by B. D. Suever
“Nera!” Ethan yelled. He ran over to try to help Nera, but the trees blocked his path.
“Kid! Watch out!” Xavoz called.
Ethan looked up just in time to see the golem's massive foot about to land on top of him. He quickly jumped out of the way, barely avoiding being squashed.
Naveni ran towards the fallen trees to try to find Nera. The golem swung its arm and punched Naveni hard on the side, pushing her backwards. Naveni let out a cry. She got to her feet and ran towards the golem to attack, but the golem managed to swing again and launched Naveni backwards, causing her to crash into the trees where Nera had fallen.
Ethan was horrified. His friends were dropping one by one. This giant creature was too much, and he didn't know what to do. He hid behind a rock, hoping no one would see him. He buried his face in his knees and began to cry. What do I do? he thought desperately.
THUD
Xavoz was thrown hard into a boulder. He struggled to get to his feet. “I'm not done with you yet, you big pile of bones!” he yelled.
The golem swung hard, smashing Xavoz up against the boulder. As it removed its fist, Xavoz fell face first into the ground.
“That's it, Avent! Your friends have fallen!” Vetick called. “Time to face your fate!”
Ethan's heart was racing. He didn't know what to do. Tears fell down his cheek as he realized he was all alone. Just as he was about to walk out and give himself up, the amulet began to shimmer.
“Trust in yourself, Avent,” he heard a voice say. “Your inner light is stronger than you know.”
Ethan lifted his head and wiped his tears away. He felt confidence return. I'm not going to let my friends fight all my battles. I need to be the Avent and fight back against the dark forces, he thought.
Ethan climbed up on top of the boulder he had been hiding behind. He had a gleam in his eyes and felt a confidence he had never experienced before.
“Well, well. Is the Avent trying to be brave?” Vetick asked with a cocky grin.
“You're going to pay for what you did to my friends!” Ethan yelled.
Vetick laughed. “Take your best shot, boy.”
Ethan pulled an arrow from his quiver and took aim at the golem's eye.
Vetick laughed harder. “I'll give you credit for trying, boy.”
As Ethan pulled back on the bowstring, he felt the sapphire rune beating along with his heart. The arrow Ethan had drawn began to give off a faint light. The light began to grow and it soon enveloped Ethan's entire body. Ethan's fear was replaced with anger and resolve.
Vetick looked on in confusion as the light shone through the entire forest. “What is this?” he yelled.
The light kept growing. Ethan’s friends began to stir. The light Ethan was emitting slowly healed their wounds. They all stared at Ethan in amazement, not knowing what was going on.
“THIS IS FOR MY FRIENDS!” Ethan yelled as he let a holy arrow loose. The arrow flew with great speed and force. It almost looked like a ray of light shooting through the sky. The golem closed its eye to shield itself from the arrow, but the arrow broke through the bones surrounding the eyelid. It pierced straight through the eye, popped out the back of the golem, and struck Vetick in the chest.
Vetick looked down at the light arrow in his chest. “Impossible,” he said as he fell to his knees.
The holy light began to surround the golem. Pieces of the creature began to break off and shatter. As the pieces broke off the golem, it fell to its knees, weakened. Suddenly it burst into a shimmer of light and all the pieces of the undead vanished.
Vetick crawled to the doorway to the temple. “I failed you,” he said with his dying breath.
Ethan lowered his bow, exhausted. “It's over,” he said as he fell off the boulder.
Ethan coughed a little, slowly coming around. He looked up and saw his friends surrounding him, “Did we win?” he asked.
“Pssshhhhh. I'd say you won, kid,” Xavoz said. “We were all out for the count.”
“That light ...” Trixxie said.
Nera looked up at her. “It happened once before in Dragenmar. Ethan has the power to heal, but it looks like he has a lot more tricks in his bag.” She smiled at Ethan.
“That healing light is probably what got us all up on our feet,” Trixxie said. “Last thing I remember is getting thrown across the field.”
