by Cale Madison
“You make a strong notion. I love a good challenge, Caine but your life is not equivalent to two, thus could not be bargained. In addition,” the Djinn said, pausing to glance at the moon above, “well...seems that you have run out of time and I’ve yet to acquire his soul. You test my patience and I find myself on a tight schedule.” He paused, thinking hard about the bargain before finally coming to terms.
I couldn’t allow this monster to steal a good man’s tortured soul and escape with the countless atrocities he manipulated others into committing. The Djinn pondered the coming arrangement, understanding that he could have three souls or only one.
“Deal. If I win, you will never see my pretty face again and if you win, your soul becomes mine, along with theirs as well.” he accepted, shaking my hand.
“And what’s the code to this task? A riddle, perhaps?” I then asked, remembering that the Djinn enjoyed to use codes and systems in his tasks. Surely, he would still honor his usual manners of dignity.
“Haunted past with monsters slain, the strings are pulled from place of vain. Eternal reflections, vague and clear, find the one I shall appear.”
I contemplated, hard, realizing that my arrogance had cost me and my wife’s easy escape from this madness, only to bring us deeper into the filth. I focused on the rhyme and tried to decipher it, the best I could. Nobody else would have their lives ruined by this monster again. I nodded then, instantaneously, fell to my knees as a searing pain suddenly scorched my skull - my eyes closed and I felt the weight of reality slipping away as I faded into darkness.
* * * * * *
My throat burned, as if someone were holding burning steel to my skin, coursing an agonizing sensation throughout my body. I opened my eyes to find myself in a strange world where the concept of reality seemed impossible to grasp. Floating islands hovered miles and miles above me; a blood-red moon eclipsed the night sky as it cast a glow across the dusty plains and valleys around me. I could feel the Djinn’s presence seeping from every direction. Smoke billowed from mountain peaks several miles away, channeling mixtures of grey into the swirling, amber atmosphere above.
“What is this place?” I asked, hoping for a response.
A voice boomed down from the black clouds above, replying, “This is neither here, nor there, but a mere figment of my reality. You are in my world now.”
I searched but could not find him. I had to know the details of my challenge.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked the sky.
“You wish to undo our past, right your wrongs and yet you still question me? Caine, I fear you may never learn, yourself. You bargain your soul but is it worth the price of two? Make the ultimate sacrifice and find me. Aketa, as well you must find before,” the Djinn said and then paused, “someone else does.”
I heard Aketa crying my name from across the dark valley. From the distance, I could barely see her waving her hands atop a rocky, jagged cliff, which closely resembled our home. I yelled her name but received no response as something nearby distracted her, causing her to flee in a hurried panic.
Before I could take another step, the ground began to shift and crumble, disintegrating as it changed into an obstructed path that spanned multiple roads jetting off in opposite directions. One seemed to lead towards Aketa, while the others were separate routes. I chose wisely, taking the higher road to maintain visibility with my wife.
“Rubia’s demons...” the Djinn whispered as black smoke spewed from the hillside behind me, revealing the blind, eyeless creature that I came across in Rubia’s painting. It snarled and lunged, gnashing its rows of teeth as it leapt towards me but proved not fast enough as I broke free and sprinted across the black hill. The monster vanished in the distance as I continued running, my gaze never leaving Aketa as she appeared disoriented and alarmed.
“Caine...Caine…” a familiar voice beckoned to me.
I looked to my left to see Taryn desperately holding onto the stern of a ship extending out of the side of a mountain. As he dangled, he continued to cry out, “How could you let this happen?!”
I broke away from my path to save him, only to watch in despair as he lost his grip and tumbled through the air towards the sharp rocks below. His body cracked and snapped against the boulders, the agonizing sounds piercing my eardrums like knives. I cried out as my friend’s corpse washed away in the blood-red tide that swept in, only to then pull him out to sea.
