Fate and Dreams

by Erik Weir

  Realm Walker

  Fate and Dreams

  Book Three

  Erik Weir

  Realm Walker: Fate and Dreams © copyright 2019 Erik Weir

  All Rights Reserved

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  Cover Design and Artwork

  Germancreative and Version93

  Editing

  Lucid Dream Editing

  “Do or do not. There is no try.”

  ― Yoda, Empire Strikes Back

  Realm Walker: Fate and Dreams is book three in the Realm Walker Trilogy. Please read Realm Walker: Blade and Shield & Realm Walker: Monsters and Angels to catch up. Thank you.

  One

  Victor wiped beads of sweat from his brow. Muscles ached as he pushed a pillar into place. Cool air washed over his body as he stepped back to admire his work. Torches flickered along the walls of the temple. Bending down, he picked up a hammer and several metal spikes. Remembering what Cassandra showed him, he began to hammer the spikes into the base to secure the wooden pillar. When he finished with the base, he grabbed a nearby ladder and climbed it. At the top, he hammered just enough for the metal spike to penetrate the wood but not loud enough to wake the mountain.

  When the last spike was successfully hammered in, the Blade climbed down and moved the ladder away. Picking up a nearby bucket and trowel, the Champion knelt to the base of the pillar. Tipping the bucket, a gray cement-like substance slowly poured out against the base of the pillar. When enough had circled around it, Victor took hold of the trowel and began shaping it so it would hide the spikes and base, giving it a professional appearance.

  The last few nights it had been like that. The young man found it difficult to sleep for extended periods. While the village and town below the temple slept, Victor was getting up night after night, climbing to the nearly finished temple of Vala and helping with touches here and there. Acolytes had worked tirelessly over the last month to rebuild and repair the temple and town at the base of Vala’s mountain. It was welcomed work as Victor and many others tried to work through the grieving process of those they had lost.

  Victor’s mind drifted as he worked. Images of the graveyard at the base of the mountain pulled at his heart. The beautiful image of Astor touched his thoughts and fell away like dust on the wind. It was enough to slow down the shaping of the cement, causing him to sit down and look around. The temple had grown, filled with corridors, a large sanctuary and stained-glass windows with images of Vala’s robed form. Many of the acolytes made their way to each of the realms to gather supplies and work with skillful artisans. Word of Vala returning caused many to rejoice and happily work in secret, knowing that the goddess could return soon. The work was fast and beautiful, so many were working together to repair the temple and the town at the base of the mountain. It brought a small smile to Victor's face as everyone focused on their jobs and duties, nearly forgetting the trials they had to endure to make it this far.

  You really need to get some sleep.

  The voice in Victor’s head yawned and the Champion stayed where he was on the cool stone floor.

  “I'd rather be here then lying in bed, staring at the ceiling,” Victor whispered.

  I’m sure Lily, Dawn and any of the others would be happy to tire you out.

  The shadow coiled around Victor’s heart as if trying to become more comfortable.

  “Maybe I just need some time to myself,” Victor said with a small smile.

  Fine. I’ll leave you to your work, but we can’t have our star player exhausted. Get some sleep soon.

  “Chill, you’re not my coach,” Victor grinned.

  Yes, I am.

  Victor felt the shadow around his heart settle down and soon it was fast asleep. The young man was about to get back to work when memories washed up on the shores of his mind. Chill was half-right. The acolytes would have been more than happy to help him sleep if he wasn’t mentally and physically exhausted. For seven days after the destruction of the Valis Realm, Portia brought a single acolyte from that realm to his bed. Each night was blissful and sad. The Valis acolytes wanted to help by releasing a piece of Vala. Some nights it was simple love-making and other nights, Victor consoled those who lost family and cried into his shoulder. Seven angels came to him, but only four slept with him. The other three talked and sobbed, a tear or a touch releasing a piece of Vala and Victor growing stronger.

