Deliverance

by Brittany Comeaux

  Up close, the forest revealed black and gray trees with similar, brittle leaves and twigs still holding onto the branches. The air felt stale and decayed even several yards from the edge of the forest. The air was cold, but instead of a chill, it gave Blaze and Crystal more of a clammy feeling. The eeriest part of it, however, was the silence. No sound of wind blowing, birds chirping, or even bugs or snakes crawling came from the forest of death.

  Once they read the edge of the forest, Crystal was overcome with a sense of sadness and grief. She began to cry, and she could not understand why.

  “It’s just . . . there! I am not thinking of anything sad and yet I can’t stop crying,” Crystal said. She looked at Blaze, who had his hand on his chest.

  “I don’t feel sadness; I feel guilt. My chest hurts too,” he said.

  Crystal grabbed his free hand, squeezed it, and said, “I think the forest is bringing out our negative emotions, or rather, the Lost Realm is. Let’s just stick together and help each other through it.”

  “Agreed,” Blaze responded.

  They then walked forward with their hands interlocked despite their growing fears. Blaze led the way, striking dead branches out of the way with his sword, and Crystal stayed with her hand in his close behind him. As they ventured further, the trees grew more and more crowded together and it was getting increasingly hard to navigate through the thick, dead brush. The dead grass crunched under their feet, and if it wasn’t for that and the sound of Blaze’s sword slicing through the brush, Crystal felt she would have been driven mad by the silence in the air.

  They continued walking until suddenly, Blaze stopped, turned to face Crystal, and said, “What?”

  “What?” Crystal repeated.

  “You said my name, what’s wrong?” Blaze said.

  “I didn’t say a word,” Crystal replied.

  Blaze gave her a confused look and then shrugged and said, “It must be my mind trying to make up for the lack of sound. Let’s keep moving.”

  They walked along some more and after a while, every step involved stepping over a tree root.

  Blaze suddenly snapped his head back to Crystal again and said, “Okay, I definitely heard it that time. Did you say my name?”

  “No, Blaze. I am not saying your name! I don’t even hear it,” Crystal assured.

  “This place is creeping the hell out of me,” Blaze muttered, turning around and marching forward again.

  Eventually, Crystal spotted a dim light up ahead and a faint sparkle. When she pointed it out, Blaze marched right for it. They finally came across a small clearing where there was a rock formation covered in dead vines. At the bottom of the formation was a small pool of water, but neither Crystal nor Blaze could see the bottom, even though it didn’t look deep.

  “It’s not muddy, but it’s so opaque that it looks like a bottomless pit!” Crystal exclaimed.

  “Where are the stairs, though?” Blaze asked, “The diary entry said the traveler came across a set of stairs.”

  “That’s right,” Crystal remembered. She and Blaze then circled every inch of the clearing, but found no secret passageways hidden under the rocks or even the brush.

  “Dammit!” Blaze cursed, “It has to be here! We better not have come all this way for nothing!”

  “I’m sure we’ll find it,” Crystal said, trying to calm Blaze.

  Out of frustration, Blaze then picked up a palm sized rock and tossed it into the water. However, instead of a splash, the two of them heard a CLANK several times after the stone hit the water. They heard the noise continue and then slow down and grow softer.

  “The water didn’t ripple!” Crystal exclaimed.

  Blaze then added, “That noise almost sounded like something tumbling down a flight of—”

  “Stairs!” they both exclaimed simultaneously. They then knelt down in front of the water and tried to see past the surface, but could not. Blaze then daringly stuck his arm into the water and saw no ripples form. Then, after he pulled his arm out, he discovered that it was completely dry.

  “It’s just an illusion,” Crystal stated.

  Blaze grabbed another rock and handed it to Crystal, saying, “Think your magic fire can light this?”

  “Sure, magic fire can light anything,” she replied.

  “Good. Light the rock and throw it in the water, or illusion, whatever it is. Maybe it will light the path,” Blaze said.

  “Good idea,” Crystal praised him.

