by Elian Tars
The Barrier of Madness
The greenish lights reminded of ghosts a little, the way they were depicted in games and movies. It was impossible to distinguish pieces of clothes or body parts from the glowing energy, but they still gave an impression of restless souls.
“Those whose will is weak and who aren’t ready to go all the way to save the world can go back home,” the Old Man said dryly.
But nobody took his advice and we resumed walking anxiously after the floating figure. Even Nurgia kept her big mouth shut.
“I’ve heard your answer. And I’m satisfied with it,” the Old Man said in the same calm manner. “Don’t be afraid. The Barrier itself doesn’t kill. It’s more like a fishing net. You can take a fish out of it and put it back into the water. But to do that, we first need to deal with the fisherman.”
All right, so the Barrier didn’t kill, just knocked you out. So that’s how the Mad God took prisoners... He’d make his victims lose their minds and rush to him, knocking them out with the Barrier, and take them into his lair where he’d suck the life out of them.
“It’s as you say, boy,” the Old Man confirmed. I was glad to see him become more talkative.
“Don’t dare attack first,” he warned, stopping a foot away from the first “ghost.” With a resolute step, he went right through it. The bright green light emerged out of the Old Man’s back and began to darken. Once the Darkness had covered it completely, it disappeared like fog.
I wasn’t a blind worshipper to step fearlessly into the abyss after him, but I had no choice. I had my doubts, but I tried not to show them. Despite that, I crossed the invisible border and stepped into the domain of the wandering lights.
A couple of seconds later the first “ghost” went through me.
No… Don’t! someone pleaded in the back of my mind.
And that was all. Direct contact with these things seemed to have no other consequences. The “ghost” carried on as if nothing had happened. Then again, unlike the Old Man, I couldn’t destroy someone’s energy with touch alone.
Don’t do it…
Stop…
The voices seemed to belong to different people. I wasn’t sure if they were human or not, but I thought that they were.
Change your mind! cried a female voice. Yes, they definitely belonged to different people.
Each new “ghost” that went through me brought fragments of their final pleas. Who had been pleading whom and about what, I couldn’t understand. However, I was glad that touching them didn’t bring me much discomfort.
I glanced at the Ogroids — they were frowning, but no one complained. I didn’t know why, but I thought that Nurgia would say something stupid like: “Is that’s all? It could be worse!” But the she, too, kept silent. I supposed that it was clear to everyone that something like this wouldn’t drive anyone crazy. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning.
Why are you doing this, Rheingeit?! cried a woman in anguish. For a moment, my heart sank and hurt as if I myself was in anguish.
It can still be fixed, someone said through clenched teeth and I suddenly felt anger swell in me.
Don’t make me fight you, Rheingeit. You may not get out of this alive, a voice replied coldly, and I realized that I was restraining my anger. I was ready to die, but not to give up.
Damn it… The voices were becoming more frequent, but what was worse was the fact that I had begun to feel what they felt. The emotions were too strong to ignore. I felt like I was being pulled in different directions. The Barrier of Madness had justified its name. Such sudden mood shifts could drive a person mad.
No! Don’t!!! A girl screamed and I froze with fear. Why? I didn’t fear for myself, but for someone close to me and the whole world at the same time, as if the life of this person was directly connected with the fate of this world. No, I wasn’t the one who felt like that, but the girl whose emotions I had absorbed.
By the Decay, another one!
This time, the fear that I felt was mine. The damned Barrier! I wished the breaks were longer…
You’d better… finish me… right now… Rheingeit… Otherwise… I won’t let you… rest… the man managed to say with an effort. He was wounded and driven by hate.
I twisted my ankle and almost fell. I glanced down and saw that I had fallen into a hole. How did I not notice it? My vision was unfocused, and my brain was lagging behind. I’d much rather be dealing with creatures of the Decay than suffer this torment...
Oh no, another ghost… And another one... There’s three of them? Are they going to attack at once?