“He followed you aboard another brigantine leaving Mercia,” said the Djinn from above, “unfortunately, they ran across some rocks before they ever reached Ataman. Taryn was one of the unlucky ones aboard. Good friend, poor choices.”
“Liar!”
“His death is now on your hands.” the Djinn proclaimed, his voice booming from the skies around me. I watched as the ground changed, shifting into another separate pathway that would lead me closer to Aketa on the cliff. Even if these were lies, perhaps another false rouse to quicken my insanity, I could still feel the sharp pain in my heart over this loss.
The second path brought me to a small, wooden cabin that rested between two dead willows; I recognized the house almost immediately as my childhood home. I turned away to leave until I overheard my mother’s voice coming from inside, along with the shouting of my father. Once my foot had touched the first step leading to the door, it flung open and my mother collapsed at the threshold. My father, his skin grey with dozens of straining purples veins, stood above my weeping mother and began to beat her head senselessly into the floor. He laughed while he did it as a small boy watched, hidden from beneath the table inside.
“Evil spawns pain and regret,” the Djinn said as I watched, “on this day, you saw the evils of the world. No more happy endings for little Caine Mercer.”
I ran towards them and dove to tackle my father before he could bring any further harm to her, landing hard with the man pinned beneath me. My fists collided against his face, each knuckle tearing apart his flaking skin as the rage that I had buried as a child came flooding out, uncontrollably. Teron Mercer laughed hysterically as I knocked his teeth out, bloodying his eyes that eventually became pitch-black. I fell backwards as the Djinn’s face began to form on my father’s body.
“The rage...the anger…little Caine has finally come home!”
From the cabin, I ran as fast as I could possibly move, leaving the Djinn’s incessant laughter behind. The crossroads had altered in the time I had spent in my father’s cabin and Aketa was still dodging hordes of creatures on the hilltop. I sprinted in her direction, calling her name over and over as I ran down the pathways. After I reached the base of the hill, I could hear my wife screaming in a disoriented panic. Rubia’s demons were now surrounding her, gnashing their jaws together and reaching out towards her.
“Aketa!” I shouted. She heard my voice and turned to see me, miles below the ledge. I began scaling the cliff, gripping protrusions in the precipice as I ascended towards my wife in her desperate moments of need. The demons neared her slowly, as if patiently waiting for my arrival. My hands clutched at skulls embedded into the side of the hill which crumbled, even as I ascended towards my terrified wife.
“Aketa, listen to my voice. Don’t be afraid of them!” I said to her as I advanced closer to where she stood. I could see vivid details on her dress now, watching intently as her knees shook from the paralyzing fear overtaking her. The demons were steadily backing her towards the cliff’s ledge.
“Caine, I-I’m not sure. Is any of this real?” she replied, stunned.
“They will not hurt you. This is all a cod by the Djinn,” I explained as my left hand gripped the dirt beside her ankle, “this is just a dream we’ll soon awaken from. Trust me, there’s nothing to fear.”
“I beg to differ, Caine. There’s plenty left to fear.” the Djinn announced from the skies, prompting fire to break the surface of the distant mountains and magma to cascade down from the heavens. Winged creatures took flight in the distance, escaping from the mountain erup
tions in a direct path towards us.
“Don’t listen to him, Aketa!”
One of the approaching demons stepped too close, receiving a swift kick from Aketa to its stomach. I watched in surprise as the creature tumbled over the side of the mountain and fell to the bottom, bouncing off each rock as it descended. Not so helpless after all, I suppose.
But my calming voice could not suede my wife as she took a step backwards when the horde of demons suddenly leapt upon her, tumbling off the cliff’s ledge to the rocks below. I reached blindly, snatching her wrist before she could fall along with them. Dozens of snarling monsters fell from above us while I tightened my strong grip on her arm.
“Caine,” she cried, “if this is a dream, let me go and I’ll wake up!”