  Crystal concentrated on the rock in her hand and it was immediately engulfed in flames. She then tossed it onto the water and they immediately saw a set of stairs as the stone passed over them. The stone bounced down several steps and once it stopped, they could see the path.

  “Well, let’s go. I’ll light the rest of the way,” Crystal said. She held her hand up like she was holding a lantern and her hand suddenly erupted in flames. Blaze grabbed her other hand and then the two walked side by side down the stairs and into the unknown.

  ****

  As Blaze and Crystal stepped down the first few steps, the surface of the water once again lie still and did not stir. Once their heads were under, they realized that they could breathe as well, so they both relaxed. They continued down the stairs completely dry and with Crystal’s hand still providing light.

  “I can barely see where we are going. We’d better be careful not to trip,” Blaze warned.

  “I can fix that,” Crystal replied. She then held her hand out in front of her and the flame turned blue. Suddenly, a dozen small orbs of fire danced away from her hands and lined up on either side of the stairs. The orbs stretched roughly eight steps in front of them, so Blaze and Crystal were able to see the next step and avoid falling.

  “Wow!” Blaze replied, astonished, “It must be fun to be a mage.”

  After smiling and shaking her head, Crystal continued down the stairs with Blaze trailing close behind her. They began hearing wailing and cries echoing in the distance, which made Crystal slow down and pull herself closer to Blaze for comfort.

  Finally, the orbs shined their light on an odd archway. As soon as they stepped through the archway, the floor began to glow to reveal a large, round platform. The platform was surrounded by an enclosed gate that glowed dimly and didn’t resemble any kind of metal. The only opening was the one they came through even though another gate door lie directly across from it. The new gate door, however, was closed and when Blaze tried to open it, he discovered it was locked.

  “There’s no lock here! How can this thing be locked without a lock?” he exclaimed.

  Crystal then waved her hand and the orbs disappeared. She looked all around her and noticed that the area surrounding the gate was completely black. There were no walls or any scenery beyond the gates surrounding the platform. It was complete emptiness.

  Suddenly, a figure began to take shape in the middle of the platform in front of Crystal. White and gray smoke circled the floor up to eight feet high. Fearing for Crystal’s safety, Blaze ran to her side and drew his sword.

  He pointed his sword at the figure, who as soon as it took form, said in a deep echoing voice, “How ignorant of you to draw your blade to something you do not understand . . .”

  The figure was well over eight feet tall and resembled and sounded like a man. He was definitely not human, but Crystal could not figure out just what he was. His body was covered in a long, gray, hooded robe that lightly brushed across the floor. His hood was up, but his white and gray patterned face could be seen. His eyes were empty and completely white, and he appeared to be bald, but his hood covered most of his head.

  The being moved closer to them, but instead of walking, he seemed to glide across the floor, as if he didn’t have feet under his robe. He then spoke again, “Lower your sword, Blaze. It will not help you in the Lost Realm.”

  “The Lost Realm? So we did make it!” Crystal said.

  “Indeed, Crystal, you have,” the figure replied.

  “How do you know our names?�
�� Blaze demanded.

  “I am the Guardian of the Lost.” the figure said, “I am neither alive nor dead; I am merely a manifestation of the memories of those trapped here. I guide the souls to their resting place once they are free. If there were no souls trapped here, then I would not exist. I know every living being who comes through here because only those who the lost souls know can free them. You are both known here, and so I know you as well.”

  Blaze then sheathed his sword hesitantly. He and Crystal then straightened up.

  “Where is the soul we must free?” Crystal asked.

  “Follow me,” the guardian commanded. He then turned around, approached the locked gate, and the gate disappeared as soon as he came within a few feet of it.

  Crystal and Blaze walked side by side right behind the guardian, and as he glided out into the black area, a small path appeared before him. The path led along into the darkness and the end was nowhere in sight. It was then that Crystal noticed small orbs of sparkling light floating around in the distance.

  “What are those?” she asked the guardian.

