by S. J. Wist
“You must remember me.”
“Why don’t you just show me the way out of this dream?”
“I can show you the way out. If you promise to remember me.”
Sybl looked a little closer at the inhuman green eyes behind the mask. She didn’t know where to start in trying to know what he was—let alone who.
He moved a step closer as the rattles that hung at the sides of his mask shook in turn. His walk was even wrong…almost as if his legs were bent the other way.
If he was a demon, she knew better than to start with making a pact with it. “I only know the names of humans, and you’re not one. I won’t promise you anything.” Sybl looked around the field as it had started snowing again, only it was from the pollen of the flowers floating upwards.
She turned and started walking across the field towards what looked like a canyon up ahead. For an impossible dream, maybe falling was the way out. Sybl stopped before it as the pollen continued to rise around her and looked down. At a death-plunge below, a glowing river cut through the canyon, before emptying some ways out to what might be an ocean. She looked up to try and find some sunshine or anything that might give her some sense to where she was. A dome of pinkish-yellow light looked back down on her. There wasn’t a cloud anywhere, only a beam of bright white light that touched the atmosphere in the opposite direction from the ocean.
“If you do not help me, I will not allow you to leave.”
She took the threat seriously as his feathery cloak could have only rustled so much from being taken off. But when she looked back, it wasn’t a cloak at all—but a span of wings.
Whether it was shock or the impossibility of him that drove her off the edge after that, she would not remember. A swarm of feathers appeared from the caves burrowed into the sides of the canyon. Then the swarm collided with her.
5: CATS AND THREAD
When the sailors from the GLORIA landed, one of their newer crew members made the mistake of following their curiosity to examine the swirling sands on the beach. Cirrus came out of his trance and eyed the young phelan somnus, dropping the wind and sand of his camouflage as he did so.
He looked to be a young noble. There were no marks of the experience of hard labor or servitude on him. It was the only reason Cirrus didn’t strike the teenager down when he unsheathed his sword against him in what looked to be a genuine challenge. His Ancient was incapable of striking a somnus, unless they proved to be an immediate threat to his current size. It was one of the creation Laws of Aragmoth; as Ancients and Eminor had been returned to life on the new Aster to protect souls—not destroy them. Every soul, even those of their enemies, was what infused their larger forms with enough energy to exist outside of the spiritual. Despite the kid being old enough to have learned this, he still gave a genuine pose as a threat to him.
He might have found a new victim from the GLORIA to taunt yet.
Cirrus swiped at the kid, which sent the somnus falling backwards. His warning strike had missed his chest by inches. This was proving fun already, as the somnus was fast.
“Easy there kid, we don’t want to piss that one off.”
I was just starting to have fun too, Cirrus thought to himself as the older phelan somnus lifted the teenager back onto his feet and led him away.
“Get a hold of your kid!” Quinn shouted.
“It’s fine—no harm done!”
Cirrus stood up and let his aeri unleash a rush of wind against the sand, covering them in it to further illustrate his lack of patience for phelan. They learned quick, as they didn’t so much as give a look back.
He was more interested in their Awl, anyway. He would kill it one day. Sadly, it wouldn’t be today, as Gloria walked over to him and paid him the respect of a curtsey. In her hand, she carried what was not the usual bottle of chardonnay she offered on her landings.
“Please accept this as thanks for allowing us to take what we need from your lands.”
“Am I to assume that the one with the chardonnay on his breath is responsible?”
Bit ways away now, the phelan somnus hiccuped with a combination of fear and drunkenness as he shoved off the overly brave kid away from the camp. Nobles were never shoved anywhere.
Gloria seemed to think on it a moment, before piecing together the truth for herself in her mind.
“It will do,” Cirrus said as he unsomned in a rush of white mist, and took the sling with the bottle from her. He didn’t drink, but the alcohol had a cooling effect on his father’s temper. It was an accidental discovery on the General’s part, when Dyaus had a bottle of chardonnay thrown at him, from Gloria.
Gloria blushed red and pondered him for a while, instead of returning to her crew. Her cheeks were almost dark enough to match her hair.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, sorry… I will leave you in peace now.”
Cirrus looked at the bottle and pondered whether she gave it to him as a peace offering, or simply to see his human-like form. As he looked over at the pluma consort watching them from behind his sad-carved mask, it became clear it was the latter. To remind the Awl of his place, he took his necklace off and waved it back and forth by his hand.
It angered Delare, though he was nearly flawless in hiding it without the need of a mask. Gold was richly woven with memory Thread and knowledge. Knowledge that all this Awl’s skills would never be able to reach or take from him. On Delare’s Continent, he was like a demigod to the populous. On the Torian, it was the dragons who dealt out absolute Fate. Delare took off his mask and let his green eyes glare at Cirrus for a while.
