by Matt Taylor
Darkness flooded into his body, invading his mind. Despair and fear entered and overtook every other feeling. What once was light and warmth and peace, all of a sudden became darkness, cold, and destruction. He willed the feeling to go away, but it denied his pleas. Terror overcame him, and he tried to release the energy and break the symbol that he was making with his hands, but the darkness seemed to grab hold of his muscles, weaving their way into his bones and ligaments, forcing its dark will upon him.
He felt himself fall onto his back. He opened his eyes but saw nothing, only darkness. He tried to scream, calling out for help from Uthren and Torren, but only a cold wheeze came out. He felt as if his body was going to be decimated, reduced to a cold dark ruin. Just when he felt as if all hope was lost, that he was banished to a dark realm, several images flashed in front of him, which he immediately recognized from when he was in the Ancient Crypt.
He saw an illuminated tree, standing on the top of a hill surrounded by darkness. A stream appeared next to the tree, slowly trickling water towards it before fading off into the nothingness in the distance. Birds were chirping and landing on the lower branches of the tree, picking at the bright white fruit that was scattered about its branches. Something flashed to his left, and Sylas turned his head to see a great fire burning in the darkness. The flames were dark black, consuming everything in their wake. Buildings and people that Sylas didn’t recognize were being destroyed by the dark heat that it emitted.
He ran away from the flames in search of his home and his family, but the dark fire immediately surrounded him, sending an indescribable pain coursing through his body. He fell to his knees in agony and confusion, seemingly sentenced to an immediate doom. A peal of evil laughter caused him to again jump to his feet and spin around.
Standing in front of him was the Dark Mage, Maelos. He wore black robes and a hood that covered his head and face. All that Sylas could see were his glowing dark purple eyes through the shadows of his hood. Maelos laughed again, and it sent terror flooding through his body. He collapsed in fear and wrapped his arms around his head.
The flames of the eternal fire and the cruel, mocking laughter of evil incarnate tormented his soul. Just as he felt he would be consumed by all of the things surrounding him, everything fell silent.
He opened his eyes to see that the flames had disappeared, along with Maelos and the destruction of the city. A giant wooden door stood in front of him. It appeared to be about fifteen feet tall and eight feet wide. The wood was dark brown and had metal rivets throughout, holding the wooden pallets together. Two large metal hinges hung on the sides of the door connecting to large metal plates that curved towards the center of the door in an intricate pattern.
The top of the door was rounded, and six brightly colored gems of different colors were inlaid into a metal bracket at the top. Where Sylas expected a door handle to be, there was an indented hole about the size of the amulet that he had found. Sylas approached the door, and cautiously reached his hand out and touched the wood. Just as he felt the wood, the vision ended, and he found himself back on the river bank lying on the ground. Pain coursed through his body, and he gasped for air.
“Sylas! Are you alright?” Uthren said, kneeling beside him. He had one hand upon Sylas’s chest and a look of concern on his face. “What happened? You were doing so well, and then all of a sudden, it looked like you were having a seizure or something.”
The pain started to slowly recede, and Sylas sat up, still breathing heavily.
“I have no idea… I was just trying to open my second mind, but right when I thought I was going to do it, I started seeing things again.”
Uthren raised an eyebrow. “You saw things again? Were they the same things you saw the first time?”
“I think so…” Sylas responded, but I don’t think I saw everything, just more vividly a couple of pieces of what I saw the first time.
“What was it?” Torren asked, an obvious concern for his friend in his voice.
Sylas explained the vision to Uthren and Torren, describing the tree, birds, and stream as best as he could. He then moved on to the fire and destruction of what he assumed to be Shilvrst, as well as his encounter with Maelos. Finally, he recounted his view of the giant door.
“What could all of this mean, Uthren?” Sylas asked after he had finished. “Do you think any of it is going to come true? Is Shilvrst going to be destroyed?”
Uthren sat and pondered for a moment before speaking. “I’m not sure what to think about all of it, Sylas. You have described several things that exist that you have never seen before and in great detail. I believe that you have either seen things as they are to become, or as they once were, or possibly both. Shilvrst may very well be in danger, but we have more important matters on our hands. If Maelos is aware that the amulet exists and that we are seeking out the stones, we have to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn’t fall into his hands.”
“But what about our families?” Torren protested. “Don’t you think we should at least warn them that something could happen?”
“Yes, Torren, I do believe that sending a message back to Shilvrst would have some merit. I can send Geode to deliver the message, but we need to continue on our way to Gelendor. The sooner we are in the city and can at least have some protection, the better.”
“Uthren, was the door that I saw… the Vault of Kings?” Sylas asked.
“Yes, the door you described matches my understanding of what the door looks like. I’ll have to ponder the meanings of what you saw. It concerns me greatly, and I feel that there is something essential that we need to understand from your visions.”
“Why did they come back when I was trying to open my second mind?”
