Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black

by Fade to Black (epub)

  “Caim, no …” Storm croaked. So much of his strength had been drained. Caim’s body was blurring, and it seemed as if three forms of his brother were walking away from him. Flashes of himself as a child bleeding in the dark forest alone came unto his mind. A silhouetted Flare stalked out of the trees. He shook away the thoughts.

  “Caim …” he tried again, but still only a whisper.

  Storm froze as he felt Caim’s aura emanating strongly from his body. His brother was glowing furiously, white flames rippling from his very being and his aura resonating in a way that Storm had never seen before. He could feel him like the sun on a hot day. Caim walked straight towards the Kushala Flare, clenching tightly to the hilt of his Fallblade.

  “Caim, wait!” Storm tried to yell. And that was when he saw it. Directly underneath the Kushala Flare’s throat was a silvery white patch of fur. His eyes grew wide as memories of that night long ago came back to him. He was a child back then, no older than eight cycles young. He had been crying. It had been raining in his memories and all he could see was the massive body of the same Kushala lurking towards him from the shadows, rising great and tall, and just before it struck …

  “It seems fate has brought us together once again, Fangless.” But this voice was different than the voice of the Chameleoth. This time, it was cold, like a whisper of Death.

  “Caim …” Storm gasped. “It’s him!” He watched as the Kushala came to a stop and raised its head, glaring at Caim.

  “How long has it been since that rainy night, I wonder? Too long, I imagine … yes, I remember now. Hearing the sound of your howling as you cried. If it wasn’t for the Ghost of the Forest, neither of you would be standing before me.” Storm could feel the monster glaring into him, and he felt as if its gaze was ripping him apart from the inside.

  “Black Rain … how you’ve grown.” The monster diverted his eyes from Storm to Caim. “And you, Silvers Fangless, this would be the second time you stand foolishly before me.”

  Caim slowly turned to face Storm, then pointed at the Kushala. “Do we know this giant black tree spirit? I didn’t even know tree spirits got this big!”

  Storm nearly fainted. Are you kidding me!?

  “I AM NOT A TREE SPIRIT!!” The Kushala Flare stood proudly and forced out its chest. “I am Kreitos, son of Beliosr the Great—and Master of this Forest!” His tail twitched around behind him.

  “Sure look like a tree spirit to me,” said Caim. Storm smacked his own forehead.

  “You idiot, he doesn’t look anything like a tree spirit …” muttered Storm.

  “You will pay for your insolence, Fangless! Do not insult the Master of the Forest and expect to live. But before I kill you – I will devour that which you protect! I will crush the last life from the Cloaker you so foolishly defend! Never forget that this is my forest!” He released a second thundering roar that shook the trees and sent a strong gust of wind past Caim’s face.

  “Like I’ll let you,” said Caim, his voice growling with threat.

  “Oh? You think you have the strength to protect the Cloaker? It has been bitten. It will die whether you want it to or not. And so will you, Silvers Fangless!!”

  Caim’s stared fiercely into the cruel eyes of the beast. He stood only a few feet away, easily within the reach of its blade-like claws. The monstrous beast towered over Caim, snapping its jaw ravenously but not moving forward, as if it were somehow intimidated. It slammed its tail down on the ground and began pacing back and forth, yet still not daring to move forward.

  “I do have the strength,” Caim said through clenched teeth. “Try me.”

  Storm struggled to move forward but he was completely drained. Using Blood Aura outside of Inner Depths had proved to be at least twice as draining on his body than he had anticipated, and his shaky legs would not support him. But he had to do something! He had to help Caim—he didn’t remember what he was getting himself into. He wasn’t remembering that night from long ago when Death had nearly taken them. Storm swore loudly and tried to stand again.

  He froze as he saw a flash of movement from Caim’s direction. Kreitos lunged at Caim, swiping its claws straight towards Caim’s face. With surprising agility, Caim ducked and struck the black beast straight in the chest with his free fist. A terrible gasp came forth from the beast. Quickly recovering, it lunged forward, sinking its claws into Caim’s shoulder. A half second later the beast was opening its jaws, inches away from Caim’s head, but in a wisp of wind, Storm watched his brother vanish.