When Cirrus got bored of him, he somned back into his dragon form to mind other things.
6: TO HUNT A DEATHMARE
“I blame my current discomfort on you asking that Awl to take off his mask.”
“Do you ever stop complaining?” Hain asked Kas as he followed in step a few meters from the Priest’s side. “You don’t honestly believe the superstition that one removing their mask leads to the sight of the afterlife, I hope? That is nothing but a fairy tale for cubs. And speaking of cubs—what were you thinking challenging the White Death like that?”
“And you are not one of these fairy tales?” Kas said, changing the subject back to Hain.
“It’s a miracle that brute didn’t remember me, or we be pulp right now.”
“Fortunately you were able to get his memory Threads under control while I distracted him.”
“Let me guess, my kid opened his mouth?”
Kas stopped abruptly. “Kenshe has told me a lot of things. But the most important question is why is his mother still on this Continent?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Kenshe is my business because he is one of my Custos and my friend. Though how he ever came from the loins of you and a daoran may be something I never understand.” Kas had about all he could take of water and Hain as his paws stopped in yet another muddy pool. Miles away from the beach, the marsh was unjustified. As he looked for his reflection in the water, it only had the effect of making him more uneasy when it was not matched with Hain’s own.
“You’re thinking it again.”
“No, I am not.”
Hain only set his red eyes back on him, that now glowed a pale orange to match his words. “You still don’t trust me.”
“That is not true.”
“And now you’re lying. I had a feeling this would turn out bad.”
“I trust you, okay?” Kas insisted.
“No, you still hate me. I can feel it. You have yet to learn that there is a difference between those who would pointlessly seek answers all their life, and those who are content with just dealing with what’s there.”
“Is that what you thought of my mother? That she was wrong in seeking that which is better, where you then abandoned her? Or Kenshe’s mother, for that matter?”
Hain let out an angry snap of teeth at him, with a speed that sent Kas’ black fur instantly on end. “One day you will grow up a
nd learn that you can’t save the whole world. No matter how much you forecast the future with clear skies, and pretty lights. So shut up on telling me what to do until you survive that long, okay?”
Kas shook the threat out of him, deciding not to discuss it further. The phelan Awl had a darker past that he had only revealed to a few. It was clear this wasn’t the right place for it to be told.
Hain looked away from him as the water rippled under their feet. The Threads moved to indicate that someone had just emerged from the Keol. “Let’s just focus on this mess right now.” He set all his senses on the ground and his nose before it as the heat of the Keol gave scent to what could have only been a few dozen phelan. “And now we stepped in it...”
They only gave one glance at each other before unsomning and unsheathing their swords with their backs to each other, as several Rifts opened on the water around them. A low, warning howl went out as a Pack of tattered-looking phelan emerged. Their bodies were deeply scarred. Their eyes glowed, and their whiskers vibrated to match their intentions. The True were as tall as a house; while the somnus of the Pack were slightly smaller.
“Was this in your future predictions?” Hain asked Kas.
How are they commanding the True? One of giant phelan charged straight for him. Their teeth landed right over his torso, but passed through harmlessly as the Eminor couldn’t connect with any intention that would deem Kas a threat to it. When it turned back around from its attack, the phelan shrank a lot smaller and within only a matter of moments.
‘Okay so this entire Continent has gone mad,’ Hain thought to Kas. ‘Oh wait, we knew that already before coming here.’
Jasper shook the water out from his fur and looked at the both of them with his aged red eyes that had begun to dull, as if they were the ones out of place and not himself. “Is there something I can help you both with?”
Kas lowered his sword entirely when the True spoke, thinking he might have brought more of his friend Kenshe along then he could have hoped. How is he speaking to us?
“Because you are right in front of me.”
The black hair on Kas’ head stood slightly on end now, as the True’s psi browsed through his mind as if his walls to keep him out weren’t there.
“Master Jasper?”
“Yes. My my, is that you Hain?” Jasper squinted to get a better look, as his soul had begun to dim from the world along with his eyesight.
“It has been a while,” Hain replied as he sheathed his blade and Kas followed suit.
“You haven’t aged a day since I saw you last.”
“Nor have you,” Hain lied, knowing full well the True could read his Threads as easily if he were an Awl himself.
“And who might this be?”
Kas was getting tired of being looked down to like a lesser, even when it was from a True who had gone from twice to half his height. “What are you?”
“His mother is an ayame, his father is a True.”
“Is that even…possible?” Kas asked.
