by J. D. Netto
“Isaac…Isaac…” I could hear a voice faintly calling my name. I opened my eyes to see Devin shaking me roughly. I leaped out of his grip and reached for my sword; he retreated.
“What is wrong?” he asked, shocked at my recent action.
I shook my head.
“Um…nothing…just a bad dream,” I replied, letting go of my sword. “Been having a lot of those lately.” I thought it best for me not to mention my dreams to him. Even though my heart was greatly troubled by them, I did not want him to worry any more than he already was.
“Should we take off now?” I asked him.
He stood to his feet. “Can you handle it?”
I nodded my head. We both took flight, leaving behind the gigantic statue. I felt an increase in my speed since my last ascent.
As we flew, images of the vivid dream seemed to be engraved on my mind. My heart was troubled by Nephele’s words. Devin was silent as he flew; his eyes were focused on Aloisio. The sky grew increasingly darker as we approached the Kingdom; the air around us felt colder. Without using my powers, I could sense that something dark was at work in the atmosphere.
Devin changed course, heading toward one of the hills; I followed behind him. Shortly thereafter, I noticed Devin descending in the direction of a valley located on the right side of the Kingdom’s wall. Again, I followed.
“Why are we landing here? The kingdom is still far ahead of us,” I asked him, bewildered.
He paced through the woods hastily, heading in the direction of Aloisio. “You don’t want to get near those walls with wings on your back, Isaac. Guards are positioned on top of them, watching day and night. This kingdom has always been known for its amazing skills in battle. They might think we are enemies.”
Because we were unaware of the situation here in Aloisio, I had no other choice but to agree with him. I trusted him. He had been around for some time and had extensive knowledge of these lands
After some time trekking through the woods, we found ourselves standing at the foot of the wall. Before us stood a massive corroded iron gate. Wooden spikes extended above the top of the gate about six feet. As I gazed up I saw two heavily armed guards chatting.
“Look there!” one of them exclaimed to the other. “Walkers…”
“What brings you here?” one of them shouted with a heavy accent, bending down to get a better look at us.
“We are simply travelers passing by. We would like to come in to buy some food and find a place to rest so we can be on our way,” Devin shouted.
“Wait there!” the other shouted.
Soon enough the gate opened and two other guards headed our way. Their armor was made of silver and underneath their chest plate they wore a red cape that covered most of their body. Their arms were heavily armored, and strapped around their waist was a beautiful silver sword. Both guards had blond hair and deep green eyes.
“Follow us,” they commanded. “Don’t ask any questions now.”
I hesitated. I could see Devin was also doubtful.
“Why should we follow you?” I asked. I looked up and noticed two more guards looking down at us.
“Hey!” a guard shouted from atop the gate. “Is ev’rything alright?” His accent was also heavy.
“Yes…yes, everything is alright. We are just taking them in for quick questioning,” one of the guards with us replied. The guard turned around and continued to stand watch of the gate. Right away, I heard commotion coming from the wall above.
“Denali…they killed Denali and Fridverd. They are impostors!” he alleged.
Devin and I looked at the two guards standing next to us. “You will want to come with us now.” The one to my right gestured for us to follow them.
Quickly they led us through the gates. I caught a glimpse of a vast marketplace located at the entrance of the city. My attention was captured by the high towers of the colossal cathedrals and other grand monuments scattered throughout the kingdom. All the houses had golden roofs with etchings and designs on their walls. Every door and window frame possessed golden patterns that shone with great intensity.
We were walking amongst a crowd, trying to make our way through the busy market. After we moved past the crowded streets, we came to a graveyard that had been built near an abandoned cathedral. The graveyard was meticulously landscaped with many trees and beautiful statues that were erected near the old graves. The cathedral appeared old, unkempt and discolored; the stone walls were covered with mildew. The high tattered ceiling had become a dwelling place for birds and other night creatures.
“In there.” One of the guards pointed in the direction of an abandoned house located next to the cathedral.
I looked at him.
“Are you…do you really expect us to follow you in there?” I asked, looking at the state of the house. Half of the roof was missing; the walls had holes covered in cobwebs.
“If you want to know what Raziel has to say about the Gates you will want to follow us,” one of the guards alleged emphatically.
My eyes widened. Devin gasped. Without any resistance we followed the guards. I was eager to find out the secrets that Raziel and the Underwarriors had uncovered at the Gates of the Fourth Dimension.
The wooden floor creaked as we stepped inside the living room. Broken canvases hung on the remnants of the colorless walls. The floor was covered with shards of glass and broken pieces of wood. A massive hole stood where the fireplace had once been.
We continued to venture further into the house. Once we passed the living room, to our surprise, we faced an old, double iron door that to our surprise was wide open; the lock had been destroyed. We continued through the iron door and followed a dark stairway that led underground. The floor was no longer constructed of creaky wood, but of cobblestone. I felt water dripping down onto my head from the roof and looked up.
One of the guards lit a torch, but the darkness was still intense.
“Before we proceed, could you tell us your names?” Devin asked them.
“Danathaniel,” the one to my right responded. “Cresta,” the one to my left replied. I sensed distress in their voices.
