A Tune of Demons Box Set: The Complete Fantasy Series

by J E Mueller

  “They don’t have the power,” Danny replied confidently. “They put some of their own essences into building it to make it strong and nearly impossible to break.”

  “And yet it broke,” I pointed out.

  “Nearly impossible is the key word. However, they had backup plans but I don’t know that information. Only the Keeper of the Gate knows it.”

  “And let me guess, the Keeper is dead,” I sighed.

  “Well, of course.” Danny chuckled. “What good would a living Keeper be? They are charged with the guarding and keeping of the Gate. The demons needed them dead first.”

  “Okay, but…” I motioned vaguely. “Then what? What’s going on. Did they fail to keep it up? What?” I was quickly getting frustrated.

  Danny nodded, motioning for me to continue. “Yes, they failed. We failed to keep the physical gate here in the living realm safe. They failed to keep it safe on their end. The knowledge isn’t lost, though. You can’t kill what’s already dead. So, once we can get to Mist hopefully we can get more answers. If they think you can fix it, I’m sure you’ll get all the answers.”

  “And you only were allowed to know part of the answers?”

  With a smile, Danny continued, “Yes. I wasn’t allowed to know everything. Most aren’t in on everything in order to keep the information safe. Which is probably why I’m still alive. What do I know? Everything about helping a spirit cross. I know how to comfort them, how to lead them to the Gate, and how to give them over to the Keeper. I understand the basics of the other jobs.” He hesitated for a moment. “Lliam said you had a chest. A very important one that cannot fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I do, and it’s safe,” I replied, a bit caught off guard by the topic change. “Is there confidential information for the other groups, or only this Gate stuff?”

  “Nah, not really.” Danny shrugged. “There are less talked about topics, but they aren’t hidden so much as useless knowledge.”

  “What could possibly be useless knowledge in this field?” I asked, surprised.

  He thought for a moment. “Creating weapons. Next to no one has the gift. Mist was one of three who could make weapons that could combat spirits.”

  “Why would you fight spirits?” It was an intriguing question since they just passed through you.

  “Angry spirits are a bit more….” Danny clicked his tongue as he thought. “Combative. They have enough energy that they need to be taken down a few notches before they are able to be helped. Spirits can actually do harm.”

  “Oh wow, I’ve never encountered that,” I said, surprised. Probably for the best.

  “They were always on the top of the Trackers list.” Danny nodded. “The ones trained in combat were usually the Hunters. They’d often accompany Trackers.”

  “So, what did you do, then? Sit by and wait for them to bring spirits to you?” That didn’t seem very helpful or fun.

  “Yes and no. I am trained to handle them, but it’s not my area. I’m better at calming with words. If I find someone who hasn’t crossed, I was usually able to talk to them and get them where they needed to go.”

  “So, to the Keeper?”

  “Yes.” Danny nodded. “There’s a lot to learn, but you’ve got the idea. Everyone eventually ends up with someone like me, I bring them to the Keeper, the Keeper sends them off.”

  “How does the Keeper choose where they go?”

  “No idea.” Danny sat on the dais next to the shrine. “The Keeper isn’t much for chatting. I don’t know where they go, but honestly I think they’re in the right place.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “It’s the only gut feeling I am sure about,” Danny replied, shrugged, and resumed his pacing. “I guess since we have the altar we can use that as a way to help you learn how to access the spirit realm, but first we should probably explain what it is.”

  “Where all the spirits are, I assume?”

  “It’s where only the spirits can go. Demons don't have souls, angels don’t have souls,” Danny clarified.

  “How can they all be reborn if they don’t have something like that?” I asked curiously.

  “They are a particular being made up of magics that reforms at a younger state after its physical form disintegrates,” Danny replied.

  How did he even know that? I didn’t want to get sidetracked by asking. “You know, I’m okay with not having all the details on that one. So, how did they destroy this gate then? If they can’t access this realm how can they hurt it?”

  “Now that is an excellent question. They can’t get into the spirit realm as demons, but the gates lead to the other realms. Basically, the Keeper chooses if souls go to heaven or hell. Somehow the demons destroyed what led to the heaven side,” Danny explained.

  “Didn’t you say there was a physical gate?”

  “Yes!” he replied excitedly. He looked more alive than I had seen him all day. “So, this is where things get weird.”

  “Like none of this is weird to begin with.” I crossed my arms.

  He ignored my remarks and continued. “The Keeper, in order to be able to access the other realms, needs to be tied to this one.”

  “So, what, are they buried at the physical gate? Or were? What?” I laughed. This was strange and confusing.

  “No, the Keeper is alive. Was. It’s a mess,” Danny replied, laughing tiredly as he rethought his words. I blinked, unsure what else to say, so he continued. “Well, the Keeper is supposed to be alive. Sadly, Mist lost the fight while defending the gate. The demons destroyed the one that was here. As soon as she perished she went directly to the spirit gate, but they had already ruined the angel side and were working on the demon side, but she stopped them. With both sides gone they could have taken souls whenever they wanted. With the one still mostly intact, the souls need to go through the Keeper or agree to be taken by the demons.”