  “DAMMIT THAT HURT!” screamed Caim, reappearing behind the monster. He grasped his shoulder with his right hand; blood quickly soaked through his fingers.

  Kreitos roared at the smell of Caim’s blood and lunged again, this time faster and more bloodthirsty. Caim drew his Fallblade just in time to slide its blade against the sword-like teeth of Kreitos. He could have easily fit in the creature’s mouth with room to spare. Its purple tongue had thousands of deep-set grooves used for peeling the fur off of beasts before consuming them. Long, thick strands of saliva seeped down Caim’s blade.

  “I’ve been waiting too long for this, Silvers Fangless! I will have my vengeance for that night long ago! We Kushala never forget those whom we have chosen as our prey! Unfortunately, the Ghost is not here to save you this time.”

  Caim closed his eyes as Kreitos slid his teeth down the Fallblade; the sound was of screeching swords. At the last second, Caim dropped his guard, spun just inches out of the way of the descending fangs and drew his sword across the monster’s body in a silvery flash that left a streaking line across the air. Kreitos howled loudly in pain and recoiled, blood dripping heavily from its side.

  “You’ll bleed for that, Fangless! You’ll bleed! I’ll devour you whole and then rip the bones from your kin one by one!” Caim stood up and turned to face the creature; a dark shadow covered his face.

  And then he heard it. Two words that sent chills straight down Storm’s spine.

  “Get lost,” said Caim, his eyes a fiery blue under the shadows.

  Storm’s eyes grew wide and he felt a strange sensation come over his body. The moment Caim had spoken, he had felt as if an invisible force had passed over him, rendering his body completely motionless. It was as if the very strength of Caim’s inner will had become solidified in the form of his energy. For a second, the Kushala Flare shuddered as if it had felt threatened.

  “Caim?”

  Suddenly, the trees of Neverend began to move and sway; leaves arced back and forth as a strong wind came upon them. Something strange was happening that Storm couldn’t put his finger on, almost as if the trees had suddenly become a part of Caim. He felt the forest was now Caim’s ally and was feeding him more power, empowering him far beyond his normal form.

  No … it’s not just the trees, thought Storm, looking around. It’s everything. The Spirit of the Forest … is it protecting him? Storm could feel the same movement of energy in the air from the lake, the trees, the creatures and the ground.

  Kreitos’s flaring eyes darted back and forth. Slowly, he circled away from Storm and the Chameleoth. The fur on its back stood on end and its small wings stretched outwards, as if trying to intimidate Caim. And then Caim started walking straight toward it, an ardent white aura flaming from his body, growing more and more powerful by the second.

  “I said get lost!” A huge blast of energy cracked the ground around Caim. Storm had to shield his eyes from strong gusts of wind. Kreitos crept away from Caim and came before the base of Neverend, turning around just before the towering trees. And then Storm saw it. A flash of unrest among the darkness, moving slowly towards them from the trees. He squinted his eyes, attempting to glimpse what it was. An uneasy feeling came over him, and his fingers found his hilt. Just then, the figure of a young girl, unlike any other he had ever seen emerged from the lining of dark trees.

  She walked toward the Fl
are smiling evilly; her hair was short, jagged and black, her eyes were of red flame, and wrapped around her neck was a necklace of ivory sharp fangs. She was completely naked with the exception of a black fur wrapped around her upper legs like a skirt, and something of the same fashion for her breasts. Smaller fangs hung from dozens of bracelets around her wrists and ankles, and as she grinned at Storm, he saw two sharp fangs poke out from under her upper lip.

  “Get away!” shouted Caim, “he’s dangerous!”

  Storm could barely speak, “No … Caim, she’s …” He watched Kreitos turn around and stare at the girl as she walked toward him. Kreitos towered over the girl, but she was not afraid. She looked at him, still smiling wildly, then reached out and combed her fingers through his midnight fur. She whispered something Storm and Caim could not hear. At that she leapt into the air and landed on Kreitos’ back. Kreitos stood tall before the forest, glaring at the two brothers.