“What do you remember, Ethan?” Nera asked.
Ethan looked around at them all. “I remember everything this time. I watched you all get beat by the golem. I hid and was scared, but then a voice came to me and told me to believe in myself, so I did.” He shrugged.
Nera helped him to stand up. “You let out your inner light again,” she said.
“I remember feeling the sapphire rune vibrating. I felt connected to it,” Ethan said. “Once that happened, I knew I could beat the golem. Something inside just told me I could do it, so I tried.”
Trixxie gave him a warm smile. “Well, whatever you did worked wonders.”
Ethan walked over to Naveni and gave her a big hug. Nera gave Naveni a pat on the back and scratched behind her ears. She turned to Xavoz.
“Thank you for saving Naveni,” she said.
“You spared my life, hunter,” Xavoz replied. “I owe you a life debt. You ever need my help, I'll be there.”
She gazed at him. “Nera.”
“What?” he asked, frowning.
“It's my name. Instead of 'hunter'.” She held out her hand.
“Xavoz,” he replied as he shook her hand in return.
Xavoz walked over to Ethan. “You saved me too, kid. You ever need me, I'm there.” He gave Ethan a pat on the back.
Xavoz nodded round at them all and disappeared into the forest.
Trixxie chuckled. “First time I ever met a goblin I liked.”
Nera gazed into the forest. “We wouldn't have survived without him,” she said.
Ethan walked over to Vetick’s body. He had a somber look on his face. A single tear fell from his cheek.
Nera walked up behind him, “What’s wrong Ethan?”
“I killed someone.”
Nera turned Ethan from Vetick’s body, “You saved us all Ethan. He was an evil person and would have destroyed many lives to fulfill his goal.”
Ethan looked at Nera. Tears still in his eyes, “I know. I just never expected it to feel like this. I’ve killed a lot of creatures and people in games but it’s not the same in real life. I don’t know how to feel. I’m sad, angry and I feel sick to my stomach.”
Nera hugged Ethan, “You did the right thing Ethan. It’s hard to take a life but know that you saved us, and we are forever grateful to you.”
Ethan smiled at Nera and felt a little better. He looked back at Vetick’s body one final time and then turned to walk away.
The group began to gather up their supplies. As they cleared things up, a light began to shimmer at the foot of the steps to the Temple of Janikar.
Suddenly, there was a circle of light shining down from above. The group approached the light, not knowing what to expect. Ethan looked up and saw what appeared to be a person descending from the light. The figure came to rest in front of the group.
“Well done, Ethan. You have proven yourself to be a true Avent. The Necrom have been defeated and evil has been held at bay,” the figure said.
“Who are you?” Ethan asked.
“I am the Avent that came before you.”
Ethan's eyes went wide. “The one that refused to go home?”
“And the reason the balance in our world shifted in the first place?” Nera added.
The ghostly figure looked guilty. “I am ashamed to say that, yes, I am the one who stayed for selfish reasons and brought dark times to the world of Terah.”
“What is the Avent and what is the Amulet of Light used for?” Nera asked.
“The purpose of the Avent is to bring order and balance to the world of Terah when it is needed. We, as the Avent, are chosen by the Grimor
icon,” the Avent explained.
“The Grimoricon? That's the book I found at the old lady's store,” Ethan said.
“I know not where you found the book but yes, it is one and the same. The book can sense our inner light and chooses the one who can bring balance back to the world. The Amulet of Light is the key to restoring balance. Once the amulet has been retrieved, the Avent is to open the doorway home and return whence he came.” The figure gazed at Ethan. “Once the Avent crosses the threshold, the amulet will then release its full power, thus restoring balance to the world of Terah.”
Ethan gazed back at the Avent. “I read the same thing in a book at Idalia, but I didn't read how to open the doorway. Do you know how to open the doorway back to our world?”
