by Milo Woods
“He is the one that will bridge the gap between demon and man, to truly understand them … And he will separate them and us because of the truth. He will become one with them. This world will take everything from him.”
Her eyes returned to the normal silver.
Seeko looked around, skeptical of what was really happening. “What the hell does that mean?” Seeko said.
“A fitting fate for our noble hero,” Ludivina stated.
Seeko looked to her. “Hmmm.” He stared through the table. This was what it meant to be a hero? Losing everything? He felt like he had already lost everything.
“I can’t see exactly what will happen to you. Your journey will reveal all the details. All I know is that it will affect everyone around you,” Hannet said.
Seeko looked away. “And there is no way to avoid it?”
“All of my vision-branches show you before the portals. There was not a single branch that didn’t eventually lead you to a portal. The choices you make will either speed up or slow down the process. Or lead to death.”
He took a deep breath. “I am to save everyone else at the cost of myself, then.” His choice had been made the moment he’d walked into that portal. He would accept his fate, if it would answer the burning questions in his mind. Was he ready for this? He had to be. But what about Mori?
He looked over to Mori and asked quietly, “You sure you want to come along? This doesn’t sound like it will be fun.” Mori peered back at him and his gaze drifted to Ludivina. He didn’t want to look helpless to the lady, so he raised his voice: “I will do it, then. If everyone’s fate lies in one man’s hands, and …” He faltered, taking a moment to regain his confidence. “… and that person is me, then I should at least try.” He had no choice, anyway, according to Hannet.
Hannet looked down. “I know it’s hard to accept the fact that something is going to happen, no matter what you do. I understand you probably have doubts about me as well. This is the sibyl’s curse, but it is also our blessing. If this knowledge can help our people, if this can save us from the demons, then I will use my gift to help shape the future for the better.”
Mori smiled at Seeko. “I don’t care about the consequences,” Mori said. “I’m going with you.”
“Thanks for believing in me.”
Mori moved closer to him and grabbed his arm.
Hannet shattered their brief moment by saying, “Most of the locations of the necklaces are still unknown, but one is atop Mount Pharos. I will be searching for the other necklaces. My visions should provide some insight about them.”
“Mount Pharos?” Seeko asked as he studied a map on the table. This was the first time he had looked at a map of Endetia. The continent was roughly trapezoidal, with the base to the south. The eastern coastline was shaped like a C, and an island was displaced from this C. Above this coastline was Asilis and to the northwest was Layis. Mount Pharos sat in the middle of a forest on the other end of the continent, far southwest of Layis. “How far is that?” He then saw Irris in the center of the continent. The mountain was northwest of Irris. “Wow. It took me three weeks to walk from Irris to Asilis. This is going to take like two months.” He groaned.
“I know it seems far, but you will be meeting up with the army in Irris afterward,” Hannet said. “Cherish the journey, since afterward, Yosh—”
Ludivina gave Hannet a dark stare, cutting her off. “Since afterward,” the lady said, “there will be another portal to close.”
Yoshino? Seeko raised an eyebrow. “When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow would be best,” Mori said, to Seeko’s surprise.
“Uh … Yeah, I guess tomorrow, then,” Seeko said, shrugging.
Ludivina went to the doorway and waved for someone. Soon a man stood before her. “Take these two to their room,” she said before leaving.
Seeko watched her stride out of the room before following the man and Mori. They stayed in a nice room preserved for royal guests. The only problem with the room was the single bed. Mori didn’t seem to think twice about it, but Seeko didn’t know what to do.
“Uh, who gets the bed?” he asked her.
Mori looked toward him and said, “Both of us. Why would only one of us get it?”
He tried to say something, but couldn’t focus when Mori started undressing inside the room. “What … What are you doing?” He turned his head to keep himself from looking at her.
“I’m getting ready for bed. Don’t you change your clothes? You’ve been in them for two days straight,” she asked as if nothing was wrong.
