The Awakening

by Ryan Sova

  Between Heragald and Nephal, it took the two of them three days to teleport everyone to safety. In total, they had saved Nephal’s family, Eliak’s family, and thirty-one servants from the palace. Nephal had wanted to bring more, but Heragald warned against it. She said that doing so would only generate mass hysteria in the city.

  Nephal’s next task was to figure out where Emperor Yessitic was currently located. To do this, he went back in time again and simply followed him until they arrived at the present day. After Nephal had finished locating the emperor, Heragald insisted that the two of them launch an attack at once. Nephal thought about this, but then hesitated.

  He said, “We won’t know what we are getting ourselves into if we blindly charge off and attack right now. Just let me take a look at a few possible futures first, then we can attack.”

  ****

  Garry had succeeded at finding the Master. The Master's name was James Strong, Dalen Strong’s father. As a young adult, he had obtained a Bachelor’s Degree as a microbiologist and was soon hired as a Clinical Research Associate. As time went on, he would later obtain his Ph.D. in microbiology and rise through the ranks of his company to later become a Project Manager. However, his ultimate dream was not in the field of research and development. He instead had his sights set on the stars.

  He tirelessly devoted himself, often neglecting family and friends in the pursuit of his dreams. In time, he achieved all of the requirements to apply for a job at NASA. He was hired and spent the next two years working for NASA.

  Then his chance at last came. He was selected to depart on a six-month tour on the International Space Station. His job there would be to perform several experiments on the effects that space flight has on several different forms of microbial life.

  Garry watched James Strong as he was carried into space. He continued to watch him as he spent his first day on the space station. After the day was done, James was shown to his cabin and was strapped in so that he could rest. While James was sleeping, his body started twitching, then he started violently convulsing. After the convulsions were over, James went back to sleep.

  For the next six months that he spent on the International Space Station, things were normal. James acted the same as he had ever acted. There was no indication to anyone that anything was wrong with him. Then his tour on the International Space Station ended.

  Once James returned to Earth, he immediately quit his job with NASA. He stated that, “My dream was to go to space. Now that I have been there, I just want to retire and spend the rest of my life alone with my family.”

  The first person that James would kill would be his wife. After she become his servant, the couple then invited all of their friends and family to their rural home for an outdoor celebration. James and his wife worked diligently preparing the festivities. There were hundreds of people who were in attendance, one of whom was his son Dalen Strong. James and his wife Clara then started the festivities off with a toast. Immediately after the toast, people started getting sick. Within minutes every guest was vomiting, grasping their chest in pain, and gasping for air. Just eight minutes after the poison had been administered, every guest at the party was dead. The Master then chanted some strange words, words that even Garry couldn’t understand. Then, within moments, every guest rose from the ground. The Awakening had begun.

  After the Master had turned the first of his victims, he stayed at his house. He continued to remain at his rural home as his servants went out and wreaked havoc on the world. Garry followed him through time until they finally arrived at the present. The Master was still there at the house, even now.

  Garry considered going there and confronting him. But he then remembered what Nephal had said. Maybe I should also be cautious, he reasoned to himself.

  Garry waited until the following day, then he cast a spell that would take him into the future. Garry arrived one day into the future. He was about to go to the Master's house when something caught his eye. It was a bright flash from the distance, then another, then another.

  Garry moved the projection of himself to the source of the light to better see what was happening. Then he froze in terror. The flashes were nuclear bombs.

  As Garry continued to watch, he noticed that the bombs were carried by various different types of bomber aircraft from every nation on Earth. Through a global effort, the dead were running a bombing campaign that spanned the entire globe.

  Garry continued to watch the attack when one particular bomb caught his attention. This one was over the Henderson Island.

  Garry ended his vision.

  He stood frozen where he was. Garry was still shaking in terror. I can’t wait any longer, he realized. I need to face him right now or there won’t be a tomorrow!

  CHAPTER 28

  Heragald didn’t know what else she could do. Nephal had now discovered the source of the calamities that had caused the sulfur in the air, the temperature drops, and all of the unexplainable ash. The source of all these calamities, as it turns out, was volcanoes.

  Nephal had learned that while the dead were finishing their task of spreading through the land, the demon had also gone to work, maintaining a portion of the dead army with him. While hidden away with a portion of his army, the demon started a chain of massive volcanic eruptions. These volcanic eruptions would, in time, poison the atmosphere and kill every source of life that still remained on the Earth. The reason why Nephal had overlooked all of these eruptions the first time that he explored the future was essentially for the same reason that the eagles overlooked the dead armies as 10 million climbers crossed over the mountains. The same type of illusion that fooled the eagles had also covered the entire area where the eruptions were occurring.

  To be able to see any of these eruptions, you would have to be standing directly in the blast zone of a volcano as it erupted or you would have to be on the ground right next to them. Of course, if you were standing on the ground right next to the volcanos, you would also be standing right in the middle of the army of the dead.