  The words of the women haunted him. Despite saving many, many more were lost when a single comet penetrated the defenses and destroyed most of the planet. The more they spoke, the heavier their loss weighed on him. Images of Umus, Valis’s god, fighting the Elder Thing were burned into his thoughts and the Champion wondered if they survived the impact.

  Victor looked up at the nearly finished temple and simply took it in. It was the first step to bringing peace back to the six realms. Vala’s mountain would be a beacon for those who worship her, and a starting place to bring her influence back to the realms. The long crusade was coming to a close and Victor wondered if he was ready for the end.

  Mentally he called up his stat screen. Words and numbers formed in his vision as he looked it over.

  Victor Hobbs

  Acolytes Unlocked- 60/77

  Divine Orbs- 18

  Powers to Unlock-0

  Spheres of Influence

  Str (Gaia)- 15

  Con (Nano)- 11

  Int (Abyss)- 3

  Will (Holy)- 6

  Wis (Mind)- 10

  Cha (Shadow)- 3

  Swords

  Iron Sword

  Elemental Sword

  Gun Blade

  Bone Sword

  Cursed Blade

  Sphere Abilities/Powers

  Mind

  Speak/Read/Write Languages

  Transmutation

  Unseen Hand

  Enchant Weapon

  Gaia

  Increased Strength/Speed

  Animal Tongues

  Jump

  Animal Shapeshift

  War Form

  Summon Monster

  Nano

  Heightened Senses Upgrade

  Body Enhancement/Repair

  Interface Upgrade

  Weapon Upgrade

  Armor Upgrade

  Power Suit Upgrade

  Shadow

  Holy

  Light Aura Shield

  Soothing Touch

  Healing

  Energy Craft

  Abyss

  Impulse Control Touch

  By not leaving Vala’s realm, the Champion had freed the pieces of Vala, but had not spent or gained any new abilities. It floated in the back of his mind that he and the others had to return to the crusade, but with Vala silent once again, they worked and waited.

  Glancing to an open archway, the Champion gazed on the new stars dotting the black sky. The realm was growing and the young man dreamed of a sunrise. He had no idea if there was ever a sun in Vala’s realm, but he liked to think about it. It would help pass the time when he lingered in the hot springs or snuggled with Lily and Dawn.

  “There you are,” Lily’s head appeared at the bottom of the archway.

  Victor stayed sitting, watching the lilac colored demoness rise up from the main stairs and stepped into the temple. The Champion’s gaze fell on the long white lock of hair that rose from her right temple and flowed down to the end of her jet-black hair. She wore nothing more than a long black shirt. Bare feet stepped along cold stone as she entered the temple, making her way to the sitting Victor.

  Lily’s beauty took his breath away, but the mark of her giving up a piece of her soul to save his, chained to his heart. Tangled emotions plagued his thoughts and part of him wondered if that was why he couldn’t sleep.

  Lily lo
oked to the new pillar. “Still working on the temple, I see.”

  “This was the last pillar to install. It was bothering me and I just wanted to get it done,” Victor smiled.

  Lily sauntered over and sat beside her friend and lover. “You haven’t been sleeping. Dawn and I keep waking up to you not in bed. At first, I thought you were visiting some of the other acolytes, but when I asked a few of them, none had seen you.”

  Victor looked down, shadows covering his eyes.

  “We can talk about it?”

  The Blade turned his gaze to the beautiful demoness, torchlight painting his blank expression.

  “It’s complicated and I don’t want to you to worry.”

  Lily gave Victor a wicked smirk, “Thankfully you’re not that complicated. I’m sure I will understand since I’m smarter than you.”

  Victor let out a small chuckle. “Ouch.”

  Lily touched his shoulder. “What’s on your mind…or your heart?”

  Victor looked up at the ceiling, various images of Vala carved into the stone. “Valis is destroyed, you lost a piece of your soul to save me and we lost Astor. I sometimes wonder what I could have done to stop all those terrible things.”

