Legacy of Dolyn

by Amelia Guillem

  Date: unknown

  Time: unknown

  I open my eyes but barely. The room is dark, and I can’t see squat. The only saving grace is the illumination of a lamp close by.

  I can’t sit up. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s because I can’t. I don’t have enough strength to get up. Indeed, I can use my magic but I’m too weak to cast anything, and I’m starving.

  I’m tied up. I can’t tell how, but I’m chained to my ankles and wrists.

  This room is disgusting. I can’t tell if it’s coming from me or somewhere else. Wait, I think it’s me. I feel like my privates are exposed. I can’t see a toilet or a shower anywhere. Does this mean I was sitting on my own waste? Gross! Is that period blood I smell?

  But if my privates exposed, does this mean... I don’t think so. I don’t feel my insides throbbing, so it’s safe to assume it didn’t happen.

  Am I inside a prison cell? Looks like it. Bit by bit, I further open my eyes, and I regain consciousness. I take a good look at myself. Not only my bottom clothes are ripped but also my top, exposing my breasts. Strangely, my shoes remain intact.

  My heart thumps as if it’s about to bust out of my chest. What’s going on? Why am I like this?! I tried going to the door, but I tumble because of the chains.

  I tried summoning a spell of any kind, but nothing works. Are these chains made of orichalcum or something?

  “Someone help!!” I yelped, but no one listens.

  I thrash around. My naked skin feeling the cold floor. “Help! Help! Someone help!!” I yelled, but still, no one listens.

  I get up on my knees. My skin starts to redden and ache. This cell is cold too. I waggle upward with my knees shaking. “Someone please help!!!!” I screamed. But I collapse once again, and my consciousness is lost. What’s going to happen to me? I’m scared...

  Date: January 24

  Time: Afternoon, Half-Moon

  Aster and Agnes are taking a break at a café located inside the supermarket. They finished their shopping, so they decide to drink coffee before going home.

  As they sip their coffee, Aster spots a tabloid with a strange headline. The headline probably caught his attention. It states: “Cult Declares End of the World by Next Week.” Aster starts to read out of curiosity.

  “We are living in hard times. Thus, people are suffering more and more as time goes on. Those who suffered have been rejected and isolated by those who don’t understand the pain. Thus, we will allow all members to join us at the ceremony on January 31st. We will invoke the gods to aid us in this massive cleansing. Only those who survive shall join us in our new utopia. The ceremony will take place at the stadium in Strasmore City. Bless those who take joy in the coming of Nyx.”

  “Nyx? Agnes, look at this!” Aster urged. He extends the tabloid to Agnes, who is sipping her coffee. “Aster, why you’re passing me this? It’s a tabloid paper. They’re full of fake news.”

  “But not this one. This article mentions Nyx.”

  “Nyx? Glen is a reincarnate of Nyx, yes? Why they mention such a thing? There can’t be more than one Nyx in this world.”

  “Of course, there isn’t. But what bothers me is the End of the World part. It could be fake news like you said, but I find it hard to ignore.”

  “Do you think the cult is using Nyx’s name for this article?”

  “Probably. Or could it be...” Aster paused.

  “What’s wrong?” Agnes asked.

  “This is only a theory, but Glen might be kidnapped by the real culprit.”

  “But what about Moros?”

  “Moros isn’t the culprit. Gwen confirmed this. If Moros kidnapped Glen with the intent to kill her, he would’ve done so by now and told us. Moros is most likely to be with her, keeping her company, but he will not free her unless she commands him to.”

  “So, Glen might be there. Moros too. We should get this tabloid.”

  “I agree. We should discuss with Maury and Gwen too.”

  Agnes goes to the express checkout to pay for the tabloid. Aster picks up the groceries and joins her. They nod in agreement as they leave the store.

  Date: January 24

  Time: Evening, Half-Moon

  “Whether or not the world ends on January 31st remains to be seen. In other news...” And with that concludes the interview. My friends had the TV turned on for the local news.

  “Seems the tabloid isn’t the only one...” Maury said.