“The Nephilin?” Cresta asked scornfully. “Why is he with you?”
“I believe I can speak for myself,” Devin contested before I could even think of an answer.
There was an unnerving pause.
“Why should we believe anything uttered by a Nephilin?” Cresta asked in an aggressive tone.
“Please, this is not the place, Cresta,” Danathaniel interrupted. “We are almost there. We need to discuss more urgent matters. Raziel already told me about Devin. Let us say that he is…different.” His voice was calm, but weary.
“Light them up!” Cresta shouted. Many torches ignited around us, bringing clarity to the room. It was an underground prison. Skeletons were scattered around us and beside me, standing in the shadows between the torches were many dark human figures.
“I apologize for our choice of meeting space,” someone from the crowd of dark figures said aloud. “Please understand that in the current state of things, we must be extra careful, especially with your kind, Devin.” Devin shot the man a cold look. “My name is Tonma, I am one of the commanders of the Underwarriors. Raziel has sent us here to inform you of the things we have seen.”
Curious, Devin looked around. “Well then, please tell us. Let us not waste any more time.” Devin’s voice inferred agitation.
“The situation is much worse than we imagined. Since the fall of Justicia and the Council, creatures of the Darkness, Shadows, Beasts and Fallen Stars have infiltrated Elysium. They are now living amongst the people, pretending to be ordinary men and women. Some citizens claim to have seen strange creatures roaming the forests,” Tonma exclaimed with concern in his voice.
After a brief silence, he continued, “The red lights you saw are called Whispering Lights. We can sense their presence when they are near. They were sent out by Corbin and possess the power to torture the mind.”<
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Tonma walked out of the shadows and approached us. He circled the room with his gaze fixed directly on us. His blond hair cascaded down his shoulders; his thick brown cape dragged along the floor, covering most of his body. “Aloisio has been taken over by the Darkness. Men were called by the king from surrounding villages to destroy all of the kingdoms of Elysium. The men were instructed to kill every person in sight, in order to create a greater army of Shadows.”
“Please tell us something we don’t already know, Tonma,” Devin replied.
Tonma continued talking, ignoring Devin’s sarcastic request.
“The reason why your powers are decreasing is because the Nephilins have taken over this territory and have found a way to cancel your abilities in this region. We are not yet sure how they managed to do it, but it has been happening to some of us also.”
I was struck with fear; this information caught me completely by surprise. Cancel my abilities? But the Creator himself gave them to me.
“But how…”
“Marco, king of Aloisio, willingly surrendered his life to serve Lucifer,” Tonma continued. “He now serves the Darkness.”
“Where is Raziel?” I asked.
“He is at the Gates of the Fourth Dimension, fighting and defeating as many Shadows and Beasts as he can alongside the rest of the Underwarriors, but the Fallen Stars are not wasting any time. They are infiltrating Elysium, preparing for a swift attack designed to annihilate all of the kingdoms and exterminate the human race.”
“But I decided not to shed my blood; I decided not to accept Nephele’s offer. Even if all of the kingdoms fall, the Diary cannot be opened,” I said.
Tonma chuckled softly.
“Isaac, you are not the only one of your kind, my friend. There are other bearers…others of the bloodline. There are four more that have been chosen.”
“Other…chosen…ones?” I mumbled, astonished at this newfound revelation.
The storm of emotions that stirred within me was almost impossible to contain. All this time I thought I stood alone on this quest to overcome evil. Loneliness was a strong enemy I had to unceasingly combat inside of myself daily.
“How will we find the others who were sent here?” I asked, hopeful.
“Unfortunately, that I do not know.” He sighed. “This war is just starting, and you will need all of the strength you can muster to redeem the kingdoms of Elysium.”
Silence filled the room.
We were all in deep thought, trying to think of ways to defeat or delay the Darkness.
“What must we do, Tonma?” Devin asked.
“You know,” he chuckled. “It is still shocking to me that you are able to deny your dark nature so easily, Devin. I suppose redemption can be found in the most unexpected places.” He peered deeply into Devin’s eyes. “Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to your question.”
“These other chosen ones, are they on their way to Aloisio?” I asked him as I still attempted to grasp everything I had just been told.
“Yes, they are all being led to this place,” Tonma answered.
“How? Who is leading them here? How do they know about us?” I asked.
Tonma set his gaze on me. “Just know that they are heading this way as we speak for the same reason you are here.”
“We must head back to the Gates,” Cresta announced. Tonma nodded in agreement.
“I stand by what I said before. The Creator should send an army from the sky and destroy all of our enemies!” Devin implied with an angry voice.
“Devin,” Tonma said in a soft voice. “The humans were the ones that chose to fall, and they brought this upon themselves. Free will was given to all, even to your kind. The Creator will never intervene to finish something before its end has come. You must understand that every choice will lead to a consequence. Today Elysium suffers the consequence of choices that were made in the distant past.” Tonma turned around, placing his hands on a massive boulder. Using all his strength, he rolled the heavy rock away, revealing a tunnel that sat hidden behind it.