For some reason, I glanced back over my shoulder. Perhaps my subconscious was looking for a way out. Perhaps it was worried for my companions. I didn’t know and it didn’t matter.
I saw three Ogroids trudging slowly behind. They were all that was left of our fighters. Drohen and Nurgia were trailing a couple of feet behind the Old Man.
Suddenly, a dozen ghosts rushed toward me…
***
“Biergein, let’s hurry!” A fair-haired girl with a dark complexion tugged at my hand. She was dressed in something that looked like a gray, buttoned up tank-top. She wore strange pants that looked puffy on her thighs, but clung tightly to the rest of her legs.
“I’m coming, Urtia, I’m coming,” I said against my will, using someone else’s voice. I felt pain in my side. I wanted to look, but my body didn’t listen to me. I could only guess what happened. I clutched my side with my left hand — it felt wet. A wound. And a very fresh one.
“Sorry I’m late, guys,” said a man with a longsword on his back. His waist-long, black hair was gathered in a ponytail.
“No need to apologize, Archeus,” said a tired voice from behind us. “We expected… that Rheingeit will try to hold you back…” Glancing over my shoulder (this time, my wish coincided with my body’s actions), I saw a dark-skinned man with a bare torso and a turban. Peeking from behind his shoulder was the tip of a staff-looking weapon. His right hand was hanging limply, and he was covering the wound on his bloodied chest with his left hand. Of the four of us, he looked the most battered. Even talking was difficult for him. But by the fire in his eyes it was clear that he hadn’t given up and that he was ready to fight.
My body turned back and stared ahead. Urtia didn’t tug at my hand anymore; she was also looking in front of her. Archeus nodded sadly and, turning his head, sped up a little, putting his right hand on the sword’s hilt. The straps that held the sheath slowly disappeared, and the blade became covered with a bright, orange flame. Sword at the ready, he rushed forward.
We were running up a very wide staircase. Just like the walls and the high ceiling, it was a warm, terracotta color. The staircase wound clockwise, or so I thought. To the right of us, as it seemed to me, was the inner wall of the tower. But from time to time, huge window frames would appear to our left, which seemed unusual to me.
Looking around, I tried to understand what had happened to me — a moment ago, I was walking through the Bloody Forest with the Ogroids, and now I was Decay knows where and in another person’s body. I mean, sure, I was technically in someone else’s body in the “the other world,” too. But I considered Bon’s body to be mine and I had control over it. But this…
Apparently, I was inside the memories of the Mad God. This was probably the second layer of his defenses. Hearing voices and feeling emotions that weren’t mine wasn’t enough to drive me mad. And as if that wasn’t bad enough on its own, I was now reliving one of his memories. Supposing what goal the Mad God pursued by playing with my mind, I could tell that something terrible was waiting for me ahead. Perhaps I’d even find out why he had gone mad.
Archeus sped up so that he almost ran. Casting a glance at me, Urtia grabbed my hand again and dragged me with her. I (Biergein, that is) had to move faster. My wound was pulsating with sharp pain, but I held back the cry that wanted to escape me.
The sounds of trampling footsteps and voices were coming from upstairs, but
they soon stopped. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that whoever was making the noise was waiting for us.
“So you got here after all,” said a stately, fair-haired man, clad in armor, and armed with a sword and a shield. The leader (and I was sure it was Rheingeit) was a step lower and closer to us than the rest of his men. They were waiting for us on the staircase after all.
About twenty Gods stood frozen in anticipation behind the God of All Kings. I saw a lot of familiar faces: Aerida, Karus, Einar, Mavia... Even Rugus and Glozeysk. Though, the two were standing behind the rest, opposite one another, and towering over everyone. They were allies in my world, but now they looked like nemesis...
I didn’t see Noriduel among the Gods. Then again, a hedonist like him had no interest in politics. Now, had someone offered him money...
All jokes aside, our group could’ve tried making a deal with him. Or maybe they had tried, but he decided not to participate in a battle he knew was already lost.