  “The topic is trending on social media,” Aster said as he looks at his smartphone.

  “So, it isn’t a fluke. Since they’re going to meet, we should start planning now,” Agnes said.

  “The cult mentioned the end of the world. This is troubling,” Gwen pondered. “Aster, you said Glen might be there, correct?”

  “Yes, most certainly. Moros should be there too. Since the cult mentioned Nyx, we shouldn’t ignore this issue.”

  “Can we look at the cult?” Gwen asked.

  “I’m checking right now,” Maury replied while searching the web on his smartphone. The others wait patiently for the results.

  “The article mentioned little about the cult’s background. If they are the real kidnappers, we should know something about them,” Agnes said.

  “The TV news mentioned little too,” Aster added.

  Searching is taking Maury awhile. It seems the cult isn’t well known or they choose to keep their background a secret from the public.

  “Found some!” Maury shouted. “It took me over 10 pages though.”

  “What does it say?” Agnes probed.

  “This cult is known as the Children of Rejects. They recruit their members based on specific qualities. Thus, membership is invitation-only.”

  “So, there’s no way to join unless a current member invites us, right? But why they would call themselves rejects?” Gwen asked.

  “Who knows? There’s nothing about them except they’re only known by the name. However, it does say the cult emerged recently. They have been planning in secrecy for 20 years.”

  “You mean the ceremony?” Aster raised.

  “We should go there,” Agnes declared.

  “I agree,” Maury said.

  “Yes! Glen and Moros must be there. I’m sure of it. We should also prepare for this end of the world thing. By which I mean, facing the God of Darkness.”

  “You mean, going to the Underworld?” Agnes asked.

  “Yes, but if they summon the god to the real world, we shouldn’t travel to the Underworld. But I feel we’re not prepared to face him.”

  “What are you saying, Gwen? Surely, we could...”

  “Don’t you get it? The god is powerful. Even chained, we were almost killed.” Gwen turns to Aster for confirmation, which he nods. “Yes, it was true.”

  “We should train, but we only have one week. Should this whole thing be for nothing, at least we accomplished our mission.”

  “We can’t screw this up. Okay, I’m going to fine tune my van and work on my martial art skills. I’m also going to look up the directions to the stadium.”

  “As for me, I’ll go to the forest to hone my sword fighting.”

  “And I’ll go to a gunsmith to improve my aiming. I’m also prepared to let Liz take over so she can use her magic.”

  “It’s settled!” Gwen confirmed. “We’re going to save Glen, and maybe the entire world. Let’s do this!!”

  Date: January 24

  Time: Late Night, Half-Moon

  Gwen wakes up to the sound of an open door. Someone comes into my room where Gwen and Maury are sleeping. The mysterious person picks up Gwen into its arms.

  “Huh? Agnes?”

  “No, it’s me.”

  Liz has taken over Agnes’ body once again. “I need to talk to you. But I must find a private spot.” Gwen wonders what Liz is talking about, but realizes she has the solution. “Understood.” Gwen teleports them to the rooftop. The air is cold but tolerable.

  “Ah! Such a beautiful nig
ht! How long has it been since I’ve seen this?” Liz is in awe of the beauty of the night. The clear skies show the brightness of the stars.

  Gwen jumps out of her arms and reverts to her usual form.

  “It’s been forever since we lived a life like this. Look, Liz! The lights!”

  “They’re not oil lamps, right?”

  “Nope! It’s electricity.”

  “So much change...”

  Gwen and Liz sit on a ventilation box. Liz composes herself and collects her thoughts before talking. “Gwen, I want to apologize. I said harsh things to you.”

  “No, you shouldn’t. I should be the one to apologize. I should’ve told the truth when we returned from the Underworld. I didn’t want you guys to worry, so I remained silent. I deserve the things you said to me. I do.”

  “Do you know anything about Lady Glen?” Liz asked, slightly shifting the topic.

  “I’m not certain, but she is in a city somewhere. We’re going there next week to save her. We must also face the possibility of fighting the God of Darkness again.”