  A soft voice entered the brother’s minds, and Storm knew it was the voice of the girl. “The Spirit of the Forest aids you Silvers Fangless, and under the dark that eats the light, we will not draw blood in this time. The Cloaker is yours to take, though he soon enters the dark. The fire in the dark has already spoken of his passing. One day, you, Silvers Fangless, the one who wields the great fang in his hand, the one who has brought fear to the great Kreitos, and he who is raised by the Spirit of the Forest, shall be mine to keep.” With that she cast Caim one last long look, and Kreitos roared fiercely into the night before he turned and disappeared into the realm of Neverend.

  Caim took a deep breath and the aura faded from his body, leaving crystallized particles that rose up into the sky before shattering. Storm watched as the crystalline energy particles soared across the sky, over and into the lake and back toward the trees, as if they were reabsorbing them. Caim walked over to Storm and sheathed his sword.

  “Can you believe that tree spirit!?” Caim put his hands on his hips, and his torrent of energy vanished. “Starting a fight and then running away! And who was that girl? I’m no one’s to keep.”

  Storm inhaled slowly, “I could be wrong but, the old man once spoke of a young girl that lived among the Flares. He said that long ago, there was a village that was ravaged by them, and they killed and ate every single Sorian living in that village. But there was one little girl chained by the neck to a pillar; out-casted for having long sharp fangs and blood red eyes, and among the carnage she did not fear the Flares. She stood in the center of the village, surrounded by the slaughter, watching as everyone around her was eaten alive. When the biggest of the Flares finally came, he lowered his head and placed his nose before her face. In this moment she smiled, bearing her fangs to the Flare. It is said that since then she was taken in by the Flares, and has lived among them in Neverend ever since. I thought it was just another story … But I’m pretty sure that was Fang, Princess of the Flares. And I think she either just declared your death, or,” Storm grinned, “you as her prince, forever.”

  “WHAT!?” cried Caim, “No, nononono, what if I don’t want to!?” He shook his Fallblade at the towering trees of Neverend, “You hear that, Fang, Princess of the Tree Spirits!? I’ll never be yours!” He pulled down the skin under his eye and stuck out his tongue.

  Storm choked and laughed at the same time. “Anyways, what the hell was that, Caim? I’ve never seen you use that power before … and was she telling the truth? Was the Spirit of the Forest aiding you?” Before Caim could answer, the voice of the Chameleoth interrupted him.

  “I was wondering where it was that I had felt your presences before. Forgive my lack of respect at forgetting who you are. You see, I have been away for quite a time now. You two are kin of the great Ronin, are you not?”

  Storm raised an eyebrow. “The great Ronin?”

  “Yep,” said Caim, grinning. “I’m the great Caim, and this is my brother, the gem stealer, Storm.” Caim leaned close to the Chameleoth and whispered in his ear while pointing at Storm. “He’s a little weird, but you’ll get used to him.”

  Storm’s eyebrow rose even higher. “I’m the weird one?”

  “It is an honor to make your acquaintance under such circumstances,” said the Chameleoth. “I am known as Galfanon among the Cloakers of this world. The stories of you boys have reached many an ear of my kind. The Kushala Flare have had a great dislike of your family since even your earliest days … they are stubborn in their ways and do not well tolerate the idea of others living in the forest who can counter their strength. But it seems you have swayed the Kushala Princess. I thank you for what you have done today. I might have wished to live longer, but now I am content with my passing.”

  “Wait!” said Caim, rushing to his side. “We just have to get you to the water and you’ll be fine!” He waved at Storm to help him but Storm shook his head. He already knew it was too late. The pools of blood around the great beast were so deep they would have reached up to his ankles. Storm turned his head away in shame. It was too late.

  “Your kindness towards us of the forest is something that we will never forget. You have always respected the forest and for that we have aided you, without your knowledge, since you were young. I hope that your bravery and kindness will hold out, for a great darkness will soon threaten this land. Light fades within the star ocean … please, make use of what I bequeath you, for it is the greatest gift one of us can offer. And know that if you are ever in need, the Cloakers will always come.”