Seeko walked to the door. “I don’t change with other people, remember?”
“Oh … yeah, weird. I mean, you do in the bathhouse. Isn’t that the same type of thing?”
He could hear her still changing behind him. “No, I’m cleaning myself,” he said.
“But you’re complaining about revealing yourself?”
“Yes, but it’s with other guys doing the same thing.” He heard her stop for a moment.
“So you would rather be with another man doing the same thing than with a woman who is also doing the same thing?”
“Ye—” He caught himself. Mori laughed and he shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
She stopped laughing. “I’m done now, Seeko. You can turn around. I’ll leave and let you change.”
A soft rasp on the door stopped Mori from leaving. “Who is it?” she called out.
Hannet entered and instantly flushed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you two were busy. I just thought that our hero might have questions about his future, but I can leave if you want.”
Mori walked to the door. “I’m going to take a bath.” And then it was just Seeko and Hannet.
Seeko had many questions. Eventually, he settled on one: “Why me? Can your visions answer that?”
“Because you are stronger than anyone else here. You are a cause of this war, you know. You are as much a part of this war as anyone. It is only reasonable that you can end the fighting.” A pause, then, “Any other questions? You will not see me for a long time …”
A prophecy provoking a war. “What are the consequences if I fail?” Seeko asked.
“The vision-branches that have you dying early have Kismetia drawing into chaos. This world becomes a shadow of what it formally was. It is not a world that I want to live in. Does that answer the question?”
She said “dying early.” Was Seeko going to die here? Did his journey end in death? Seeko paled and his heart skipped a beat. I don’t want to die! I just want to understand who I am.
His fear made him raise another question: “Who am I? Do you know?”
Hannet shook her head. “What do you mean? You’re Seeko Dris, our hero. You will save us from the demons, remember?”
“That’s not what I mean. Do you know anything about me? Like, are your visions limited only to Kismetia, or can you see Earth? Do you know where I came from?”
“No. I can only see the future, not the past, so I do not know what you have done or who you were, only what you might do and who you might become. I see many things about everyone. Sometimes, I see visions that aren’t here. I see things that I don’t understand, of people and places that I will never meet or see.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I see a single man invading the vision-branches, manipulating your future specifically. He has white hair and red eyes—”
“You see Yoshino in your visions? What is he doing? Is he going to attack Earth or what?” He would be a big problem if he could alter the future.
Her eyes were scanning around, seeing things Seeko could not. “Yoshino does many things that confuse me. I think he has no real goal in mind, unless chaos itself is his goal. I do know that he is a problem for you, and will continue to be one.” As if reading his mind, she continued. “Do not fear his future-altering powers. You, too, have the ability to move the future to your will, just by your actions.” She smiled. “In fact, the moment you made your choi
ce today, five vision-branches changed.” She moved to the door. “You should probably take a bath as well. I’ll let you do that. Oh, and Seeko? Good luck with Mori. You’ll need it.”
With that, she left the way she came, leaving Seeko with more questions and concerns. One thought disturbed him more than any other. Did the hero have to become a martyr? Was this world going to kill its hero?
9: Perfect
6 Rynr, 112 AV: Day 75
The next day had Seeko in high spirits. After waking from sleeping on the floor and then getting dressed, Seeko had a light breakfast consisting of bread and an unrecognizable blue fruit with a strong sour taste. He put on a backpack containing the essentials for survival, and then he and Mori headed to the park outside the keep, where they found Lady Ludivina and Hannet waiting to brief Seeko on the mission ahead.
“You will head west,” Ludivina stated, “until you reach the coast. Then you will continue to follow the coast west, past Ormant and Lake Mediose, to Mount Pharos. It will take a long time, so make sure to stock up in Ormant. By following the coast, you will avoid the dangerous Penumbran Forest. Mount Pharos should be pretty obvious, so you can head toward it once it’s in sight.”