  “What?” Liz’s eyes widen. “What are you saying?”

  “There’s a cult claiming the end of the world will happen next week. The cult has chosen Nyx as their representative. Since they have chosen her, there is a chance for the god’s arrival.”

  “But we fought him in the Underworld...”

  “Yes, but he can also emerge in the real world should the members invoke him. If the god were to surface, the world would end unless we face him.”

  “Our spells have no effect.”

  “I know. There is only one spell to defeat the god. But Glen isn’t experienced enough to use it. If she were to use...” Gwen mumbled. Liz looks at her wondering what she meant.

  “I wish I had my spells again. The ones I used when I was Nyx. I’m more than willing to face the god again and defeat him once and for good. Glen shouldn’t fight him.”

  “But she would most likely will...”

  “Liz, if anything happens to me, you must take care of her.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Don’t you see? This form is temporary. Sooner or later, I’ll return to the eternal darkness. Someone’s life is going to be sacrificed. Hers or mine.”

  “I’m anxious, but I’m here in this world briefly too. Eventually, I’ll return to the darkness again. Agnes will be hurt, but she must stand on her own. A good mother does so.”

  “Speaking of family, how was your life as a queen? The stupid lord never provided answers no matter how hard I probed.”

  “It had its ups and downs. But my people were happy, and I was satisfied. My husband was a great ruler. He made sure the rules were in order so our people could prosper.”

  “Given his looks, how did you cope every night?” Gwen teased.

  “Ugh!” Liz hunched with her arms lowered. “I ended up with three children by him. Still, he was sweet. We didn’t do it unless there was a chance of conception. We slept in separate rooms anyway.”

  “I remember you were head over heels for Sartre.”

  “Well,” Liz blushed, “Sartre had the looks.”

  Gwen nods. “Yep.”

  “What about you? How was your life with Laurice?”

  “We married and had 20 kids.”

  “For real? But how?!” Liz tilts backward from the shock.

  “I’m going to say we were madly in love. It’s the simplest explanation I could give.”

  “Alright, let’s leave it at that.” Liz shrugs with a sweatdrop. “What else?”

  “Well, Laurice tended the crops and sold them. He worked as a blacksmith too to make extra money. As for me, I was a simple housewife. But I also helped out by making and selling drapes. We had lots of kids. Therefore, grandkids, great-grandkids, and we died as old people.”

  “Same here. I had grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But most of them were never recognized by the court. They were the result of my eldest son’s loving spree.”

  “Ugh! Must’ve been tough.”

  Gwen and Liz chuckle a laugh. Gwen looks at her friend’s smile.

  “First time I’ve seen you smile. You were always so stoic.”

  “I’m surprised myself as well. It’s like I’m finally free from my burden. I can be a woman. I can be human. And not be tied to any court. But sucks I had to die though.”

  “Death can be ironically liberating. But still, I want Glen to live. She’s young, and she needs to face life head-on. When I leave this world again, I want to be proud knowing she’s safe.”

  “I wish the same for Agnes too. Let’s win this, Gwen. For them. For the world.”

  “Yeah!”

  Liz catches a snowflake in her palm. “It started to snow.”

  Snow starts falling from the sky. Gwen and Liz stand up.

  “Let’s return so we can sleep.”

  “I agree. We have work to do.”

  Liz picks up Gwen in her arms, and they've teleported again back to my apartment. Liz takes Gwen back to my room. “Good night, Gwen,” she murmured.

  “Yeah, Liz, you too.” Gwen becomes a cat again and falls asleep soon after. Liz reverts to Agnes so her host can sleep for the training tomorrow.

  Date: January 31

  Time: Morning, Full Moon

  This is it. Judgment day.

  The fate of the entire world will be determined today.

  Maury stands in the middle of my room. He is wearing a dark navy shirt with a blue hoodie and a violet jacket over it, along with black jeans and sneakers.

  Agnes quietly enters my room and sees him standing there. “Mr. Maury,” she uttered, “What are you doing here?”