  With that Galfanon spoke no more, and a strange feeling seemed to sweep across the land, powerful yet invisible, as if the great beast had spoken to not only them, but to all of Neverend.

  Caim and Storm were quiet for a long while, mourning the passing of Galfanon in their own separate ways. At times, they thought they heard strange sounds from Neverend as if Kreitos hadn’t really left them and was waiting for them to fall asleep. Yet neither of them were remotely close to being tired.

  Caim decided that the greatest gift Galfanon could offer them was the meat of his body, and that they would eat the creature and respect his wishes, for his strength would become one with their own. Storm was unsure if that was what Galfanon was implying, but decided that it was indeed one way to honor the fallen creature.

  Soon after they made up their minds, Storm bathed in the cold water of Senyria, which had mysterious healing properties. It was said across their land that the Goddess of Life had created Senyria of her own tears and because of that, they could heal any wound that hadn’t already pushed one into the clutches of Death; for that was the only place her power grew faint. Storm watched as the wounds on his body faded little by little, and felt his strength return to him. Standing shirtless in the shallows of the lake, he stared up at the night sky. What did he mean by ‘light fades in the star ocean’?

  After a few minutes of resting in the water under the stars, Caim entered the forest in search of wood to fuel the fire. Storm knelt alongside Galfanon’s great body, ready to protect its gift from any that wished to taste its nourishment.

  “I’m sorry,” said Storm. “I … wasn’t strong enough.” Storm clenched his fist. “I told you old man … heroes only exist in your fairy tales. The real world is cruel and unforgiving.”

  It wasn’t long before Caim returned and they had a great fire crackling. The glowing embers lit up the night. They roasted giant chunks of meat on sharpened branches, and the mouthwatering smell seemed to lure hundreds of tiny creatures from the forest, though none of them ventured close enough to be seen. The parts of the Chameleoth they did not eat faded slowly, dissipating into crystal shards of energy that rose upwards like the ending of one of their aura bursts. They knew the energy of Galfanon was returning to Soria, for Ronin had told them many times that the cycle of Life and Death curved like a ring. ‘All must follow this cycle. It is the great law of the universe.’ These were the old man’s words.

  Storm bit a huge chunk of meat and looked
to the sky, confused over the last words of Galfanon. I wonder what he meant by ‘a darkness will soon threaten this world’. He pondered as he gazed upon the stars. He turned to see Caim devouring meat at his usually fast pace. He ate like a rabid beast.

  After eating, they removed their weapons and laid the two sheathed swords on the ground. The fire was warm at their hands and the stars were bright in the sky above, glistening like pearly gems in a blanket of darkness.

  Suddenly, Caim sprung upwards. “You cheated!” he said. “You used Blood Aura in the race!”

  Storm grinned, “I cheated!? You were riding a Chameleoth!”

  “His name was Galfungyon … and you never said I couldn’t.”

  “What? That wasn’t even his name, it was Galfanon! And you never said I couldn’t use my Limit Seal,” answered Storm.

  “But—”

  “Go to sleep Caim,” said Storm, and Caim fell silent. It was quiet for a long time, yet Storm could not close his eyes for long, making it impossible to fall asleep. Every now and then his eyes gazed to Neverend, suspecting movement and the reappearance of the monster. He wondered all about the Soldier Games and what adventures they would find within it. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the legendary warriors he wished to face, and wondered who the greatest swordsman of their world was now, or ever. Opening his eyes, he stared at the thousand celestial fires lighting up the darkness.

  “Storm?”

  Storm sighed. “Thought you’d be sleeping by now.”

  “Can’t sleep … can’t stop thinking about all the things grandpa told us. About the world tournament and the Dragon King …” He paused and Storm could hear him breathing in the quiet.

  “Do you think I could do it, Storm? Become the Dragon King?”

  Storm couldn’t help but grin. “It’s a myth, Caim … not that you ever had a problem believing those anyways. You really want to ride on the backs of Night and Day don’t you? Do you even remember the story of Night and Day?”