  “Those are souls that are trapped here.” the guardian explained, “Their spirits may take their original human shape, but only when someone approaches to free them. Before that time, however, they float around as spirit orbs.”

  Suddenly, another platform appeared a little ways ahead of them and they followed the guardian right onto it. Once again, this platform glowed as they stepped onto it, but this one was smaller than the first. Once Blaze and Crystal were both standing on the platform, the path behind them disappeared.

  “Now then, it is time for you to release this lost soul,” said the guardian. He then said into the empty space, “Come forth, Malcolm.”

  An orb appeared from somewhere in the distance and floated onto the platform. It hovered in the center of the platform for a few seconds and then suddenly took the shape of a man.

  “Malcolm!” Crystal cried.

  Malcolm’s body was mostly transparent, but his face appeared almost alive. He was covered in a misty cloak which had a hood pulled over his head.

  “Crystal! Thank heavens you were able to escape the castle! I spoke to Thaddeus in his sleep and he told me you had been captured!” Malcolm cried.

  “Why are you here, Malcolm?” Crystal asked.

  “When I died, a piece of the Eye of Gaull came with me here. It seems that I must give it to you so that Eye may be destroyed once it’s fused back together,” Malcolm replied.

  “Thaddeus mentioned that I would learn what I need to do to use holy magic if I came here,” Crystal replied.

  “Yes, my dear,” Malcolm replied.

  “So then only I can destroy it?” Crystal asked.

  “No, holy magic cannot destroy, Crystal. Holy magic and dark magic are both needed in the world for balance. One cannot exist without the other, and therefore, holy magic is needed to add balance to the darkness that makes up Eye of Gaull. This will weaken it so that an outside source may destroy it,” Malcolm explained.

  “Outside source?” asked Crystal.

  “Holy mages carry out Caris’s work on the world she created. Light and darkness cannot act on its own, but must live through the deeds of humanity. Therefore, another human must destroy it after you have done your part,” Malcolm replied.

  “I’ll do it,” Blaze replied.

  “Good.” Malcolm said, “Just use your sword to smash it when the time comes, and it will be instantly reduced to dust.”

  “But Malcolm, how is it you know this? I thought someone had to be born a holy mage?” Crystal asked.

  “That’s what most people believe, but there are very rare occasions when a hybrid mage is born. A hybrid mage is someone who can use both elemental magic and holy magic. There are some hybrids also born with the ability to use dark magic combined with elemental magic. The last hybrid mage is said to have lived over five hundred years ago,” Malcolm explained.

  “But what does that have to do with me?” Crystal asked.

  “Well, there is something I never told you, Crystal. You see, when you were a child, your mother wrote a letter to me about a concern she had about you. You had shown signs of elemental magical abilities at a very early age, so once you were older, Thaddeus was going to privately tutor you.

  “However, your mother told me that she noticed something peculiar about you one day when she was playing with you in the garden. She said you noticed a bird with a broken wing in the grass and went to help it. You picked it up and asked your mother to heal it, but as you held it, it suddenly flew away like it had never been injured! Your mother told me that you thought she had done it, but she swore to me that she did not heal the bird, you had. In other words, you showed signs of both elemental and holy magic as a child, and therefore, you showed signs of being a hybrid mage,” Malcolm explained.

  “So then, before you died, when you said I needed to use holy magic to destroy the Eye of Gaull, you didn’t mean that I needed to acquire it, you knew I had the power all along?” Crystal asked in disbelief.

  “Well yes, but you must figure out how to awaken it. I am afraid all I can tell you is that you are stopping yourself from using it,” Malcolm replied.

  “What does that mean?” Crystal asked confusingly.

  “Just remember what we talked about that day in my study. Your emotions get the best of you, but only because you let them. It’s your negative emotions, to be precise,” Malcolm explained.

  “How can I stop them from controlling me?” Crystal asked.

  “I am sorry, dear. To truly defeat them, you must figure it out yourself,” Malcolm replied.

  Crystal sighed and said, “I see.”