  Maury notes her presence and jerks his head to greet her. “Oh hey, Agnes.” He paused momentarily before responding to her question. “I’m here because I want to take a good look at this room before we leave.”

  “I see...” Agnes nods.

  “I’ve realized something...” Maury paused again. Agnes waits for him to continue. “I know we’re going to save Glen today. But this also means we’re up against a cult. It’s going to be tough, but we will succeed.”

  “I agree. We must save her.” Agnes stands in a modest pose. She’s pretty, wearing an all-black sweater dress, turtleneck shirt, leggings, and boots.

  “However, we might end up fighting the God of Darkness if he is summoned. You know what this means, right? We might die.” Maury shivers a bit as he clears his throat.

  Agnes’ eyes widen in shock. She feels her heart beating furiously. She treads closer to him until she stops at close range. Maury stares at Agnes as she does too.

  “Can I confess something to you?” he asked. He takes Agnes’ hands into his, touching her delicate fingers. Her face reddens upon feeling the touch.

  “Yes, go ahead,” she said.

  “You’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. A combination of beauty, intelligence, and strength. The ability to manage a spirit inside you is unique. I’m equally smart too, but I never went to college. My grandfather taught me amazing things about life, not just auto mechanics. Would it shock you to know what my IQ is?”

  He leans to her ear, whispering a high number which makes her jumpy.

  “Don’t tell anyone this, okay. This is a secret between the two of us.”

  Agnes confesses back at him her IQ number, which she whispers in his ear. Maury smiles. The two of them draw closer, stare and chuckle. Thank goodness, I’m not there because I would’ve been jealous! Anyway, the two of them hug.

  “I don’t want to die...” she mumbled.

  “Me neither. We must fight,” he said.

  “Yes, we will,” Aster said as he enters my room holding Gwen’s cat form in his arms. He wears his long black cape with hood, along with a green shirt, black gloves, khaki pants, and brown shoes. His one-hand sword strapped to his brown belt as a sign of readiness.

  “Listen, we only have one chance to count,” Gwen said in an authoritative tone.
“Even if the world doesn’t end and Glen isn’t there, we must go. We have the supplies, right? There’s no turning back or stopping somewhere once we’re out.”

  “Yeah, the supplies are inside the van already,” Maury replied with a thumb up.

  “Kitty, I have a question. In your book, you mentioned the sign of the god’s revival lies in covering the land with ice. Do you think it’s the same case here?” Agnes asked with a frown.

  “But January is always cold so it could be a coincidence,” Maury said.

  “It could be, but in our case, it happened during the harvest,” Aster said.

  “Whatever the case, we need to see for ourselves. Let’s go.” At Gwen’s command, my friends leave my apartment with their head high in determination.

  Date: January 31

  Time: Afternoon, Full Moon

  “Traffic jam, already?” Maury groaned. My friends are close to reaching Strasmore City also known as Border City. People call it this because Strasmore is located on the border of Semona and Duscheland. Historically, people were never sure if Strasmore should be part of either country. The debate continues even to this day.

  “Do you think all these people are also going to the event?” Aster asked. He’s sitting in the back seat of the van.

  “It would most likely be the case,” Gwen replied. She’s back in her usual form, sitting on Agnes’ lap. Agnes herself is sitting in the passenger’s seat.

  Maury has been using his smartphone’s GPS navigator for guidance like he did for the military trip. Agnes observes the panel to make sure navigation is accurate.

  It takes five hours to arrive from Moulin City to Strasmore. To be honest, I have never been to Strasmore. I’ve heard of it many times but I never been there because it’s too isolated. Besides, none of my previous social circles were interested.

  My friends have been on the road for four and half hours non-stop. They’ll arrive at the city once they pass the final paid toll.

  “There’s a toll, Mr. Maury,” Agnes said, alerting him to the upcoming toll. Maury looks at her and nods. Agnes passes the cash to Maury so he can pay at the toll booth.

  “I don’t understand why people have to pay on the road. We’d simply roam freely,” Gwen said in an annoyed tone, stating her opinion on tolls.