“It couldn’t have been otherwise, Rheigeit,” Archeus said dryly.
“Why so?” the God of All Kings smirked. “You could’ve stayed away like before. You didn’t try to stop us the first time, and now you suddenly changed your mind?”
“We didn’t want to fight against our brothers,” Biergein said, and I could feel his anger and resentment growing stronger with each passing minute. He clenched his teeth so hard that it hurt. He didn’t want to rush at them too quickly. Deep inside he… I… believed that we could still negotiate. That we’d be able to convince our “brothers...”
Not to destroy Zurtarn.
Our thoughts intertwined, and I was both him and myself at the same time. His emotions and his pain were mine, and I tried to understand him better. I needed more information but I didn’t have access to his memories. All I could see were bits and pieces of whatever he had been thinking at that moment. I seemed to be able to read only the most important thoughts, ones triggered by very strong emotions.
“We never thought that you’d stoop so low!” Urtia cried out angrily. “Your hunger for power and strength has blurred your vision! So much so that you decided to destroy Zurtein?! It’s one thing…” She clenched her fists and swallowed the lump that got stuck in her throat. “It’s one thing to turn our backs on the Ancients... They would’ve never left us alone and would’ve continued looking after us and the whole world. But it’s quite a different thing to decide to destroy everything out of selfishness!”
“Come on, you worry too much,” Rheingeit chuckled. “Zurtein will live for a hundred years more... Maybe less. But after that, alas...” The God of All Kings spread his arms aside. “Everything dies, after all. Why should the world live forever?”
Chapter 11
Biergein
Looking at Rheingeit through Biergein’s eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder why were the other Gods so obediently silent. From time to time, Biergein would cast unfriendly glances at them, and I felt his hate coarse through my veins. I hated them, too. But despite these intrusive thoughts and emotions, somewhere at the back of my mind I was trying to make sense of what was happening.
Unfortunately, all I could come up with were strange conspiracy theories. For example, Rheingeit could’ve subdued the other Gods with his power, like a master who had fully suppressed the will of their servants so that they didn’t even dare to utter a word in their presence. However, this seemed unlikely. The other theory was that the Gods were perhaps ashamed of something that they had already done. This was a bit far-fetched, but it was still a possibility. Perhaps they were already too deep in whatever hole they had dug themselves in. The third possibility was that they had acknowledged Rheingeit as their leader, which meant that they were following him because they wanted to.
However, it was most likely that the reason was a combination of all three: some of them feared him, some wanted to follow him, and some wished to see this to the very end. Of course, it was also possible that some had motives that I didn’t yet understand.
“Rheingeit,” Archeus said. “I ask you again: change your mind! The moment you found out that there’s a way to break free from the Ancients,” he glanced unkindly at Rugus, who was still huddling against the wall behind the others, “you immediately snatched that opportunity. And now you’ve got your independence. You’re free just like you wanted to be. You’re your own master. Isn’t that enough? Why destroy Zurtarne and doom the world?”
“Every world is doomed to die, my friend. Just not at the same time. But our lifespans are much shorter than that of this world. And it is because of our own mortality that it is so difficult for us to understand that the world is also mortal. The only way to change this is to outlive the world itself.”
Biergein shifted his gaze at Archeus who was standing a step higher than us and looking at Rheingeit. From where I stood, I could see only Archeus’s profile; he was tense, and his gaze was cold. What was he thinking about? He was obviously trying to digest what he had just heard…
Archeus gave a tired sigh. “So it’s true then? Making a perversion out of this world by bringing all those numbers and words that appear out of nowhere in front of our eyes wasn’t enough for you? Faith isn’t enough? Temples and prayers in your honor aren’t enough?”
“Hey,” Rheingeit pretended to be annoyed. “They believe in you, too. In the ‘Gods of Righteousness,’ heh!”
