asked, astounded at the sight. It was quite apparent that once a stately city had thrived amidst these old ruins.