“I have a theory, but I’m not certain. When you were in the crypt and touched that stone, I think that it could have been a trigger of some kind to set of a Darkness spell, one that the Council of Light and I failed to detect. I think that when the spell was triggered, it not only pulled you into that darkness dimension where the amulet and stone were hidden but must have also triggered something else along with it. When you attempted to open your second mind just now, it must have triggered it again. I don’t know what it is that’s being triggered just yet… but it seems very mysterious and there could be a lot of import things hidden in the visions you are seeing. I don’t know how that’s possible, but I don’t think that it should happen every time you attempt to open your second mind, at least that’s what I’m hoping.”
Sylas opened his mouth but was cut off by the sight of Samara and Geode.
“What’s everyone up to?” Samara asked, “Did you start training without me?”
Uthren motioned for both Geode and Samara to sit in the grass and then proceeded to tell them of the events that had just transpired. Sylas added in details where necessary and assured them both that he was alright.
“It can’t be true… Shilvrst won’t really be destroyed right, Uthren?” Samara said fearfully, “we have to do something, we can’t just sit here if we know that something bad is going to happen.”
“I was going to ask Geode if he would return to the town and warn the appropriate people. He is known for being able to use divination, and they would believe him without getting suspicious of anything.” Uthren said, looking over at Geode. “What do you say, my friend? In the morning, would you return to the town and warn them of what Sylas has seen and then meet us either on the road if you can catch up or in Gelendor?”
Geode nodded, “I will hastily return and plan on meeting back with you before you reach Gelendor.”
Uthren smiled “It’s getting late, have you all prepared your bedding?”
The three nodded in unison.
“Very good, I’ll provide you with a meal for tonight, but tomorrow we’ll need to hunt for food. Are any of you experienced in that area?”
Torren smiled, “I am! My father and I’ve gone hunting together since I was little.”
“Ex
cellent, Samara? Sylas? Are either of you proficient in hunting?”
Neither of them responded. With a sigh, Uthren assured them that he would also teach them how to hunt.
“I swore to protect you, and I vowed to myself that I would teach you how to protect yourselves if something ever happened to me. Get some rest, tomorrow Geode will head back for Shilvrst, and we can continue towards Gelendor.”
chapter 5
Lessons of Light
Sylas laid in his tent, listening to the gentle flow of the river pass by him. Crickets and other insects chirped in the distance, a soft pitter-patter of a light rain fell upon the canvas of his tent. Typically, a night this peaceful would have lulled him into a deep sleep, but there was too much on his mind for sleep.
He pondered all that had happened to him over the past couple of days. The trip to the Ancient Crypt, the discussion about finding the rest of the elemental stones, and what he had done with the Light Magick just recently. True, he hadn’t cast any spells yet, but he was surprised at how fast he was able to tap into his inner life and almost open his second mind.
Uthren had told them during their journey that some people have a natural affinity for Magick but that it’s somewhat rare. Still pondering why fate had chosen him to find the amulet and embark on this crazy journey, Sylas thought that he heard something crack off in the distance. He sat up slowly and strained his ears, trying to filter out the gentle rain on the canvas and the flowing water behind him. He heard another sound, this time a rustling of leaves that sounded like they had been stepped on by a wet boot.
Sylas held his breath and slowly positioned himself on his knees and crawled over to the door flap of his tent, then with one finger pulled the fold of the door open just enough that he could peer out into the darkness. The moon was about three-quarters full tonight, and although there was a light rain, there wasn’t a whole lot of cloud cover, so he was able to see with some slight limitations to visibility.
Four figures were slowly walking in the shadows, their silhouettes just barely noticeable in the darkness, thanks to the moonlight. He wasn’t able to see much detail, but it looked like they were looking for something.
Maybe they’re bandits? Or friends of Uthren? Sylas doubted the last thought, Uthren would have told them if he had friends coming to meet them. Not knowing what to do, Sylas reached for his short sword that was lying just inside of his tent door flap. Quietly unsheathing it, he determined that if the group were hostile towards them, it would be best if he were ready and eliminate the element of surprise as much as possible.
Looking around to try and determine if it was just the four of them, Sylas noticed another figure crouching right next to Torren’s tent. Sylas squinted his eyes upon the character and then realized that it was Torren. He must have been awake and heard them walking around too, he thought.
Torren turned his head and looked right at Sylas, he put a finger up to his mouth and began to stand up. Sylas could see that Torren was also holding his sword and had already put his boots on. Realizing that it would probably be a good idea to have his boots on as well, just in case something was about to go down, Sylas retreated into his tent and retrieved his boots. Just as he was finishing lacing them up, he heard Torren yell, “We’re under attack!”
Scrambling out of the tent, Sylas looked up to see Torren exchanging blows with his sword against one of the dark figures, the other three charging towards him. Sylas jumped to his feet and brandishing his sword echoed the warning, “Uthren, we’re under attack!”
One of the figures stopped running at Torren and turned towards Sylas. Sylas readied his sword and gritted his teeth. “Come on!”
The man charged towards Sylas and raised his sword, swinging it down at his head. Sylas was barely able to bring his sword up to block the blow in time. Their swords clashed and bounced off of each other, sending a loud ring throughout their camp. The man brought his sword to his side and swung out in an arch, this time aiming for the chest.