The ghostly Avent extended a hand towards Ethan. “The way home is in your heart, Ethan. Now that you have the amulet, all you need do is channel your inner light to open the pathway between worlds. Then you can return home.” The figure of the Avent drew itself up. “The time has come to restore balance. Open the doorway and return home, Ethan. Fulfill the destiny that I failed to complete.” Having completed its task, the figure of the Avent slowly vanished.
Ethan looked at his companions. “So, channel my inner light and the doorway opens,” he said. “I think I finally know how to control this power inside me.”
Nera walked up to him. “Are you ready, Avent?”
He smiled at her. “That's the first time you ever called me that, Nera.”
“Well, you have proven to me that I shouldn't judge someone based on how they look. It's the person inside that makes them who they are,” Nera said.
Trixxie walked up and gave Ethan a kiss on the cheek. “I'm going to miss you, Ethan. I had so much fun making fun of my sister with you.” She laughed as she looked back at Nera.
Naveni walked up behind Ethan and gave him a nudge in the back. He turned around and gave the bear a big hug. She wrapped her paw around Ethan as if to say goodbye.
Ethan turned to Nera and hugged her. “Thank you for being my friend,” he said as tears rolled down his cheek. He handed Nera his bow. “I guess I won't need this anymore.”
“I'll hold on to it in case you decide to visit us again,” Nera said. She hugged Ethan back, holding back her tears. “Don't forget us.”
Ethan took a few steps back and stood in the middle of all his friends. He looked up at the sky. I want to go home, he thought. A bright light blossomed, surrounding Ethan. The sapphire rune around his neck began to emit light that suddenly disappeared into Ethan's chest. This light pulsed through his chest as he drew on his inner light to open the pathway between worlds. Behind him, a doorway made of light opened.
Nera looked on in amazement. “Ethan, you did it! You learned how to draw on your inner light at will!”
He grinned. “I figured it out when I created the arrow of light. It was like leveling up in Dark Torment and unlocking a new ability.”
Both Nera and Trixxie wore confused looks at Ethan's explanation.
Ethan peeked inside the doorway before turning to see his friends one last time. He waved to Trixxie, Nera and Naveni before entering the doorway. He walked through cautiously and turned again to see his friends disappear behind the doors as they closed. Ethan was in a room of light.
“Hello?” he said. His voice echoed all around the room. Guess I'm alone in here, he thought. He saw another doorway on the opposite side and headed for it. As he approached the center of the room, he noticed a symbol on the floor. This must be where I stand to release the amulet's full power, he thought. As he stood on the symbol, the amulet began to give off a faint vibration. It lifted off Ethan's chest and floated in the air briefly. Ethan reached out to touch it and just before his fingers reached it, the Amulet of Light shattered into three pieces that shot off in different directions.
“What the ...?” Ethan said. “I hope that was supposed to happen. I don't remember the book mentioning anything about the amulet splitting apart. I wonder if that's how it releases its power.”
Suddenly, the other door in the room opened. Ethan looked through it and saw his room. He had a large smile on his face and instantly forgot about the amulet. He walked towards the door and exited the room of light. The light surrounding Ethan vanished as he arrived back in his room. He looked around. “Home,” he said. He looked down and saw that he was back in his pajamas. Weird, he thought.
He looked out his window. “Night time. I wonder if Mom and Dad are looking for me.”
He went to his doorway and could hear his parents snoring away in their beds. Huh. This doesn't make sense, he thought. He walked over to his bed and looked at his clock. 1:47 am? Time is still the same?
Ethan was so confused. “Was it all a dream?” he said. He looked down and saw the book lying on the floor. He gently picked it up and placed it on his desk, scared to open it again in case it wasn't a dream.
He jumped into bed and found his favorite stuffed animal. He hugged the beluga whale and pulled the covers over his body. “Well, if it was a dream, that was an amazing adventure. I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad about it,” he said as he began to drift off to sleep. Ethan's eyes grew heavier as he lay there thinking about his adventure. Finally, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next evening round the supper table, Ethan was eager to tell his parents about the crazy dream he’d had and what an awesome adventure it was.
“So how was your day, Ethan?” his dad asked.