I thought for a moment, realizing that if it weren’t a dream and was actually just separate reality, there remained a chance I would lose her. I shook my head and held tightly, attempting to pull her to safety with my free hand. Howling from the demons echoed from the bottom as heret bodies struck the rocks on their painful path downward.
Just as Aketa’s soft, delicate hands brushed against mine on the ledge, almost near safety, a familiar growling voice reached my ears from above.
“Mercian!”
Ulrik stood in his werewolf form on the ledge, still bearing the scars from our previous encounter. He quickly reached down and then, in a singular motion, heaved Aketa and I from the peak’s ledge. Her screams of terror and gusts of strong wind blurred together as my weary eyes closed and I descended into further darkness.
“Caine! Caine, are you there?!”
I stirred, forcing my eyes to open.
“Caine!”
I looked around at my surroundings: an abandoned castle ruin, decayed with time, vines and moss hanging from the dismantled structures like cobwebs in an old attic. The sky beyond the castle was a blurred mixture of red and violet that swirled together in an uncanny way. I searched for Aketa but she was nowhere in sight. Where am I?
“This is the ruin you bring upon those who follow you,” said the Djinn as he stepped from the shadows like he always favored to do, “do you recognize this place here?”
I noticed the red, tattered banners that dangled from the brick walls and the collapsed arena in the far distance, realizing that we were standing in the remains of Skalige’s fortress. Piles of soot and ash collected in heaps beneath the scattered cobblestones lying throughout the ruins.
“This is what happens when your friend returns to his home. The vampire’s vision has awoken sleeping demons in his heart that will not rest after tonight - you only stirred his madness further. You were his last hope at a good and honest world. Now, this is his legacy.”
“What happens here?” I asked, looking over the destruction around us.
“His preference for alcohol will only spiral into a dark addiction, seeing it as the only method to see his wife and daughter,” the Djinn pronounced, “one night, the whiskey takes over and never brings him back. He sets fire to his home, killing his seventy-three servants and himself in the process. The Isles become lost in oblivion as he runs them into chaos before his untimely death.”
I walked around the ruins, scanning every inch of the destruction I had brought upon the Baron and his home. My prior convictions began to battle against my virtues as I decided if my presence has undeniably saved more than I’ve destroyed. Have I really brought such dissent upon those I saved?
“For centuries, I have granted wishes to scoundrels and heathens, only to leave with more debts and unsettled pacts. After tonight, there will be nothing left. All has been repaid and I’ve claimed what was owed, thanks to you, Caine Mercer. We make a tremendous team, you and I.” he explained.
“Making godly promises only to drive them mad is not right, Djinn. Your meddling in their affairs only ruins lives, can you not see that?” I asked, hoping to strike some kind of nerve in this emotionless being.
“As the saying goes, ‘the customer is always right’. Supply and demand, Caine, it’s quite simple: I give them what their hearts desire, you know that. How they fare once given total control of their destiny...now that’s on them,” he replied, “for better or for much, much worse.”
“Why did you choose me?”
“I’ve watched you for years, studying your heart and your unswaying determination. I knew that just the right push would lead you to me in that cave, inevitably doing so in the time needed. Aketa only helped get the wheels turning.”
“She’s my wife, Djinn. Have you no sympathy?” I replied.
“None.”
His doll-black eyes shone in the moonlight behind us, radiating in a distinct glow as we continued to talk. He kept a certain manner, holding still without emotion. Suddenly, I heard Aketa crying out for me with her voice trailing off in all directions as if becoming momentarily muffled somewhere. I was growing tired of the games and consistent searching in this strange realm.
“Where is she?!” I demanded.
“Open your eyes, Caine, look,” the Djinn raised his hand, revealing her as she levitated just off the veranda above a lake far below, “she is there.”
