by J. D. Netto
“This marks the beginning of the Mag Mellian territory, and is only one of the many ruins that are scattered around this area—remnants of kingdoms that have been destroyed and their people enslaved.”
Throughout my journey through Elysium, I discovered that I truly lacked knowledge about this place. With every new mystery revealed, I felt like an outsider in my own land. A soft cool breeze blew and the still-soft snow was slowly blown away from some of the monuments, revealing faded colors, broken designs and unique patterns.
Neither Devin nor Adawnas seemed to be surprised at the sight. They had probably been here before, or expected to see these ruins.
“We have to keep on moving—there is no time to linger,” Devin affirmed, carefully analyzing our surroundings.
The snow once again commenced to fall. The dense forest was becoming nearly impossible to travel through. To our surprise, we came across a river. It had not yet been frozen by the cold, but it would only be a matter of time before it succumbed to the bitter conditions.
“I don’t think we should travel any further. The snow is getting too intense here,” Adawnas alleged as we stopped at the river bank. The visibility was barely perceivable to see what lay ahead of us.
“Devin, let us rest. We will continue our journey in a short while,” I said, my teeth chattering due to the frigid conditions.
Devin sighed, obviously disapproving of the idea. I also found no delight in stopping again to wait out the storm, but we needed our full strength where we were heading.
In the woods near the river, we picked up some old tree bark and leaves to build a shelter. Once inside, Devin gathered some wood and built a small fire. We all lay near the burning flames, trying to warm up our bodies. I tried my best to relax and rest for a while, but as time elapsed I found it difficult to get a wink of sleep.
A loud growl broke the silence. Adawnas hastily headed outside to investigate the commotion; Devin and I followed. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor, making it impossible to see anything clearly since the storm had not weakened.
“Can you see them?” she asked us as her eyes frantically searched for the creatures that growled.
“What is it?” I asked, but no one responded.
Shortly after we began searching, we spotted them. They were Aquilas. Adawnas in haste headed toward them. As we approached the animals we realized that they were all walking, their wings frozen solid from the storm. Once they saw us, they recoiled, afraid of our presence.
“They are not equipped for this type of weather…they will not last here,” she said as her voice broke.
“Unfortunately, they will not be the only ones to die here.” Devin caressed one of them. The Aquilas were struggling to move. Their heads were down and their wings were completely torn. Some of them also had deep wounds covering their bodies.
Adawnas looked at them with gloomy eyes.
It was the first time that I had seen Adawnas weeping. She laid her head against the ground and repeatedly beat her clutched fist against it, screaming in desperation.
“Adawnas, please, let us not lose our focus right now,” Devin tried calming her.
“It is not about losing our focus, Devin,” she screamed. “Look at them—and many more will surely come. Is there really hope for this situation? Let us face the facts now: they have the Diary, and the world is completely covered with this dark cloud blocking us all from the sun. You know this will not be the only disaster, but it is the beginning of many to come.”
Devin bowed his head and moaned.
“You feel it, don’t you?” she asked as she wiped the tears from her face.
In haste, she stood to her feet.
“And us? Why do we fight? Why should we care? Even if we make it, and we get all the kingdoms to unite in this battle, what hope do we have? Are we really anticipating that a human army has the strength to stop Lucifer’s army?”
Devin’s expression was cold; no sign of any emotion came from him. His eyes were fixed on her every movement.
“Adawnas, you need to control yourself!” I said in a feeble attempt to calm her.
She turned her head to gaze at me.
“What do you know? Nothing! You should be the one going on this journey throughout the kingdoms, not us. There is no hope for us, even if there is victory.”
“You know that is not true.” Devin’s tone of voice was bitter.
She scratched her head as she again turned to face the Aquilas. They all lay on the snow-covered ground, their very breath weakened by the moment.
“We are damned just like this land, Devin. Our kind has been damned since the dawn of time.” Devin remained silent. “You remember those days just as well as I do—the days of darkness after the war where we lingered in Elysium without any direction, being disdained by our fathers.”
“Please stop speaking all of this rubbish.” Irritation was evident in Devin’s voice.
“You know this is not rubbish. You can be enraged all you want, but you know I am telling the truth. We were damned by birth. Don’t you remember how we had to grow up alone because our mothers were turned into Shadows and we were left to wander the world in solitude? Soon after, Lucifer attacked Tristar and was put to sleep. That was until Nephele decided to gather our kind.”
“But we are not them, Adawnas—we are not our parents.” He tried to calm her down but she was too desperate, too distraught to listen. This was not the time for comfort, she was too angry.
“The need to deny my natural urges…the need to refrain from catering to my own will is overwhelming.” She bore her eyes into mine, her fists tightened as she walked closer. “It would’ve been a lot easier if you had chosen Nephele’s offer Isaac, we would have all been part of the covenant with them, conquering this world right now.”
I was shocked at her allegation.
“Adawnas, I do not regret my decision and if given the chance I would never go back on it,” I affirmed in a strong voice.