“It was good. My friends and I had a water balloon fight and then raced around on our bikes,” Ethan said.
His dad took a big bite of food. “Mmm ... sounds like a fun day,” he mumbled while he chewed. “How ’bout yours, dear?” he asked Ethan’s mom.
“Mine was pretty uneventful. Did the laundry, dishes, and took care of the bills,” she said. “Oh, and did a little shopping online,” she added with a grin.
“Did you buy me something nice?” his dad asked, laughing.
Ethan badly wanted to butt in and tell his story, yet he kept thinking back to the dream, hearing Nera’s voice telling him to watch what he said, or he was liable to get his tongue cut out. He smiled as he thought about that. Ethan sat there for a moment in silence and let his parents have their conversation. Finally, he decided to interrupt. “Excuse me?” he said.
His parents stopped talking and looked over at him. “What’s up, buddy?” his dad asked.
“I just wanted to tell you about a crazy dream I had last night,” Ethan said.
“Tell you what, let me finish my conversation with your mom and then we are all ears for your story,” his dad said.
Ethan smiled. “Ok.”
His dad did a double take, looking at Ethan in a weird way. He was clearly expecting Ethan to argue or whine because he couldn’t tell his story right away. But Ethan just went back to eating and patiently waited his turn. When his parents finally finished their conversation, he was excited to talk about his dream.
“So, tell us about this dream of yours, Ethan,” his dad said. “Wait, let me guess. It was about Dark Torment, right?” He laughed.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Ethan said. “Actually, it took place in something that looked like Dark Torment but was a lot different.” Ethan sat there telling his mom and dad all about being sucked into the book and waking up in the world of Terah. He told them about Nera and Naveni; and about learning he was something called the Avent and that he was there to save the world.
As he told his story, Ethan’s parents smiled at each other.
“Wow, buddy. Sounds like this was a pretty crazy dream. You must have had some bad food to make you think up something like this,” his dad chuckled.
“Excuse me. Can I please finish my story?” Ethan asked politely.
His mom gave him an odd look. “Just a second. Who are you and what have you done with Ethan? You are never this polite or patient. Did you do something bad?”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “No. I didn’t do anything wr
ong. I’m just trying to be a better person. I know I’ve been sarcastic a lot and it gets annoying, so I’m trying to do better.”
“Well, we appreciate that, Ethan, and it shows in how you are acting,” his dad said.
His mom smiled warmly. “I like the new you, Ethan. I hope it keeps up.”
Ethan smiled and continued with his story. He ended up talking about his dream until it was bed time. His dad laughed a little at some of the story but overall, it seemed like his parents enjoyed it.
“You know something, Ethan, you should write all this down and make a story out of it. I bet you would have a lot of fun sharing it with other kids,” his dad suggested.
Ethan thought about that idea. He did like drawing comics and writing short stories for his friends. This might be something his friends would think was really cool.
“But that’s something you are going to have to start tomorrow. Bed time now,” his mom said.
“Ok.” Ethan got up and excused himself from the table and went off to his room to get his pajamas on.
Ethan came back out, gave his parents a hug and said goodnight to them. As he walked back to his room, he could hear his parents clearing the table and washing dishes. He overheard them say how they liked the new Ethan. That brought a smile to his face.
Ethan hopped into bed and grabbed a comic from his bookshelf. He got under his covers and began to read. Reading always helped Ethan fall asleep and before he knew it, he was already dozing off. The comic slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor. He was out like a light.
Ting… Ting…
The sound of a chime woke Ethan from his sleep. He looked around the room trying to find the cause of the sound, “Must have been dreaming.” Ethan lay his head back on the pillow and glanced over at the Grimoricon. His eyes began to feel heavy as he began to drift off to sleep again. He slid his hand under his pillow pushing a silver triangular item from underneath it. He got up for a moment to see what it was. As he lifted the pillow the item fell back behind his bed before he could get a glimpse of what it was. Whatever. Probably one of my other books, he thought.