  “That… that is a lot of information.” I thought about it for a moment. “How the heck am I supposed to help any of this?”

  “No idea.” Danny shrugged. “Mist wouldn’t explain.”

  “You said the Keeper wasn’t very chatty, but you’ve clearly talked and worked with Mist before,” I pointed out.

  “Yes. She doesn’t talk about her job, and doesn’t talk at all to any Guides while on the job. She will directly talk to the spirits, so there’s that. It’s not fun not knowing everything, but it is what it is.”

  We sat in silence for a moment. My brain wanted to take in everything that had happened and jump to the next stage. Whatever that might be. Honestly, I was already feeling tired. Everything still had a dull ache from hitting that invisible wall and then being comatose for several days.

  “So, what do you know about these demons and that barrier I somehow hit?” I asked, taking things back a few notches.

  “Both sides can make shields. It’s how they used to fight each other. Only the user can see it. It’s a very annoying trick, but you can feel it out.” Danny shrugged as he stared off into the distance.

  “Feel it out?” I motioned vaguely, hoping he’d jump into an explanation.

  He nodded, lost in his thoughts for a moment before turning his attention back to me. “There's a lot of static to it. The barrier shield is no more than five feet long, seven feet high. It’s hard for them to move once it’s in place but it only takes them a moment to remove it and replace it. So, if you get around it you likely don't have much time before the next one drops. For harder creatures, anyway. The super powerful can make it longer, but I haven't felt it any higher. We can phase through it, though.”

  “You’ve mentioned that before,” I recalled with a smile. “How?”

  “By detaching your spirit form from your physical form and using the spirit’s magic to pull your physical body through,” Danny replied as if it was something simple. “It only takes a moment, and it really looks like you’re just passing through the barriers to those outside of the know, but it is more complicated than wha
t the eyes see.”

  “Is there anything that’s not complicated?” I grumbled and leaned back in my seat.

  “Um, not really.” Danny shrugged. “But there are several less complicated things.” He smiled happily.

  “Okay, what's less complicated?” This was going to give me a headache.

  “Well, with most of the newer potential guides we have to go through the process of explaining how they got their gift and why it’s not a bad thing, but you already know all of that,” Danny replied happily.

  “Why is it a good thing?”

  Danny gave me a look that screamed ‘what is wrong with you’ before replying. “Before us, spirits were free to be taken. Many were torn and damaged since their soul hardly had any rest and was consistently forced to join one side or the other. People can’t be reborn as happily that way. They’d need time to heal. While the beginning of our gifts aren’t pleasant, we get a chance to help those who need it. A second life with extra magic, a second chance to do more for those lost and wandering this world.”

  “Okay, that does sound good, but why send any soul to somewhere like hell? That doesn’t seem like an opportunity to grow,” I replied.

  “For some it isn’t. It’s an endless cycle of being there because that is just where they belong. For others it shapes them. They see the wrong, they see the pain, and then they no longer want to be a part of that and can finally start fresh,” Danny answered happily.

  “How?” This all felt like nonsense.

  “Everything comes to an end eventually.” Danny shrugged and glanced at the door with a curious expression.

  I turned but saw no one.

  Danny continued, “For the souls native to this plane, they will continue to go through cycles. The lost souls of vanquished angels and demons that were once human go directly to the gate where the Keeper redirects them to their new home. Souls ready to move on also go directly to the Keeper. Those too confused, lost, angry, and distraught wait for us.”

  “That makes a little more sense…” I nodded, trying to go along with things. “And then the ones not of this world just start over at an earlier stage of their own accord.” I filled in what I knew. “What happens to the souls that gain all the knowledge and experience possible?”

  Danny smiled and shrugged. “Then they are done with this realm and go on to a new one. I’ve no idea what’s beyond ours, though.”

  At least he had a general answer. “What now?”

  He considered my question for a moment, getting up to pace. “From a healer’s standpoint, I think you should rest. There isn’t time for all that extra nonsense though so we can go one of two directions. We can see if you’re healed enough to connect to the spirit realm. If you’re not ready, it just won’t work. After connecting once, it’s never a huge struggle again. Second, we can see exactly what material Mist left for you. I’ve no idea how she knew where to leave them or with whom, but I know you have them so that’ll be plan B.” Danny smiled. “Because I’m sure you don’t care about the reading materials when you can finally check out this other realm I’ve been mentioning.”

  “Well, you’re not wrong so…” I shrugged. “How can anyone tell if they’re ready?”

  “Have you been to another realm before?” he asked curiously.

  I nodded. “Once. It was several years ago, though.” Five years, almost exactly. It wasn’t something you forgot.

  “What did it feel like? How did you get there and back?” he replied, trying to answer my questions with more questions.

  I shrugged, not sure how to answer but complied, “It was uncomfortably hot, like every fiber of my being was melting away. I was on a mission with the Blessed. I really don’t know how it was done. One moment I was holding someone’s hand, the next they were grasping mine tightly. I wanted to let go, discomfort from the heat was nearly painful, and then we were there.”

  “It’s almost the opposite in a way, traveling to the spirit realm,” Danny explained, walking much more leisurely around the room now. “Instead of discomfort, there’s nothing. No hot, no cold, no sensation at all. You are moving from your body elsewhere, so there are no physical receptors.”