“Do you not see what is happening? Look around you now! What we are trying to do is to change an eternal mindset of concepts. We are attempting to reform an entire generation’s frame of mind to believe in something they always thought was a myth.”
“Still, we carry proof that these things exist!” I contested.
For a moment I looked around and saw my companions in a state of discord, confused. The Aquilas were dying in this subfreezing temperature, buried in the snow that had covered the entire land. Was this also going to be my demise?
“We are all damned, just like this place…” She sobbed with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“But the Creator came to me—”
“He came to you, Isaac…not to me,” she yelled.
I shot Devin a look and I could tell he was as disconcerted as I. In the few moments of stillness that hovered over us, my mind was overtaken with memories of our journey. Had it all been in vain? Had our arduous efforts to protect Demetre been useless? The Creator had indeed come to me, but if his power was far superior to the Darkness, why was the Darkness spreading swiftly throughout the land?
“Adawnas, please, you know we must be in agreement on this matter. We cannot lose you now,” Devin whispered to her while holding both of her hands.
“I can’t do this anymore, Devin. I cannot pretend to believe in this anymore…I am so sorry,” she said, gasping.
She was once again screaming hysterically, her hands over her head.
“I am sorry,” she lamented, taking off at great speed. In a couple of seconds, she had vanished into the woods.
I quickly panicked, my body paralyzed from the shock of her departure.
“Devin, we need to go after her now!” I declared as I positioned my body to start running.
Slowly he turned his back, head bowed; he walked back toward our shelter.
“You mean we are not going after her?” I shouted, shocked at his actions.
He sighed. “No. This choice is not ours to change. Let us get s
ome sleep now.”
I looked around and saw the blanket of white that covered the landscape in every direction the eye could see.
“Sleep? How can you think of that now? She left!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, hastily making my way to him. “How do we know she has not sided with the enemy?”
He quickly moved his body toward me, his eyes penetrating deep into mine.
“I hope you understand something. I have been fighting against my nature for such a long time now. I wasn’t always this strong, Isaac. She decided to align herself with me the moment she discovered Athalas’ plans. Don’t think for a split second that this is easy…or cheap. How would you feel if you were starving and someone presented you with a succulent turkey breast? After a while, that same person tells you that you cannot eat it, but you must only drink the wine that is set at the table? The wine will quench your thirst, but it cannot satisfy your hunger. I am doing this because I want to believe. I need to believe.” With that said, he turned about, continuing his walk to the shelter.
I was speechless.
What else could I say or think of? I felt groundless, as though I was floating around some insecure invisible space that would soon drop me into an abyss. I could not turn back; neither did I want to go forward.
I reclined against a tree and stared up reflectively into the sky. The snow had stopped falling. The Aquilas had fallen silent. I turned to them and saw their frozen bodies buried halfway in the snow.
“There is still hope,” I mumbled to myself. I continued to remind my soul, rehearsing the things Raziel had confided to me. They fear what you will become. Right now, I had no other choice but to believe. I closed my eyes and softly sang a tune.
Night star in the sky, how marvelous you shine
Above me you stand. In the darkness, you are the only lamp
Even if small and dim
Night star, in the darkness you bring light from within.
After I sang, my heart and mind drifted back to happier days tucked away in my thoughts. I pretended that everything was simply a nightmare; that I would wake up in the morning and once again find my parents in the kitchen, head out with my father to the fields, and afterward, return home to a nice cooked meal. I took a deep breath and shivered from the harsh blow of the frigid air.
I headed back to the shelter and found Devin sitting down, tears strolling down his face. It shocked me because I had never seen him cry.
I lay down on the opposite side of the shelter. He uttered not a single word. I fell asleep as I listened to Devin’s low sobs and muffled groaning.
X
I awoke to find myself in a white room with a gigantic glass window. I used my powers in an attempt to read my surroundings, but there was nothing.
I headed to the window and peered up into the sky. The moment my eyes looked upon the scene that was repeated before me, tears began to form. As I scanned the heavens, stark images of my entire journey passed before me. My heart was filled with great turmoil as I viewed the faces of those that had died. I saw the women who died in Valley Hills, the mutilated bodies scattered around the premises. I experienced once again the anguish of witnessing my best friend change into a beast as I stood by helpless, unable to protect him.
“You should have been smarter, Isaac.”
I instantly recognized the cold voice, which sent shivers down my spine. I turned around to see Nephele standing right behind me.
“When I offered you the choice, it was simply because I knew of the destiny that awaited you,” she stated with an icy smile.
“I am no fool, Nephele! I offer no regret for the choice I’ve made,” I affirmed without flinching.
“A fool you are, Isaac. The diminutive enhancement of your abilities is insignificant in comparison to what could have been—actually, what can still be.”
A rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins. A sudden change was taking place inside of me. My body grew weak. My vision was getting blurry, and my head began to spin.
Could this be the moment of weakness Raziel warned me about? I wondered as weakness overtook me. Could this be my human will trying to break out? Every part of my body weakened as thoughts rushed through my mind. My body became limp.
“Where are we?” I asked, not sure if this was a dream or reality.
She smiled.