With the snap of his fingers, the lake became engulfed in white flames, reaching to the skies like desperate hands breaking the water’s surface. Tears streamed down Aketa’s face as she realized her coming fate. I shouted, frantically charging towards her but some kind of bondage quickly snatched my wrist - vines from the pavilion coiled themselves around my arms to prevent me from reaching her. The Djinn grinned, returning his gaze to my wife as she floated with the scarlet moon silhouetting behind her. He said to me, “You’ve fought valiantly, Caine, but now you shall learn what happens when you meddle in the affairs of others.”
I struggled against my restraints as the Djinn raised his hand towards my wife, pulling a strange, shadowy mist from her open mouth. It was as if he were stealing the life from her body before my very eyes. I could only watch in perpetual agony as the color faded from her cheeks and her hair began to metamorphose into streaks of silver and grey as the blonde disappeared. I cried out and then, in a burst of anger and distress, burst through the vines that held me, sprinting across the pavilion. I noticed the Djinn’s startled glance as I passed him before I leapt over the railing to catch her. Our bodies intertwined in the air, disrupting the magic that held her levitation - we then plummeted for what seemed like hours until colliding against the boiling water, which felt icy cold to the touch as we sunk deeper and deeper into the undiluted darkness.
* * * * * *
Awakened again, I found that we were transported to the Crescent Moon but we were all alone. Pitch-blackness surrounded the tower. I then looked down to see Aketa with her eyes closed, her skin - cold to the touch and her once full lips, now pale and lifeless. I shook my head, dismissing any thought of her not recovering and began checking for any sign of breathing or heartbeat. I found nothing but a limp body, lying in my arms. The corners of my eyes burned as tears began to swell and my shoulders began uncontrollably trembling.
“As I said before,” said the Djinn, “mindless sheep.”
I remained silent as I held her.
“Shame that she wasn’t strong enough.” he continued. I felt the hotness rising in my face as I looked towards him, channeling my grief into a fiery vengeance. I had never wanted to kill someone so badly in my life until that one moment. The Djinn stood opposite of me with his hands cupped together and his black eyes narrowed. I cried out and charged him, only to collide against hard glass in the shadows of the dark. Shards pierced my face and arms, leaving a bloody trail on the ground around me.
“So, so close.” he laughed, appearing in multiple mirrors around me. I continued crashing against mirrors as the Djinn cackled from all angles, his same expression meeting mine in each reflection. Glass covered my arms and legs but I cared not, continuing to strike blindly in the dark.
“Come on, Caine..nearly had me there!” he heckled as I threw punches at the
reflections. All I could see was his emotionless face, gleaming back at me through dozens of mirrors. He felt as if he had already won, jesting at my feeble attempts to beat him at his own game. My vision blurred as the red-hot anger consumed me, enveloping my instinct to protect the love of my life laying lifeless behind me. This was rage I had never known before.
“Once again, you miss!” he taunted after I collided against another reflection.
How do I find him?
Dozens of mirrors surrounded us on the tower, each with the same reflection of the Djinn as he proudly stood, aware of his upper hand in this gambit of wits. With every mirror I destroyed, another would appear in its place. How could I find such a cunning creature in a world of his own design?
“I’ve won.” he cackled from each mirror. I fell to my knees, finally seeing that my attempts were futile. I could feel the skin on my hands beginning to fade, as if the Djinn was already taking my soul in my time of defeat. Memories that once felt so near were slowly drifting further and further away. A warm, soothing voice broke the silence, whispering into my ear, “Caine...concentrate.”
Aketa remained still and unmoved behind me but her voice rang out within my head as she whispered to me, “Focus on my voice. Clear away everything around it and concentrate. You’ll find him.”
Her words were reminiscent of the hunt we had once shared long ago. Maybe it’s not as difficult as it seems. I then remembered something - the summoning from long before but I struggled to remember the exact words. My opponent stood, unwavered, in the mirrors around me. Suddenly, it all became clear. I recalled the Djinn’s riddle from before: the strings are pulled from place of vain. Eternal reflections, vague and clear, find the one and I shall appear.
I realized that, perhaps I should put my own twist on his mind games.