“We must carry on,” he continued. The others nodded in agreement. “Let us find the other ones. We will join with them. Lucifer cannot win.” Tonma handed me one of his torches.
“We will meet again, I promise. Do not let your guard down,” Danathaniel said in an encouraging voice. As I watched them disappear into the dark tunnel, I tried to collect all the information I had just been given. Joy filled my heart with excitement just knowing there were others that carried the same burden as me.
“What should we do now?” I asked Devin.
“We look for the others. The question is where will we find—”
His sentence was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. I heard the sound of metal hitting the hard cold floor.
“Get ready to attack,” I whispered, afraid of what might be approaching.
I saw the walls begin to brighten and then from the darkness someone appeared. All three of us stood there, motionless, staring at each other, contemplating our next move.
“Isaac,” the young man called out. I noticed that his clothes were worn out and dirty. Around his neck he wore a scarf, and to cover his hands, he had on an old ragged pair of gray gloves.
“Yes,” I replied. “How do you know my name?” I approached him.
He took a deep breath.
“Raziel…” he barely whispered as he took short quick breaths. It was quite obvious to us that he was exhausted.
“Raziel?” My eyes widened in surprise. “You know him? How?”
“He told me to come to this place. He introduced me to the lion with wings. I was told I would find you here in Aloisio.” Even in the dim light I noticed the trembling of his hands.
“What does he mean by lion with wings?” Devin asked, doubtful. I knew exactly what he was referring to.
“You mean the Creator? Is that the lion you speak of?” I asked.
He smiled. “Yes, that is the one. While I was in the sea, Raziel appeared to me and said that I would find you here.”
I could not believe what I had just heard. There really were others that had gone through the same experience as I had. This revelation was a great comfort to me.
“Who are you and why are you here?” Devin asked with suspicion.
“My name is Petra. I come from the Kingdom of Swordsmouth, near the Great River. I have come here to warn King Marco of the Darkness—”
“Well, you are too late,” Devin cut him off.
“Late? How so?” he asked, shocked.
“Nephele and the Fallen Stars have already reached Aloisio and King Marco has joined forces with them. Right now, they are probably lurking somewhere in Aloisio with the Diary in their possession.”
His facial expression changed immediately; he looked surprised. He slowly reached inside of his tattered brown bag and took out what appeared to be a book. It was covered with old pieces of cloth. As soon as he uncovered it, whispers echoed throughout the prison. I had not forgotten the last time I had heard such sounds. The cover of the book bore the identical symbol I had seen on the Diary. The only difference I saw was a second vertical line present inside of the circle.
“What is that?” I asked, intrigued.
“The Book of the Light-Bearer,” he stated as he reached out his hand to let me get a closer look at the book. His eyes were firmly fixed on mine.
We were all silent.
“You mean to tell me that there are more books?” Devin inquired as he approached Petra.
I marveled at the book, analyzing each small detail.
“Where did you get this, Petra?” I asked, puzzled.
From the shadows we heard the mutters of numerous men.
“The men that killed them probably headed this way,” one of the men shouted.
I knew they were referring to Danathaniel and Cresta, but little did they know that they were long gone. Petra quickly placed the book back into his bag.
“We nee
d to get out of here now,” I whispered.
To our benefit, Tonma and the other Underwarriors had not rolled the stone back over the tunnel.
“Are you sure we will be safe going through there?” Petra asked, staring into the darkness.
“It will be a lot safer than remaining in this prison,” Devin replied, walking inside the tunnel. Without hesitating, I followed him; Petra was at my heels.
It was dark; humidity was ever present in the air. There was no sign of any light source as we felt our way deeper into the tunnel. In the distance I could faintly hear the voices of the soldiers in the prison. They were arguing among themselves. As we quickened our pace, I heard terrifying screams coming from behind us, followed by the sound of bones breaking. The echoes resounded loudly throughout the tunnel; fear struck the very core of my soul.
“What is happening to them?” Devin asked under strong breaths.
If my abilities had not been cut off here I would be able to read them, but I was still powerless.
“Whatever it is, it is killing those men,” I said. My eyes narrowed in an attempt to better see my surroundings.
Silence fell over us as we continued forging ahead to make our way through the pitch-black tunnel.
I was startled when I heard a strong roar coming from behind us, followed by the sound of beating drums, which caused the ground beneath our feet to tremble.
“What in the name of Elysium is that?” Petra whispered as he walked.
“Whatever it is, it is coming after us,” Devin replied, fearfully.
“Come on!” I shouted. With all my might I was trying to run in this dark tunnel. Unexpectedly, as I scurried forward, my foot was no longer touching the ground. I plunged in the unknown darkness. I heard Petra and Devin scream as they fell. Despite my lack of abilities in Alosio, my body flexed its wings as I plummeted downward; I felt a sharp pain throughout my back as they expanded to their full width.
Below me I could hear splashes. I flew down as fast as I could in search of Devin and Petra. My body shook violently when I plunged into the icy water.
“Devin! Petra!” I called out to them as I made my way through the freezing water.
“We are here!” I heard their muffled voices.