“Take good care of him, Mori,” Hannet added. “He is too important to lose.”
Mori nodded. “Of course.” She grabbed his arm a little too tightly. “Wouldn’t want our hero to get hurt!”
Seeko shrugged her off and began to leave. “Well, we have to go now. We’ve gone like a hundred feet and have what, like two hundred miles to go?” He sighed. “My feet haven’t even recovered from before.” With that, he left.
Mori waved to Ludivina and Hannet, then jogged to catch up to him. “No good-byes to the lady and the seer, Seeko?” she asked as she caught up to Seeko. “That’s not like you.”
Seeko flushed. “I wouldn’t know what to say to her anyway.”
“Who? Hannet?” Mori said.
“No, the lady. I think …” He shut his mouth and looked at Mori. “I think I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.”
Mori exhaled and fell back a step. “No, it’s fine, Seeko. You can stare at anyone you like. You are the hero, after all.”
And now she’s mad. Was that good or bad? At least now she’d leave him alone, if only for a little bit. Seeko smiled and looked up into the sky, staring at the dim ring of Kismetia until he left Layis.
The sun was already setting when they hit the coast. The infinite blue of the Mezzo Ocean clashed with the brilliant orange of the setting sun. The glowing pinks and purples of the cloudless sky reflected off the water, creating an image fit for a painting. Avaroda was intensifying as the sun fell, a white band sparkling across the sky.
Mori laughed and ran to the endless span of water. Seeko walked to the shoreline, taking in the image and watching Mori as she removed her boots. She rushed into the sea and pushed her hands into the underwater sand. Seeko sat next to her abandoned boots and watched her frolic.
Mori pulled up her hands and water rose with them. She pulled up water on all sides of her, and soon a thin, translucent bubble encased her. Suddenly, the water shot up in a torrent and spun back down in symmetrical tubes back into the water. Her hands were outstretched to either side, palms outward. She pointed her palms downward, and the ocean responded to the motion by pushing water under her, raising her up.
Seeko caught himself gaping at the phenomenal display of magic. At fifteen feet in the air, Mori looked back at him. She smiled at his amazement and waved to him. He waved back and moved closer to her, jealous of her apparent mastery of water. She laughed as the tower of water rose her ever higher, her heavenly laugh piercing Seeko’s heart.
I will never forget this image of her. Everything is perfect in this moment. “That’s … amazing,” Seeko said loud enough for her to hear.
Mori smiled back at him, but he could tell she was still upset. She dispersed her tower as the last of the sun fell into the sea. “Thanks.”
She walked past him to her boots, and Seeko saw that she wasn’t even wet and asked her about this.
“That’s because my magic manipulates water,” she stated without turning.
He walked over to where she sat, watching her slip on her boots. “Does that mean I can prevent fire from hitting me? So I won’t get burned?”
She stopped and looked up at him. “I guess if you move the fire fast enough. I can’t move fire, so I wouldn’t know.”
“I’ve never tried moving fire. What all can you do with water? Maybe that would give me ideas,” Seeko said as he held out his hand. Soon a small ball of green flame hovered above it. He could shoot beams of fire and create explosions, but he didn’t know anything else he could do with his magic.
“I think that you can catch anything near you on fire, if you desire to. You could try that, or something. Again, I can’t control fire, so I wouldn’t know.” She moved toward the tall grass that bordered the beach. “C’mon, we have to set up camp.”
Seeko stayed behind. He lifted his palm and moved it, using it to aim at what he wanted to ignite. Soon it was aimed at the tall grass Mori had just walked through. He refrained from catching the grass on fire, however, in order to prevent burning down the entire field. Hmmm … I wonder? He pointed his hand over the foaming sea. Burn ocean!
