by J. D. Netto
“What about Adawnas? Where did she go?” My biggest fear, I thought, was the possibility that she was in some way connected to Athalas and the others.
“Adawnas has made her choice. Her path from now on is none of our concern,” he spoke a bit apprehensively.
His hand reached for the sword within my grasp.
“May I?” he asked. Anguish was explicitly drawn on his face.
I nodded.
“We have to be more alert. The power of the enemy is growing.” He gently touched the sword as he spoke. “We must go to Mag Mell and seek aid. Even though I believe many of the inhabitants already know about the Shadows and their attacks—or are even taking part in it all.” He sighed. “Now…let us go back to sleep, Isaac. We need all the strength we can get to move on.”
He laid himself on the ground, placed the sword next to him, folded his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and in an instant he resembled a statue in his resting state. How can he expect me to sleep after what has just happened to me? I pondered. To my surprise, sleep came to me as the vivid images of the dream played in my mind.
The cold breeze awoke me. Devin was sitting outside our shelter, near the frigid water. As I stepped out, I stopped for a minute to survey the snow-covered landscape.
During the hours of our sleep, the river had frozen over. I was astounded to see how wide it was.
“The River of Abstergo—the widest and longest river in all of Elysium,” Devin said as he glanced at the frozen waters. “We are close to Mag Mell. We should arrive there in a few hours.” I was relieved by this observation.
“Have you already eaten, Devin?” I asked him. He was straining his eyes across the river, looking into something unseen.
“I am not hungry.” He did not bother to look up at me when he answered. Deep in thought, he was focused on one thing: the mission at hand.
“Let us keep moving,” he said.
We gathered our belongings from the shelter and were soon on our way. Instead of turning and heading to the forest like I thought we would, Devin followed the trail alongside the river.
“We will have to walk over it. Be very careful as you step onto the icy river,” he said, making it sound as though walking atop recently frozen rivers was a very natural activity.
“The river?” I asked, shocked. “Can we try to jump over it?”
He scoffed.
“Do you really think that even with our speed, we could cross this river with a simple leap?” I looked out toward the water again as he spoke. I noticed that my hasty suggestion was impractical. The river was too wide, and I knew he feared the increased possibility of falling through the ice, if we tried to jump. I decided not to complain. He had been around long enough to judge the best course of action in this situation.
“Why not take the forest?” I asked, hopeful that he would agree to my suggestion.
“She came to you…she is probably close. We need to travel the fastest route this time. We are not certain of who has aligned with her,” he replied coldly.
A chilling gentle breeze was blowing across the top of the river, scattering the still-soft snow. Slowly we inched along the top of the frozen waters, carefully watching our every step. Devin walked ahead of me. With every step we took, I could feel the ice cracking beneath our feet.
“Is there no other way?” I asked, looking at my feet as they treaded on the ice.
Devin came to a sudden halt.
“Devin?” I called out to him, but he did not answer.
As quickly as the ice would permit me, I hurriedly scuttled to Devin’s side, being as careful as possible. The sight I beheld as I reached him left me speechless. A part of the river that had not frozen over stretched out before me, and to my surprise, bodies floated in the water like warped tree logs. Some were missing their limbs while others were missing their eyes or hands. Some of them were still intact.
“They have come,” Devin said as his fingers clenched into fists. I heard the echoing of ferocious growling. We both knew instantly what followed those contemptible sounds.
The moment I closed my eyes, I could clearly see what surrounded us. Nephele was closing in on both of us with an army of Shadows. The vision caused me to tremble with fear.
“Isaac, can you see where they are coming from?” Devin asked. He seemed to be very agitated.
“No, but they are close.” Instantly, I sensed the presence of Shadows as they resolutely marched in our direction.
“We have to find a way to escape, Devin.” The moment I opened my eyes, I caught a glimpse of Nephele laughing with cruel mockery. Though I knew her image was stemming from my mind, her evil presence felt very real.
“I tried to be reasonable with you, but I have wasted my time.” The vision gradually faded but it quickly returned. My head burned from the shrillness of her voice pounding in my ears.
The vision vanished.
I gasped for air. Every encounter with Nephele, whether in vision or in a dream, left my body drained of energy and strength.
Shadows were slowly surrounding the riverbank; their desperation and their compulsive thirst to kill attracted my attention. I was awestruck by their numbers.
“They reached it before us,” Devin whispered.
“Reached what?”
“Mag Mell! They’ve destroyed it already…we were too late,” he spoke with a tormented voice.
Dead bodies continued flowing down the unfrozen portion of the river, and gradually piled up near the ice.
Four Desert Dragons hovered above us like a pack of vultures over a carcass, slowly plummeting to devour it. Three of them flew to the shore to meet the Shadows while the one remaining descended swiftly toward us.
I recognized who was atop this beast by its malefic presence.
The Desert Dragon carefully landed on the ice, but even with all its care, it could not prevent the frozen river from cracking. Nephele alighted from the creature attired in a long black cloak. Her breast, shoulders and arms were protected by a dark armor. Her soul-piercing eyes landed on me.