“Well, that’s how it is,” Hain said as he looked back at Jasper to rejoin him to the conversation. “And yeah, that’s her kid.”
Kas was left out of their psi conversation entirely as it seemingly shifted to the topic of his mother.
“You look so much like your mother that my Bond will faint at the sight of you. What brings someone of your stature to my peaceful, former town, Master Kas?”
Kas was about to reply, before stopping just as fast. “Former?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I would offer you and Hain a place to stay for the night, only there isn’t much left,” Jasper added.
“What happened?” Kas asked.
“I don’t know if I have enough pride left to tell you, but you’re welcome to determine the truth for yourself.”
Hain somned back into his phelan form and Kas did the same, before they followed after Jasper and his Pack.
Several minutes later they reached the town that had been flattened enough to submerge it in several inches of water. In its center, a familiar Aeger kyrie that was a long way from home stood on the ruins. It was a large, dark brown one for its species. The single-horned, deer-like creature tapped the water with its sharp cloven hoof in waiting for whatever such a crazed creature might wait for.
“Congrats Kas on taming an Aeger capable of flattening an entire town to driftwood. Then making everyone forget what happened. I think I’ll join Jasper’s Pack and never eat a kyrie again in fear of forgetting all of myself,” Hain said.
Kas only sighed as he came to a stop before the kyrie that the Pack watching had labelled the ‘Deathmare.’ It stood still and innocent of all charges on top of the water, confused to the shift of its Fate from prey to predator.
“I can see why Jasper tried to bite you first now.”
Kas unsomned and set his hands on the face of the kyrie as it settled its nose against him. “It would not have done this extent of destruction without a reason. Nor do I think it would have that level of power to flatten a house, let alone a whole town.”
“The Aeger doesn’t need a reason to make the Eminor crazy, or Ancients for that matter. You would think you figured that out by now with the hundreds we have around the Sanctus?” Hain sighed.
Kas sulked off in search of clues to what was really going on.
The kyrie followed, as the estus energy in the Ancient was strong enough to make it drift over the water before it stopped in his path. Kas stopped in turn, waiting for the creature to make the next move and it did, trotting off to another sunken part of the town. He went over to it and looked down as his drenched black boots hit something. Crouching, he reached his hand into the water to pull up a familiar metal cylinder.
“What you got, kid?” Hain asked.
“This looks just like a piece of the Rift generator Gwa is working on with our Gate.”
“So you think your pet trashed this place cause they had a Gate?”
“Master Jasper.” Kas looked to where Jasper watched them a bit ways away. The True phelan expanded in size and walked over. “Why did you have a Gate here?” Kas asked.
“That would be the Gate my daughter used to take to Earth eight months ago. It was set to destroy itself after she did.”
Kas looked over to the kyrie as it began to paw the water, sending its nervous ripples reflecting across it. “Has anyone fixed it since then?”
Jasper didn’t answer.
“Master Jasper, we are not here on Vanir’s intentions.”
“You have yet to mention exactly why you have come all this way, son of Kira.”
Kas put the conductor back down in the water as he lifted his sleeve, revealing the silver Mei glyph on his arm.
Jasper tilted his head as he read its Threads and the name it Bonded him too. “This can’t be right...”
“Something is cutting the Threads leading to her, and I have to know what before it is too late. Someone used this Gate recently, and I have to know who, now.”
Ishtar walked over to them. Her slender, cat-like phelan form unsomned to reveal her human-like appearance. Her short black hair fell to her shoulders as her eyes stayed fixed on the Mei. “The damage is extensive, I can’t heal this alone.”
“What if you had two Callers?”
Her elderly face looked up at him as she caught what he was thinking. “You are a Caller?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are even more of your mother than you look,” Ishtar said as she closed her eyes and touched the Mei on his arm, before starting to sing. But it wasn’t just a song, as the Nova vibrated through the Animus, revealing the strongest of the Threads around them.
Kas began to sing as well, an aeri Nova that caused the Animus Threads to spark and react. The Pack shivered with uneasiness as their estus energy was statically shocked in turn.
Hain caught the Thread of the Mei, before channeling his estus energy through it enough to reach its end. “Aha! I got something.”
The Nova ended a
s the Thread was completely mended. Kas connected with Hain’s psi to see where he saw Sybl.
“Huh?” Hain added shortly after. “No...please… Anything but another kid.”
“The Asterian Caelestis...” Ishtar said in disbelief.
Jasper looked at Ishtar on feeling her concern, before letting out a howl to the Pack. He used his claws to bleed his paw and open a Rift to the Keol. The water became black as it expanded and spread from him. They entered it and started across the burning wasteland at full speed for the Casus Beli Canyon.