Sylas jumped backward, barely dodging the blade in time. Lifting his sword for the counter-attack, he swung his sword at the man’s upper arm. The man parried the sword away as if it were a stick and slashed again at Sylas. He tried to dodge it, but it came down with too much speed and caught Sylas on his left forearm. The blade sunk deep into his arm, and he let out a choking scream. Pain coursed through his arm, and he dropped his sword, blood pouring out of his arm and into the ground, mixing with the rain and mud. The man smiled an evil grin and lifted his sword to deliver the killing blow. Sylas helplessly lifted his right hand into the air as if to block the sword with his hand.
“Say goodbye, boy.” He said, still brandishing an evil smile.
The man swung his sword down at Sylas with a yell, but the sword stopped just before making contact. A glowing yellow sphere surrounded Sylas, its warm energy radiating over his body. The sword, unable to penetrate the shield of Light, bounced off unexpectedly and put the man who wielded it slightly off balance. Sylas looked to his left and saw Uthren standing with his arms stretched out towards him, his eyes and hands glowing the same color as the sphere.
“Alright!” Sylas yelled. Then, looking back at the man with the sword, he said, “now you’re the one who’s in trouble.”
The man’s stunned look turned into a scowl as he pulled his sword back into a fighting position and turned to face Uthren. Uthren looked at Sylas and instructed him to find Samara and hide.
“Don’t come out until I call for you, do you understand?”
Sylas nodded and retreated from the fight, keeping his gaze focused upon Uthren. The man looked at Uthren and spat.
“You have something that we need. Give us the stone, and we’ll be on our way.”
Completely ignoring the man, Uthren pulled his hands in towards his body and cupped them at his side. The shield that was protecting Sylas dissipated as he saw a ball of Light appearing in Uthrens hands.
With a yell, Uthren extended his hands out in front of his body, shooting a bright beam of Light towards the man. It rippled through the air with incredible speed, and before he even had time to blink, the Light beam pierced him in the chest and exited his back.
A gaping, cauterized hole sat where his chest cavity once was, allowing the light of the moon to shine right through his body. He crumpled to the ground, took one gasping breath, then died.
Turning from the sight of the corpse, Sylas put his right hand over the gash in his arm, trying to stop the blood from exiting as much as he could. He ran until he saw Torren, still locked in combat with one of the other intruders.
Their blades danced in the night, clanking against one another in a deadly display. Torren surprisingly looked to have the upper hand at the moment. He swung at the man’s leg with his sword, then threw his left fist at the man’s face. The man was able to block the sword but didn’t see the fist coming. Torren struck the man right in the jaw, causing him to stumble backward.
Torren took this opportunity to bring his sword back around and jab at the man’s side. He parried the blade, just in time, then took another swing at Torren.
Torren blocked the sword, but the man continued with added fervor, swinging with increased speed left and right, and left and right. Torren was barely able to keep up, parrying the blade, but each time losing more and more ground. The man closed some distance and after striking at Torrens head, slammed his shoulder into Torrens chest. The blow sent Torren sprawling backward onto the ground, a splash of muddy water went into the air as Torren’s back struck a small puddle. His sword fell from his hands, and the man kicked it away. Torren tried to scoot backward and get to his feet, but the man introduced his muddy boots to Torrens chin with a swift kick, sending Torren back to the ground.
Sylas continued running towards his friend and screamed, “Torren, no!”
The man placed his muddy boot upon Torren’s chest then lifted his sword high above his head, thrusting it down with a yell towards his heart. Just before the blade penetrat
ed Torren’s chest, a vine from a nearby tree sprang forth and wrapped itself around the sword. The man grunted and struggled against the vine as he looked around in confusion.
Sylas looked to see what has caused the vine to gain a mind of its own as well, and his gaze met Geode.
Geode was currently fighting against two other men with a wooden staff, one arm extended out towards Torren controlling the vines. His eyes and hands both glowing a deep forest green. The vines threw the sword to the side then wrapped themselves around the man, starting at the ankles and working their way up and around his body, incapacitating him. Simultaneously fighting against the two other men with one hand, he swung his staff with astounding speed blocking, parrying, and smacking the men with spinning movements. His staff whirled in the wind before cracking against one of the man’s arms, then swiftly returned to block a blow sent at his back. Geode pivoted and spun his staff above his head several times before slamming it down once again, taking them both on at the same time.
Sylas couldn’t believe the amount of skill that Geode displayed, he was incredible. He looked to his left and saw Uthren also fighting against two other men and realized that he had obviously not seen all of the men when he was in his tent.
Torren rubbed his chin and pushed himself to his feet, then looking at Sylas exclaimed, “Sylas your arm!”
“I’m fine, come on! We have to find Samara.”
Torren looked back at Geode and Uthren and, realizing that they had the upper hand in both of their fights, agreed and took off with Sylas. They ran towards Samara’s tent as fast as they could, watching for any other intruders hiding in the shadows.
Please let her be okay. Sylas kept repeating to himself, please let her be okay. Approaching the tent, Sylas watched as a dark shadow slipped inside the door.