At once, silence filled the atmosphere. The Shadows became still, and the beasts stopped growling; even the wind seemed to cease blowing. I saw Athalas, Corbin and Azaziel standing on the riverside accompanied by thousands of Shadows. Their presence together stirred urgency in my heart, especially that of Corbin.
Nephele walked toward us, her face expressing her coldness. “Isaac, dear, did you tell your friend about our encounter last night?” Her smile was evil personified.
“I know what you are here to do, Nephele, but are you incapable of recruiting me on your own?” With every word I uttered, the anger that burned within me refueled my strength.
“I would have been a fool to come by myself.” She let out a wicked laugh.
I took out my sword.
Instantly, paralysis attacked my entire body, every limb went numb, and a sharp pain brought me to my knees. My body succumbed to a trancelike state of sleep. Athalas was attacking my mind once again, inflicting unbearable pain upon me.
I faintly heard Devin shout something and suddenly my hearing was gone. The pain seemed to come in waves, beginning with a burning sensation and then ending in agonizing torment. I writhed around trying to contain it, but it was an impossible feat.
My vision was fading, but I knew at this point I could not give into the pain. With my senses slowly failing, I desperately searched within myself for the strength to fight my way out of this agony. With all my might I brought to mind the vision of the white lion that had given me the abilities and reassured me of who I was meant to be. I could not die here, nor could I leave Devin now.
It was then in the midst of this inner battle, Raziel appeared to me. At first, I was not sure if I was seeing an apparition or if he was actually real. I blinked my eyes a couple of times just to be sure I was not dreaming or hallucinating. I realized that he was actually present before me. In his hand he held a dagger adorned with gold and multicolored diamonds. He bore
d his eyes into mine, smiled and viciously stabbed the right side of my back. I thought I had experienced raw pain before this, but nothing compared to the dreadful sensation I suffered from this blade. I felt the dagger slowly ripping through the sinew of my back. Then, once more, he repeated the act. This time he plunged the dagger into the left side.
The pain immobilized me, pinning me to the ground. Slowly I regained consciousness. My body once again responded to my commands, but my back was burning like hot coals of fire. I could feel something crawling inside of me, as if a creature lurked under my skin, coursing its way through my blood vessels. My body was getting warmer and my hands were trembling. I let out a shout that seemed to come from pure instinct. My eyes opened and I saw Devin and Nephele positioned in the same manner that I had last seen them. I came to realize that time in the realm of the Stars and the Fallen proved to be completely different from my realm. Although I felt time moving at an altered state, it was actually spinning faster.
Two immense wings sprang out of my back, ripping my flesh apart. I felt the rugged tear spreading further between my shoulder blades. I held my breath expecting pain to follow, but I felt nothing. I also noticed that no blood was seeping from the wounds. I tested my wings by flapping them back and forth and was astounded at the way they moved. They simulated the movements of an eagle’s wings. The feathers were white and minutely synchronized. I reached behind my back and felt the wings’ coverts aligned between my shoulders.
“Impossible,” Nephele stammered. The Shadows howled and growled defiantly. At once I picked up Corbin’s thoughts; he was confused and even more determined to eliminate Devin and me.
Nephele quickly mounted her Desert Dragon and glared at Devin.
“You truly are a disgrace to us all, Devin—the only Nephilin to ever deny his own kin. You do not deserve the privilege of immortality. This mess could have been avoided if you and Adawnas had been loyal to your people and brought us his body,” she said in a somber voice.
It was at that moment that Devin swiftly took out his sword and catapulted it in Nephele’s direction. Without the slightest effort, she dodged it, and in the blink of an eye she was standing right in front of Devin.
Instantly, I flew in her direction. The wings maneuvered with rapid speed, moving with accelerated precision. With all my strength I pushed her away from him, thrusting her into the cold river. I knew this would not detain her for long; in fact, I did not think it would detain her at all. I quickly turned around and flew awkwardly in Devin’s direction. I clamped my hands around him with a tight grip and ascended as high as I could fly into the clouds. This felt so unnatural and unusual given I had never flown before. Despite the discomfort, in a matter of seconds, it was as if flying was second nature to me, as if I had done it for many years. I looked down to see everything getting smaller as we ascended.
“What has happened to you?” Devin shouted as we soared.
“Raziel…he came to me again. He gave me these.” I kept my eyes on the clouds, aiming to soar higher.
“Have you ever done this before?” he shouted as we soared.
I glanced down at him.
“What do you think?” I smiled.
The atmosphere grew colder as we soared. The strength in my arms was slowly giving out on me and my breathing became more and more labored.
“You are not accustomed to this altitude, Isaac. We need to land somewhere,” Devin yelled.
A mighty shout of war issued from beneath us, followed by a spontaneous growl coming from behind us. I glanced back and saw Nephele on her beast flying straight at us. Three more beasts sped in our direction. I didn’t need any special discernment to identify them.
Hopelessness struck me. I knew we had to find a way out quickly, but I could think of no immediate solution. If we were to fall, the Shadows would devour us completely; if we stayed here, Athalas, Corbin, Azaziel and Nephele would surely eliminate us.