  “We all make sacrifices for the greater good, but I don’t think those are the only things keeping you up at night.”

  Victor looked down, “Seventeen more acolytes and Vala will be able to resurrect. When that happens, does everything become normal? Will the realms become peaceful or will it start more wars? I know not everyone will be happy with her return and I don’t want any more sacrifices. I just don’t know what’s going to happen, and for the first time in a long time, I’m concerned about the future.”

  Lily leaned back, her hands and arms propping herself up as her feet playfully moved side to side. “There is no grand peace and magically all our problems will be fixed. Vala, like all the pantheon, have their influences across the realms. Her return will bring back a balance the realms lost when she died.”

  “I’m sure the seven gods who killed her won’t like her return,” Victor added.

  Lily nodded. “Hexnia seems fine with Vala’s return. We know how Baaldir feels and Luhorr seems indifferent from what you told me.”

  “What about the other four? I don’t even know their names.”

  “Would it help you if you do know them?”

  Victor grew silent. Seven gods came together under Baaldir’s leadership to eradicate Vala’s followers and then slay her. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Thoughts clawed at his mind, hints of memories that were not his cycling through his dreams and turning them to nightmares. Was Vala showing him what they did? Was she trying to prepare him for what was to come?

  Lily leaned against Victor, her arm curling around his. “Where’s the bright spirit I know and love?”

  Victor’s fingers entwined with Lily’s fingers and he held her tight. “He’s still here, somewhere.”

  “Would Captain Picard brood like this?” Lily asked innocently.

  Victor let out a laugh. “No, he would talk it over with his Number One and have some Earl Grey tea.”

  Lily lightly pulled at his arm, “You can talk to me about anything. As for the tea, I don’t know what Earl Gray tea is, but Cassandra has plenty of teas we can choose from. Maybe when everyone wakes up, we can brew a pot?”

  Victor smiled as Lily pulled a little harder.

  “Come to bed. We can talk about it after you get some rest,” the demoness said as she slowly stood up, pulling Victor with her.

  The Champion rose and stood next to Lily. He didn’t let go of her hand as he stared at her beauty. The white lock glowed against her raven black hair, but the Blade pushed away the sick feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want anyone to hurt anymore, but wishful thinking never solved anything.

  Wishful thinking leads to positive change. Don’t sell yourself short.

  “Thanks,” Victor said to Lily and Chill.

  “Dawn is keeping our bed warm. Let’s not keep her waiting,” Lily said as the couple made their way down the stone steps, Vala’s majestic temple taking up the entire top of the mountain.

  ***

  The ether swirled, tendrils of mists rising and falling against the abyss. Victor floated, mind and body lost to the gentle ebbs of the dreamscape. Anxiety ran along his nerves, causing his body to twitch while his eyes stared indifferently into the void.

  “Vala…” the Blade called out, but the abyss did not answer.

  “I don’t know if you can hear me, but we are getting closer to your resurrection. You just have to hold on a while longer. We will bring you back. Rest and know we are here for you,” Victor whispered to the abyss.

  On he floated, lost to the currents of dreams when the abyss slowly began to brighten. Victor’s eyes slid upwards, gazing at the black sky and seeing it fade to a dim gray. The mist still floated, but the abyss brightened a moment at a time. A sliver of excitement ran through Victor and a small smile formed. The brighter it became, the wider his smile. Soon, all the darkness melted away as a ball of light rose up, illuminating the dreamscape in brilliant radiance.

  Victor’s eyes slowly blinked opened. The light was still there, partially in the dreamscape and partly in reality? Blinking faster, he hoped it would further wake him up. Instead, his heart began to quicken. Eyes wide open, he felt Lily to one side of him and Dawn on his other side. Lily slept with her mouth open, drool spilling onto her pillow while Dawn made a small moan and tried to pull Victor to her.

  The Blade sat up; eyes wide as light streamed in from outside his home. Rays touched the wooden floor as warmth spread throughout the dwelling.