  As it would turn out, the demon, the undead army, and all of the many volcanos were all hiding in the exact same place. The demon had cast his illusion as if it were an invisible sheet that gently rested over him, his army, and all of his newly formed mountains of doom. Eventually, the rest of the dead would return to their Master and disappear under his illusion as well. Thus, the reason why the dead at first appeared to have disappeared from the land when Nephal first looked into the future.

  Nephal had looked at several different futures by now and all of the futures that he had seen thus far looked bleak. The trouble with confronting the demon was that there was no way to face him on even ground.

  One option was to launch a direct attack on the demon, striking at him from the air. The problem with this idea was that the demon and all of his armies were concealed by his illusion. Trying to hit the demon through his illusion would have been like trying to shoot an apple from three-hundred yards away while blindfolded and charging perpendicular to the target on horseback, all after a heavy night of drinking.

  Trying to face the demon on the ground was also not an option, as they would have been swarmed by his minions the moment that they landed. The idea of sealing up the volcanos using their magic was also discussed. However, doing this would have started a battle of wits with the demon which he would have easily won because of how close he was to the volcanos.

  This left Heragald with just one idea left. She traveled to the location where she knew that the eruptions were occurring. This area was deep within in the Kingdom of Dominic. Heragald looked around. There wasn’t much here to look at. The entire area was a vast desert for as far as the eye could see. A great place to hide a volcano, Heragald thought to herself as she continued flying.

  Heragald approached the location where she knew that the volcanos should be. There was no sign of them or the undead army. Even so, Heragald knew that they had to be there. She started circling the location where Nephal ha
d told her that the volcanos should be, then she started chanting, commanding the Earth to stop its many eruptions and to also seal them up against further eruptions.

  As Heragald continued chanting, she had no idea if she was accomplishing anything. After all, from what she could see, there was nothing here but miles and miles of sand. Then the shield spell that she had been using to glide through the air suddenly shattered. Heragald started falling to the Earth. As she came closer to the ground, she started feeling the horror emanating from the dead. Desperately, she cast another shield spell, quickly forging it into another invisible glider. This shield spell instantly shattered again. Heragald was now screaming her shield spell. She finished it moments before she reached the ground. Then, the spell shattered again.

  Heragald felt hundreds of hands catch her as she reached the ground. Then she looked up. A massive lizard creature lunged forward and bit her in the face. The creature had such strength in its jaw that the bones in Heragalds face instantly shattered. The lizard then pulled back and detached Heragald’s lower jaw and much of her upper face from her body. At the same time, she felt creatures bite down and pull on her arms and legs.

  Heragald attempted to scream, but was only capable of letting out a loud moan. Then she felt swords plunge into her back as her limbs were simultaneously being torn off.

  Nephal ended his vision.

  Heragald then asked, “What did you see this time?”

  Nephal answered, “Just another way that we can die.”

  Nephal then gave Heragald a description of this new vision of the future that he had just seen.

  After he was done, Heragald asked, “Why is it that I am the only person you see in any of these visions? Where are you when these visions occur?”

  Nephal answered, “King Noah often wondered the same thing. I never appear in the future. It’s like I don’t exist there.”

  Heragald responded, “Strange? Perhaps you’re somehow the key to defeating this demon. Have you ever considered that?”

  Nephal answered, “That’s what King Noah believed when we faced our doom at the wall. He thought that in spite of everything that we had both seen, if I was there, I would somehow make all the difference. Well, I didn’t! Everyone died anyway! So don’t speak to me of destiny!”

  Nephal then rose from the ground and continued, “You want a destiny Heragald, here’s one! We’re all going to die! Just accept it and face the fact that this is the end!”

  ****

  The house looked empty.

  The Master's house was a dark green, two-story building that sat on a 3.5-acre plot of land. His house had a long driveway that led to an area that had been designated for parking vehicles. The parking area was slightly to the right of the Master’s home when coming in from the main road. A stone pathway led from the parking area to the front door. There were no vehicles that were currently parked here.

  The street that the Master lived on was home to about a dozen families and spanned a six-mile stretch of road. The area was peaceful, with very few cars coming and going. People tended to keep to themselves in this neighborhood. Most of the people who lived here were farmers. Some of the crops that were grown here included corn, tobacco, cotton, and wheat.

  Various different types of trees also dotted the surrounding area. On the Master's property, there were a total of eight trees. Three of these trees were in his front yard, with another six that were in his backyard.

  Garry was standing on the stone pathway and was only a few paces away from the Masters front door. Garry looked around. He didn’t see anyone outside at the moment. The front yard only covered about a fourth of the Master's property, while the backyard covered the rest.

  Garry approached the front door. He tried to open it but it was locked. This didn’t surprise him. He then cast a spell and forced the lock and door to open. Garry then walked inside the house.

  He was now standing just inside the living room. This room was rectangular in shape. To the left was a master bedroom. Straight ahead was a hallway that led further into the house, while to the right the TV and furniture were located.