  “What about the shard?” Blaze asked.

  “Come here; I shall give it to you,” Malcolm said.

  Blaze walked hesitantly up to Malcolm’s ghost. Once he stood in front of him, Blaze held out his hand. Malcolm held out his own, transparent hand with his palm facing down, and the shard suddenly appeared in Blaze’s outstretched hand.

  “By the way,” Malcolm said to Blaze, “I would like to apologize for threatening to kill you.”

  Blaze laughed and said, “Well, I suppose it opened my eyes to what Bogdan really was, so I suppose I should thank you for it.”

  Malcolm smiled and slowly started to fade away when he said, “And I want to thank you for protecting Crystal.”

  With that, Malcolm disappeared with a flash of light.

  “His soul is free now,” the guardian stated.

  “Well then, let’s get out of here so we can destroy this thing,” Blaze said, turning back to Crystal.

  “I am afraid you cannot leave yet,” the guardian said.

  “Why not?” Crystal asked.

  “There is another soul that Blaze must free,” the guardian replied.

  “Me? Who is here that only I can free?” Blaze asked confusingly.

  The guardian did not respond, but simply called out to the empty space once more, “Come forth, Althea.”

  “ALTHEA? My mother?” Blaze exclaimed.

  Suddenly, another orb floated right behind Blaze. He turned around in time to see the form of a young woman taking shape. She had long, spiraling, black curls atop her head and she had the same blue eyes as her son. She had much fairer skin than he did, but Blaze still looked just like her.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Blaze!” Althea cried.

  She attempted to put her hand on his face, but it went right through his skin and made him shiver. Blaze tried to speak to her, but he was so stunned that no words came out. Crystal walked to his side and put her hand on his arm, which startled him enough to help him speak.

  “Mother . . .” was all he could say.

  “It’s all right, I understand this is probably quite a shock,” Althea responded. She then turned to Crystal and said, “Who is your friend?”

  “This is . . . Crystal,” Blaze stammered. Crystal smiled.

  “Are you . . . courting her?
” Althea asked.

  Crystal blushed as Blaze muttered, “You could say that, yes.”

  “She’s beautiful!” Althea said.

  “Thank you,” Crystal replied, still blushing, even though she thought Althea’s beauty far surpassed her own.

  “Wh . . .what are you doing here?” Blaze asked in a weak voice.

  Althea sighed and began in a soft voice, “Well, when I was killed—”

  “Killed? Bogdan told me you died of an illness,” Blaze interrupted.

  Althea sighed again and responded, “I can see you do not call him ‘Father,’ so that will make telling you this much easier. I am afraid that Bogdan lied to you about my death, Blaze.”

  The color drained from Blaze’s face. Crystal felt stunned herself, but in a way, she wasn’t surprised that Bogdan wasn’t telling the whole story of the death of the mother of his child.

  “So how did you die?” Blaze asked.

  “Well, the best way to explain my death is to show you the events that took place and led up to it,” Althea responded.

  “Show us?” Crystal asked.

  “Yes.” Althea responded, “Here in the Lost Realm, we are given the ability to show visions of our memories if necessary. I must warn you, however, because you may be shocked and disturbed by what you see.”

  Althea then bowed her head and suddenly, a scene slowly appeared before them. They were in the middle of a wedding scene and dozens of richly dressed people sat in pews watching a judge delivering his speech to a bride and groom. Althea then stepped aside so that they could see the scene.

  “This is . . . the castle in Daldussa!” Blaze exclaimed.

  “Yes, Blaze. This is the day I married Bogdan,” Althea responded.

  Just then, the bride and groom turned and faced each other and Blaze and Crystal saw a much younger Bogdan. Despite his age, Crystal easily recognized him. She also noticed that he did not have the scar across his left eye, but his sharp, intimidating features were still there. He also had the same dark hair, skin, and eyes. The young Bogdan lifted the veil from the bride’s face to reveal a very young and frightened Althea. Bogdan was nearly a foot taller than the frail young girl.