“All of that isn’t enough for you?” Archeus continued, not paying attention to his words. “All of this is just a part of some big plan, huh? And only the death of this world will get you what?” He stuttered for a second, trying to find the right words. “The next ‘level’ of power?”
“You’re using the new words yourself!” A tall man with straight, jet-black hair that reached to half of his back stomped his foot. Waist-long beard falling over his red scale armor and guandao in his right hand made him look very menacing. If the short descriptions from the Small Encyclopedia were correct, this had to be Bers, the God of Bloody Battle. “So stop whining! Either shut up and get out of here, and enjoy the fruits our labor under the skirt of some wench, or do what you’ve come to do. You want to stop us? Then go ahead, I’ll gladly gut all of you.”
Anger and hatred were tearing me apart. My hands reached to my belt. Unsheathing two curved daggers with a quick movement I rushed forward and…
“Stop!” Archeus caught me by the collar of my jacket and pulled me back so hard that I fell on my ass. I glared at him, losing my determination. Breathing deeply, Archeus kept staring at Rheingeit, nostrils flaring. I could feel his fury with every fiber of my soul.
“Bers... Bers… And what good will such behavior do, hm? What good will making our guests nervous do?” Rheingeit sighed and glanced over his shoulder. “I ask you not to interfere without my permission,” he added dryly.
“As you wish,” Bers muttered.
“Rheingeit,” Archeus said through clenched teeth. “I ask you one last time: change your mind. We can leave it the way it is. Our lives are long anyway. There’s no need to destroy the world.”
“But there is, my brother,” the God of All Kings sighed and continued without a hint of irony in his voice. “Even Gods can die and they’re far from being all-powerful. I understand that there’s probably no such thing as absolute immortality. But we have something to strive for. We can go beyond the limits and boundaries of one world. Unfortunately, one can’t make an omelet without breaking a couple of eggs. You need to break the limit to go beyond it.”
“And you’re ready to destroy our home and soak up the released energy? Energy that’ll be born out of millions of deaths? For hundreds of years, all of you,” he said, pointing at the other Gods, “will watch the world die! You’ll feed on those deaths like vultures! Is that what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Then… If there’s any honor left in you, Rheingeit, accept my challenge. If I win, promise me that you’ll order your minions to stop destroying Zurtarne.”
“Of c
ourse!” Rheingeit spread his arms aside. “It’s just they’re not my minions, but my brothers and sisters.” He glanced over his shoulder at the group behind him. “You heard him, yeah? Don’t you dare show me in a bad light if I lose. Though…” He looked back at Archeus, piercing him with his steely gaze. “That won’t be necessary... Let’s fight.”
For a split second, the space around the two Gods blurred and shimmered as if microscopic confetti had been tossed into the air. It became a bit difficult to breathe, and I felt as if I had been forced to carry a heavy piece of furniture up the stairs to the fifth floor.
Had I been reliving the memories of an ordinary mortal, I would’ve probably felt differently. I was sure that Rheingeit’s divine power would’ve made a mere mortal’s knees give in. The concentrated energy of the other Gods would’ve crushed the poor bastard with its weight. I doubted that it would’ve been deadly, but still…
Archeus and Rheingeit rushed simultaneously at each other, interrupting my train of thought. My heart ached as the battle unfolded. Biergein was worried about his leader and…
...and about Rheingeit, too.
It seemed like time froze around me. Half a second seemed to have passed, but that was enough for me to understand.
Archeus really didn’t want this fight to happen. He didn’t want to fight his “brethren.” And even now, as a Mad God, he suffered terribly; he never wanted anyone to get hurt.
“Why did they go against the Ancients?”
“Why have they changed the world?”
“Why do they want to destroy the world?”
“It was so good, when we… together…”
“Brought people light, knowledge, justice, harmony…”
“Did them good.”
“Does none of that mean anything to you, my brothers and sisters?! Is your hunger for power more important to you than everything we’ve once believed in? Everything they’ve taught us?”
“And we betrayed them, too…”