  On this side of the room there were two reclining loveseats, a coffee table, and a couch. The couch was at the center of this setup, with a loveseat on each side. The furniture was all made of the same material (dark brown leather) and formed a semi-circle around the coffee table. The furniture also faced away from the front door and towards the big screen TV that was located at the far side of the room.

  All of the appliances in the house were off and not a sound could be heard. Garry cautiously opened the door to the master bedroom and looked inside. This room was also empty. He has to be here, Garry thought to himself nervously. I followed him through time to this exact location. Where could he be?

  Garry continued exploring the house. As he entered the hallway, there was a staircase located immediately to his left. Just past the staircase, also on the left, was a bathroom. Straight ahead was a door that led to the back porch. To the right were two doors. The closer one led to the dining room, while the one further away led to the kitchen. The dining room was large and had an oval table with eight chairs around it. At the left end of the dining room was a door that also led to the kitchen.

  Garry started opening the door to the dining room when a noise from the second floor caught his attention. He quietly started climbing the stairs, hoping to catch his prey off guard.

  The second floor consisted of a hallway with six doors. At the point where the stairs reached the second floor, to the left were four doors (two on each side of the hall) and a window at the end of the hall. To your right were two doors standing next to each other, both at the end of the hall.

  As Garry crept up the stairs, he saw a man on the second floor walking by. This man was heading towards one of the upstairs rooms. The man hadn’t yet noticed that he had an intruder in his house and carried on, oblivious to Garry’s presence. Garry instantly recognized him, this man’s name was James Strong. Garry had just found the Master.

  Garry raced up the stairs, chanting a spell as he went. The Master turned around and faced Garry as he closed in on him from behind. Garry then drew his hand back and threw a fireball at the Master. The fireball passed through the Master's chest and slammed into the wall behind him, blasting a huge crater into the back of the Master’s home.

  The Master then smiled at Garry and vanished. Before Garry even had a chance to think about what had just happened, he heard chanting coming from behind him. Garry whipped around just in time to catch a glimpse of the fireball that was about to slam into his back. The force of the impact lifted Garry up off the floor and caused him to ricochet off the ceiling just before being violently projected out of the house through the same crater that he had just caused seconds ago. He then landed on the ground and tumbled like a ragdoll until finally coming to a stop. Garry rose from the ground, still unharmed. His shield had protected him, however, it had been greatly weakened by the attack. He knew that there was simply no way that his shield would be able to withstand another attack of this magnitude.

  Garry wasted no time. He quickly started casting a new shield spell on himself. While he was still chanting, he noticed that the entire second floor of the Master's house was in flames. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of him about twenty feet from where he was standing. The Master's arm was already drawn back, his fireball spell already prepared. He threw this fireball at Garry the moment that he appeared.

  Garry had just finished with his shield spell when the Master's fireball hit him square in the chest. This time the impact was much stronger. Garry’s shield spell shattered as he was thrown backward violently. The spell had saved Garry from the worst of the fireball’s effects, however, Garry still suffered from some mild burns.

  When Garry’s body finally reached the ground again, he tumbled like a ragdoll a second time. The only difference was, this time it hurt. Once Garry finally came to a stop, he couldn’t speak. The landing had taken
the wind out of him. Garry laid where he was, gasping for air.

  From the distance, Garry could hear the Master laughing at him. The Master then spoke, “Garry Henderson, the powerful sorcerer of legend! I tremble in fear before you!”

  The Master then began laughing again. In this amount of time, Garry had finally caught his breath. He began quietly chanting while the Master continued to mock him. Garry then rose from the ground, traced his symbol, and drew his hand back for another fireball.

  Garry threw his fireball at the Master. Just as he released his fireball, though, a bird appeared and flew directly in his path. Garry’s fireball hit the bird and exploded just a few feet from his body. Garry instinctively shielded his face with his arm. The force of the blast knocked him to the ground. Garry let out a scream as he was now consumed in flames.

  Garry’s desperate mind couldn’t even think of casting another spell at the moment. The only thing he could think of right now was that he needed to put the fire out. Garry started frantically rolling on the ground, trying to smother the flames.

  Meanwhile, laughter from the Master continued. The Master then said, “Such a nuisance. Those little critters seem to come out of nowhere, wouldn’t you agree Garry. But the good news is that I think you got him. You should take up bird hunting Garry. I think you’re good at it!”

  While the Master was mocking him, Garry had recast his shield spell. He then rose from the ground chanting another pure energy spell. He cast his spell, throwing himself forward and into the air several feet above the Master’s head. Garry’s hope was to catch the Master at an angle that he wouldn’t be prepared for. Without wasting a second, Garry cast another spell and then reached his hand out, shooting a lightning bolt at the Master from above.

  Garry’s lightning bolt hit where the Master was standing, sending an explosion of sparks and leaving a small crater in the ground. The Master wasn’t there anymore though. Oh no, not again!