A green fireball appeared barely above the surface of the water. Seeko moved his palm down and the fireball dipped into the sea. Suddenly, his spark faded as it used more and more power in an attempt to keep the fireball ignited underwater, and a tired Seeko extinguished the fire before it could drain the spark away completely. It took more energy to burn something that shouldn’t burn, he concluded. He looked at the sand next, pointing his palm there. Again a green flame appeared upon the sand. Seeko moved his hand, creating a line of fire in the sand, its emerald light brightening up the coast and water nearby in an eerie glow. He drew with his line of fire, forming an S. He closed his hand and watched the flames die out.
The renewed darkness made Seeko realize that Mori was waiting on him. He turned to find her silhouette watching him from the edge of the shrubbery. “I thought you left.”
The dark outline of Mori put a hand on her hip. “Just enjoying the fireworks,” she said.
“Fireworks? You have fireworks?”
“What do you mean? Obviously. You just displayed fireworks,” she said.
Seeko smiled, although the twilight prevented it from being seen. “Forget it.”
Her figure shrugged and headed back into the field. “Okay.”
Seeko ran up beside her, the shadow removing its cloak around her. Mori’s words seeped back into his head. Catch anything near me on fire. “Hey, Mori, if I can burn anything I wanted … could I light a person on fire? Like you for example?”
Mori stopped. Seeko looked back to her for an answer. “No. I don’t know why you would even think that.” Her voice shook as she spoke and she turned away from him.
He held up his hands. “I didn’t mean that I want to burn you; I was just wondering.”
“You can’t use your spark to directly affect something else with a spark. I can’t move water within someone, and you can’t ignite the body of someone else.” She continued moving.
Quietly, he followed her deeper into the grass, toward a small copse. “Why can’t I affect something else with a spark?”
“Because the spark protects you. If I tried to turn you into water, for example, your spark would combat the magic. It would fight to protect you until it goes out, then, poof, you’re water.”
“So someone extremely strong could kill a bunch of people just by overpowering their sparks?”
“There is no one that strong. I have to overwhelm your spark to turn you into water, not just barely beat it. You’re probably stronger than me in magic, but that doesn’t mean you can light me up, because you aren’t outrageously stronger than me.”
By now, they had reached the small grove. Mori reached into Seeko’s backpack and pulled out
a blanket. “It’s going to be cold tonight,” Mori said.
Lucky for me I put another blanket in there, Seeko thought.
“I took out the other blanket to lighten your pack,” Mori stated, as if reading his mind.
Damn! “So … we have to share.”
“Nope. You were so keen on sleeping alone yesterday, so you can continue to do so.” She placed the blanket on the ground, lay upon it, and curled it around her slim frame. “Good night.”
“Wait!”
Mori looked to him in the darkness. “Yes?”
“I’m hungry.” Seeko’s stomach growled to add emphasis.
Mori groaned and shifted over in her blanket. “Good night!”
/ / / / /
As the days went on, the weather worsened—and Mori’s mood with it. Thunder struck high above and biting winds rushed across the duo as they followed the sea. They ate what fish Mori caught using magic, and drank what she could distill. But other than during supper, they sparsely communicated. Mori would usually stay about a hundred feet ahead of Seeko, and would not attempt to slow down.
On the fourth day, they hit the road that went to Ormant. It was little more than a trail, traveled by wagons heading to Ormant, Layis, or Envoran.
Perfect, Seeko thought on the fifth day from Layis. Cold wind battered his face as he stared into an overcast sky. He saw lighting flash over the ocean and heard it a moment after. It was going to rain again. Just perfect. At least Mori could stay dry. Didn’t she care at all about the hero? It’s as if she wanted him to catch a cold.
He trudged behind her, like usual. For the longest time, the sights were the same: to his right lay the ocean and to his left rolling hills and green grasslands expanded to the horizon. Now the monotony changed after five days. Today, Seeko could actually see something approaching. In the distance was the canopy of a forest, running parallel to the ocean. He hoped they could reach the forest before the nearby storm broke.
He trudged forward and looked to Mori. Only she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Where was she? Hiding from him? Still, he worried. He called out her name.