  “That sounds weird.” I scrunched up my face trying to imagine not feeling anything. Sure, deep grief could make you feel almost nothing, but there was still the air around you, the ground at your feet.

  “It is. It’s disorientating,” Danny agreed and continued on, “You’ll be leaving your body behind.”

  “Wait, what? I thought this was a different realm.”

  Danny smiled and nodded. “That only spirits can access. Your body is not a spirit. It’s a shell. So, it is important to make sure your body will be safe for some time.”

  So, I’d be leaving my body behind? Just sitting there? Empty? I stared at Danny, not really sure I liked how that sounded.

  Danny just smiled and waited a moment for things to sink in before continuing, “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, isn’t it? No worries, returning to your body is easy. You’ll still technically be attached to it. It’s not like you’re dead. So, to the outside world, you’re just sleeping very deeply. They can hear you breathing. However, nothing they can do will wake you, so that’s something to consider.”

  “Great, so my body is just left behind and you have to hope for the best? Or keep a guard on it? This is too weird.” I shook my head. “Okay, maybe we’ll take a step back. What other crazy things do I need to know?”

  “Ummm….” Danny considered as he decided to lay down on a bench in the middle of the room. “Well, there are a lot of weird things. So, I guess we’ll go with some of the basics.”

  I adjusted my seat so I could see him better. “Okay, like what?” What was I getting myself into now?

  “So, spirits don’t always notice us. They look weird in our world, and we look weird through their view. We have to fight to get the attention of some of them. Aggressive spirits can do physical damage. The more aggressive they are the more they can do, from lifting heavy things to stabbing people. Usually it’s simply ‘clawing’ people with nails, but they are still a menace to deal with.”

  “How does one deal with such a thing? Don’t swords just go right through them?”

  “Mhm,” Danny replied, agreeing. “Normal ones do. It takes a special enchantment, a special kind of metal, and an even crazier special ritual to have a blade that fights against demons.”

  The daggers I had hidden came to mind. “What do they look like?”

  “The hilts are some form of deep evergreen with black runes. The blades themselves are pitch black. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen them. Only a handful had them since they were so complicated to make, and normal humans think they’re just plain, low-grade tools and either use them or discard them if they’re found. I can’t even imagine what could have happened to them.” Danny sighed and pulled himself up. He looked exhausted. “It sucks having everyone dead, and all the people who had the answers gone, out of reach, somewhere in the spirit realm.”

  I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

  Danny hesitated for a moment, letting his eyes slowly search the room before replying. “So, the gate is super well protected now. Almost everyone important is there, and no one is allowed near it. It just sucks. They might have the answers, and yet they have sectioned themselves off. The only one I can see Mist talking to is you.”

  “Because of this purple thing?”

  “Exactly. I don’t have all the answers, maybe not even all the questions, but if you can get somewhere, then maybe I can finally know what we’re supposed to do. I hate this. And now I’m trapped at Reawakening.” He grumbled a bit. “Maybe I’m just too tired for all this today. I’m sorry.”

  “I think I’m too tired for all of this today too,” I agreed. “Shall we resume tomorrow? Maybe a clear head is what we need to begin.”

  “Good idea.” Danny stood up, stretched, and headed over to the door. “Let’s find your friend and show you
to your quarters.”

  Following, I fleetingly wondered if I should just show him the materials I had. I would tomorrow. There was already enough nonsense for one day.

  15

  The room we were given was fairly cramped. Two twin beds, two nightstands, and a dresser were shoved in tightly, leaving little walking space. I didn’t care. There was a bed! No hard ground, no dirt, and no bugs. I collapsed into it and let out a long sigh.

  “You really suck at this camping thing,” Lydia teased, sitting on the bed closest to the door.

  “I never said I was the camping type. Adventure is loosely in my soul.” I vaguely waved at her, not wanting to actually move to argue. “Why does getting answers mean I have to travel through mud?”

  “You could have given up and stayed home,” Lydia mused.

  I snorted. “I’m too much of a lost cause now. Damn that Key. She accidentally dragged me into this, defeated her curse, and now I’m still looking for answers.”

  “To be fair, she was at it a lot longer than you have been,” Lydia pointed out kindly. “Your answers are here. I doubt Key liked where hers led her at first, but hey, it worked out. This can still work out too.”

  Lydia wasn’t wrong. That didn’t mean I had to like the lack of quick answers, or all the camping the last five years had brought with it.

  “True. Think we can really survive this?” I asked, finally moving so I could see her.

  She hesitated. Her eyes shifted slowly around our small room before she looked at me. “I don’t know. There’s a lot going on. Things at play aren’t what I thought they were. Good and evil are meshed together, and the only thing I’m certain of is that I have no idea where my faith is.”

  I sat up, surprised by her words. “Good is still good.”

  “I’ve always known they were using us. But being used to fight evil since they would literally destroy our realm, upsetting the balance otherwise, was fine. Now, all these extra details. I just don’t know.” She pulled her legs in close, curling herself into a ball. “We’re just a source for them to survive on.”