“This is reality, Isaac—nothing else.”
“Reality…” I was confused. My breathing grew shallow.
She walked toward the glass window; her eyes were fixed on the memories that played out in the sky.
“I can see some of these events hurt you deeply, but there is still time to change all of these events, Isaac,” she said, gently laying her hands against the window. After a short silence, she effortlessly moved toward me.
“You still have the opportunity to join us. Think of what it could be—what the world will be like.” She tried to place her hand on my face, but I slowly recoiled, backing away. I commenced to read her thoughts and felt sincerity in her heart. It was shocking to realize she was actually quite truthful about her claims.
“Demetre was not so stubborn,” she affirmed with a cold expression. She frowned in a sign of disapproval.
Upon examining the memories, right now was not the best time to recall thoughts of Demetre. I could only focus my attention on my friend being so far away and separated by the darkness.
“As far as I can remember, Demetre did not have the opportunity to choose,” I recalled.
“You are right, he didn’t. His parents made that choice for him. We agreed to grant them their greatest desire,” she informed me as she inched closer. “They desired a son, so a son was given, and within him dwelled the power of Darkness.”
Every time I thought things were beginning to make sense, a new occurrence interrupted my reasoning. I bowed my head, awestruck by what Nephele had just told me. The strangest feeling took place. The rhythm of my heart slowed down as my eyes looked at hers. Rapidly, my vulnerability was succumbing to her provocative manipulation. Even though the room around me was as white as snow, my heart felt as though it was chained within the blackest abyss. To see Nephele standing in front of me with such beguiling beauty; her relentless power weakened me to the very core of my soul.
“You can still choose to be with us, Isaac. Side with us and end your suffering,” she whispered enticingly into my ear.
The very thought that I could be rid of all the excruciating pain I had been forced to endure was a most tempting invitation. I was faced with two destinies; I needed time to reflect, to think, to make the right choice, but at the same time, I knew I could not deviate from the path I had already chosen. Yet, my desire to be relieved of all this suffering was overpowering. Confusion invaded my mind, making it difficult to make the right decision. My eyes fastened onto her gaze.
“How much time do I have to decide?” I asked her as I took a step closer, hoping to stall for more time.
She gave me an uncanny half-smile, indicating her willingness to barter with me.
“Until you wake up again.” She rested her hand on my cheek. Slowly she moved her lips closer to mine. Nephele now stood so close to my body that I could feel the breath of her nostrils touching my face, her lips pursed close to mine.
I veiled my eyes; the memories continued to play in my head, my heart slowly beating. Of all the memories, one stood out to me: I would never forget the moment I caught sight of the white lion that killed me and brought me back to life once again, along with the ocean and the landscape that surrounded it; the red eyes that pierced my very soul.
I opened my eyes and smiled as the memories faded.
“So…have you already made a decision?” She anxiously bit her bottom lip.
“My answer to you…is…no.” Abruptly, I pushed her away from me. I was not accustomed to combating women, but Nephele was not solely a woman; she was an enemy of my soul.
“Not very wise, Isaac! Your end will prove to be far worse than you could ever imagi
ne, you fool. We have the Diary…do not forget that Demetre is host to one of the Generals of Darkness,” she roared. “I came here to give you another chance to live, but you have willingly chosen death. There is nothing more I can do now to reverse your decision.”
While the words drifted from her mouth, shards fell on the white floor of the room as the glass window shattered. The walls crumbled slowly and cracks appeared like spider webs as they traveled along the foundation. The memories that had formed in the heavens dissolved quickly.
Gasping frantically for air forced me to open my eyes. My body was dripping with sweat. As I looked around to get my bearings I spotted Devin sitting with his head bowed down. Curious, I crawled closer to find that he was only sleeping. My whole body began to shake violently as I tried to grasp what had just happened. Nephele had just appeared to me in my dreams…how was that possible? Was penetrating minds part of her special abilities?
Devin grunted, slowly lifting his head.
“Are you alright, Isaac? You look troubled,” he mumbled in a sleepy voice.
I explained to him all that had just happened to me. As I told him the story, his face was transfixed in a complete state of shock.
“So she was able to enter your dreams,” Devin said in a reflective tone.
“Yes. She offered it to me again, the power…the choice to side with them…I felt my human nature returning—the vulnerability of my old self returning back to me, Devin,” I said, weariness lingering in my voice.
He sighed.
“To have your human will and nature be at its strongest on occasion is inevitable for you, I am afraid. You are human and even if you possessed all of the abilities in the world, you’d still suffer this attack. Nephele wants you, Isaac…the Darkness wants you.”
As he continued to speak, my eyes caught sight of Adawnas’ sword lying on the ground. With a heavy heart, I bent down, grabbing ahold of the sword.
“What do you think of my decision, Devin? Did I choose wisely?” I asked, somewhat afraid of his answer.
“I believe you were incredibly brave and wise. Even though Nephele’s offer may sound very appealing, it will be but a temporary relief. We need to believe this Darkness won’t endure for long.” As he answered, his eyes never swayed from the sword.