“Isaac, we have no choice,” Devin shouted. I saw whisks of gray clouds quickly moving in our direction. I noticed that the beasts suddenly halted and growled viciously in midair the moment their eyes met these clouds. It was then that I realized that Nephele and the others were retreating as fast as they could. I heard the commotion of the Shadows underneath us, their growls clamoring loudly. I could sense the Shadows feared that which approached us. My body could no longer withstand the altitude and my strength was beginning to wane. Both of us were now plummeting through the dark sky. My wings failed me. I felt them shrinking in size until they folded under my skin, hidden in my back.
“Isaac, try to keep going…” Devin shouted as we fell. I was struggling to muster some strength, but it was gone. It was in that moment I felt someone holding me. I looked up and saw Raziel. Above him, a multitude of Underwarriors were riding alongside Aquilas and flying in the direction of the Shadows.
XI
Raziel smiled down at me as he firmly held on to both of us. At an amazing speed, he flew us to nearby ruins hidden deep in the forest. His attire was unlike any I had remembered from my visions of him. He wore the dark boots that were common for men to wear out to the fields, and black pants that were worn out. He revealed a bare chest and I saw a black leather bracelet on his right wrist.
“Stay here. I won’t be long,” he said and then took flight.
Devin was in awe. A joyful look lighted his countenance, but at the same time he stood speechless and in shock by Raziel’s arrival.
“Can you perceive their thoughts, Isaac? What is happening? Are they fighting?” Devin asked anxiously.
Even though we were now far from the army, I was able to faintly see both the Underwarriors and the Shadows.
“Their fighting is merciless,” I stammered as I tried to concentrate. “The Underwarriors are attacking them in full force, but the Shadows aren’t giving up easily.”
With much straining, I was able to get a dim view of the Underwarriors fighting. Many Shadows vanished, but many Underwarriors were being destroyed as well. Due to the massive armies gathered in one place, it was difficult for me to depict how the battle was playing out. To watch this vivid enactment in my mind brought me anguish.
“We need to trust that all will be well,” I said as I canceled the images from my mind. “I don’t want to keep watching this battle. It will not change its outcome and it will only cause greater pain,” I said as I walked away from Devin.
“So…” Devin took a few steps closer to me. “Wings, huh?”
“Yeah, it surprised me too. I never imagined I’d ever have these,” I responded as I continued to walk away.
Not long after, I heard wings flapping behind me. As I turned around I saw that Raziel had returned.
“They are all taken care of,” he said. His very presence emanated great peace, which had overflowed my soul like a refreshing drink from a cool spring of water. His skin radiated with such brightness that it made the snow pale in contrast to Raziel’s beauty. I glanced at Devin again and his eyes were wide open, gazing at the Star.
“What happened to the Shadows, Raziel?” I asked him as I made my way to him.
“They were sent back to the Abyss. In the Fourth Dimension dying is worse than living, for if one of us dies, we live in pain forever,” he said, almost as if whispering a secret.
“But those Shadows were the lost souls of people. It is not their fault that they were lied to,” I exclaimed.
Even though I was glad to be alive I did not agree with his doings.
“It had to be done, Isaac,” he replied. His eyes were then set on Devin. “Nephilin, you sure seem to be surprised to see me. Has it been long since you have seen one of us?”
“Yes…I mean…I…” Devin stuttered, unable to communicate intelligibly.
Raziel approached him and tenderly placed his right hand on his shoulder with a fatherly pat. “Don’t worry, Devin, I know you better than you think.” He smiled.
“How d…d…do…how do you know me?” he asked in surprise.
>
“Well, first I am a Star, servant of the Creator.”
Devin frowned, displeased with the answer. Raziel’s composure changed; the look on his face took on a very mysterious frown
“I knew your father, Devin,” he answered abrasively.
Not a word escaped from any of us for a time. All was quiet. Only the wind rustled softly through the trees.
“My…father?”
“Yes, your father,” he affirmed.
“Where is my father, Raziel? What happened to him? Who is he?” He was desperate for the answer. In an instant his hands were around Raziel’s throat, trying to force the answer out of him.
“Few of your kind have the privilege of knowing even their father’s name,” he answered, grasping Devin’s hands with a firm grip. “Your father’s name is Azael. He fell along with the others when Lucifer betrayed us.” Devin slowly released Raziel.
“Unfortunately, my brother did not choose the path of righteousness,” Raziel added.
“Your…brother?” Devin stammered.
I did not know what to say. I felt as if I was eavesdropping on an intimate family fight.
Devin sat down in the snow.
“Where are the rest of your fellow warriors?” I asked.
“They are all here, scattered around us in the forest. They will only show themselves if I give them the signal.” He turned around. “Warriors, come forth!” he shouted.
Quickly they all appeared out of the trees, out of the ground and even out of the snow.
“It is nice to see you all again,” Alexander said from amidst the crowd.
“You…you came,” I said, surprised to see him.
“Why did your kind not come to our aid before we lost Demetre and Adawnas?” Devin asked Raziel.
“Our primary duty is to protect Elysium, not to solve your problems and fix your mistakes,” Raziel replied in a cold voice. I could see that Devin was greatly displeased at his response, but he knew Raziel was right.