  “Turn out the lantern,” Dawn said, squeezing her eyes shut and pulling at Victor’s arm.

  “It’s not a lantern,” the Champion grinned as he grabbed the thick blanket and whipped it off the three of them.

  Lily groaned while Dawn rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. Blinking away sleep, the elf’s oval eyes opened and she stared at the window in disbelief. Victor vaulted out of bed and grabbed at some of his clothes on a nearby dresser. In a flash, his leather pants were on and his shirt was mostly on as he darted for the door.

  The Champion raced out of the bedroom, down the small hallway and grasped at the doorknob. The front door swung open and the young man stepped out into the first rays of light. The night sky had bled away, the crescent moon still hanging in the air, but dawn approached, the top part of a sun rising in the east and painting the mountain and realm in living light.

  Victor stepped out to the cobblestone street and gazed at the horizon, drinking in the brand-new sunrise. Misty mountain tops appeared in the light as the realm glowed with a new morning. When the sun was halfway above the horizon, another edge of a small sun appeared beside it. Two suns rose up and a warmth glowed across the realm.

  Dawn and Lily stepped out of the home and stood on either side of Victor. Eyes drank in the cosmic spectacle as it played on before them.

  “I…didn’t know there were suns here,” Victor said out loud.

  “I didn’t know either,” Lily said while she stared.

  Bodies stirred and rose up as light filled the realm. Doors opened and women stepped out, hands shielding their eyes from the new sunrise. Acolytes gazed up in wonder and amazement as day had come to Vala’s realm.

  “Yes! I did it,” a voice shouted from down the small street.

  Victor, Lily and Dawn turned their heads to see the silver hair and dark blue robe of Kira running toward them with a small book in her hands. The woman was nearly jumping as she ran along the cobblestone street. Skidding to a halt in front of the trio, she held up the book and shoved it close to Victor’s face.

  “I managed to scribe Vala’s teachings! My hands are cramping, but it’s finally done!” Kira shouted and jumped with exuberant excitement. “It’s the first book, but I managed to collect her stories and the stories of her followers. Now we have something to give to the masses. I’ll have to fin
d a press or we could build one!”

  Victor smiled as he watched the scribe hop excitingly. “Um, Kira, do you see the sunrise?”

  Kira stopped jumping, glanced over her shoulder and then back to her book. “Yes, it’s quite beautiful.”

  Dawn gave a wry smirk. “Kira, there has never been a sunrise here before.”

  “Yes, but can a sunrise compare to the teachings of Vala, I think not,” Kira giggled.

  Victor leaned toward Lily, “She’s normally the shy one. I’ve never seen her like this.”

  Before Lily could respond, Skye marched down the street toward them.

  “Kira! We need to keep that book safe until we make copies,” the redhead scolded her wife.

  Kira hugged the book to her chest. “It is safe, with me! I have all the pages and words,” Kira laughed maniacally.

  Skye walked up to the group gathered and have them all a tired look. “She’s always like this when she finishes writing something.”

  “It’s a good thing to be excited about,” Victor smiled politely.

  Kira continued to talk, muttering mostly to herself as Skye stood by her. All of them marveled at the sunrise, the warm light on their skin. A long moment past before a tall figure walked toward them. Victor turned his attention to Cassandra’s eight-foot form. The giant Amazonian woman held a small smile as she walked. A dark green robe covered, but couldn’t hide her hourglass figure. Long curly red hair framed her alabaster white face as she made her way to them. When she towered over the small group, she turned her attention to the rising suns and sighed.

  “Vala spoke to me. We should gather in the temple. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

  ***

  Pew like benches ran to the right and left of the altar. Colored sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting reds, yellows and blues in small patches. The altar room was nearly cathedral-like in size. Victor looked around, caught in the beauty of it while the small logical part of his mind wondered why it was so much bigger inside than outside. Lily and Dawn walked at his sides as they made their way through the middle aisle and sat toward the front.