by Yajat Sharma
Soon, the classes were empty. There was a knock on the window and Matt rushed to open it. The Scavenger climbed in.
They all walked up to the library, with the Scavenger leading the way. They entered and headed straight to the seventh shelf, Archer repeated the same steps, and came to the word – Death.
The Earth shook and the bookshelf turned, revealing the dark space they had seen yesterday.
“How are we going to navigate through the tunnels?” Archer asked. “We will get lost!”
“We won’t,” James said, pointing to the paper. “Last night, I thought about this, and I have figured out that the R stands for ‘right’ and the L stands for ‘left’. These are the directions that will help us get through the maze to the portal.”
The Scavenger beamed with delight as he took out the paper in which R and L were written in random sequence. James sounded logical.
The children took a deep breath… and stepped inside. They found themselves in a tunnel wide enough for them to walk together. Three doors faced them to the left, right and front.
“Let’s go,” Archer said.
James led the way, following the hints in the paper – he turned right, then left, left again, right, and right… and so on.
Finally, the children reached a large oval-shaped hole, bursting with emerald-coloured energy that was so dazzling that the children had to cover their eyes.
“Now what?” Matt asked.
The Scavenger took a deep breath. “Now, we enter the portal.”
***
Together, they stepped into the portal and fell on velvety red grass. It was a marvellous sight.
“Hey, look!” Archer exclaimed, pointing towards the sky. The children looked up in amazement. They saw not one but two suns!
“What... how…?” James muttered.
“Don’t worry about it, James,” Daniel said. “This is beyond your knowledge.”
“But just look at this! This is pure fantasy! Look at the grass, the sky, the trees… and it has two suns!”
“The Dark World is a strange place,” the Scavenger mumbled, “But it is dangerous -” He stopped.
Archer frowned. “What...?”
“Don’t move.” the Scavenger stared dead ahead. “And don’t laugh.”
Just ahead, stood a queer animal. It had the face of a pig with the legs of a cat. Its stomach was bulging to the sides. In simple words, it was a freak, which made the children almost laugh… almost.
“What is it?” whispered Archer.
“A Faylon,” said the Scavenger. “Don’t be fooled by its appearance. I know it looks funny, but if you move or laugh, it will attack you, and let me warn you, it could be as dangerous as a lion.”
The Faylon growled, but it sounded like a cow mooing.
Archer, Daniel, James, and Matt cracked up laughing. It only mooed louder, and with the speed of a cheetah, it pounced on the children.
The Scavenger was quick to take out his pocketknife and managed to strike the Faylon’s hind leg with it. It mooed and fell, but struggled to get up, and it did, even though it had to drag itself.
Rushing at the Faylon, the Scavenger swung his sword and hit on the pig-snout, making it fall off.
The Scavenger backed away as the Faylon swiped its claws at him. The very next moment, the Scavenger leapt forward and with a lightning fast strike impaled the Faylon with his sword, killing it at once.
The Scavenger walked back towards the children. “Hurry up. We have to quickly reach our destination before there are any more attacks.”
After two hours of exhausting walking, the group stopped outside a cave inside a deep forest.
“This is it,” the Scavenger said, walking inside the cave, followed by the unsure children. Fire lit up on torches as the Scavenger walked further.
“This is the temporary hideout where I will train you,” the Scavenger said. “It has everything we need – a training ground, beautiful scenery, food and place to sleep.”
The group emerged out of the tunnel. A massive hall awaited them. A steel door closed behind the group.
“You can rest for now,” the Scavenger said, his voice echoing in the cave. “You can explore the place in your free time. There are many more tunnels here. Don’t worry, it’s safe inside.”
The children saw many exciting things in the distance – a waterfall, some gardens where a few trees were laden with fruit and additional tunnels. But they were too exhausted to explore them.
The Scavenger directed them to a side area, where a few bunkers were laid out, ready with pillows and blankets.
The children went to sleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.
***
They awoke after a sound sleep to see the Scavenger staring at them.
“Good morning, guys,” the Scavenger spoke with his hands full of grapes. “Freshen up. Let’s begin our training.”
After half an hour, the children freshened up and assembled. The Scavenger clicked his fingers and the children gasped.
Overhead lights flickered on and the whole layout of the cave suddenly changed. The gardens and the waterfall disappeared to reveal a vast stadium-like area.
“That’s why I love magic!” the Scavenger said cheerfully. He looked around and announced, “This… is our training place!”
A table appeared in front of them, laden with twelve swords.
The Scavenger picked up five swords from the table. Keeping one for himself, he gave the other four swords to each of the children.
“The Dark World now is a treacherous place and you need to learn how to protect yourselves. Starting with handling swords, I will teach you all the essential skills to survive in the war.
“Now, a sword can be used for defending as well as for attack. Its blade is the sharpest among any weapon, and a sword can also pick locks. So, without any further talk, let’s begin!”
The Scavenger twirled his sword, gesturing the children to do so too.
“This will help you get a grip on a sword,” he explained.
After about a couple of hours of perfecting the grip, he took them to the next level and asked them to swipe the sword through the air. The children practiced manoeuvring the sword through the air.
The exercises were painful. The Scavenger gave the children intermittent breaks so that they could tend to the numbing pain. Time flew quickly and, before they knew, it was evening.
The Scavenger said, “Okay. I think this is enough for today. I must say you are picking up really fast. Dinner is ready. Have a stomach full of meat. You deserve a good rest.”
The meat was very tasty. After the meal, the children rested.
The sword routine carried on for about seven weeks. The children progressed further day by day, learning tougher moves, getting a growing understanding of the sword and training hard. Exhausted, they would lay their weary heads on the pillows at night and drift off into deep slumber. The Scavenger brought tasty meals every day, and the children enjoyed the food a lot.
Their training involved handling two swords at a time. The children found the training with two swords far more exciting and enjoyable.
Each day was more stringent than the previous one. The children practiced strikes and cuts for hours until their arms ached.
After further weeks of training, the Scavenger organized live fights among the children. He noted their shortcomings and gave them feedback.
Finally, after about twelve weeks, he proudly addressed the children. “I am satisfied that you have trained very well. You are now some of the best warriors present here. The time has come for you to venture out into the Dark World.”
The children whooped, clapping each other’s backs.
“I may also tell you that soon you will get opportunities to awake some amazing powers within you.”
“Meaning?” asked Matt.
“Everyone in the Dark World has a power, minor or major. For example, I have the power to control the sky through magic. Let me demonstr
ate.”
The Scavenger led the children out of the cave. He closed his eyes and raised his hands. With a sudden thundering, the sky darkened. Then just as fast as it had happened, everything was silent again.
The children were dumbstruck.
“You are prophesied souls, dear children. You must be having unique powers as well,” the Scavenger said. “Once you discover them, these powers will make each of you a very different being.”
“Sounds scary,” James shuddered.
“Believe me, it isn’t,” the Scavenger assured. “The Isle of the Beast is considered as one of the best places in the Dark World to awaken one’s hidden powers. But the process of awakening is tricky. If you survive the awakening, there will be a surprise waiting for you. But if you don’t…”
The Scavenger didn’t finish the sentence, but they knew what he meant… you die.
***
“Let’s take a break,” the Scavenger announced. “We are now moving towards the Isle of the Beast.”
The children felt like jumping with joy, except that they just didn’t have the energy. They collapsed under the shade of a tree.
After a brief rest, they started their journey. They walked for several hours and wanted to rest. But the Scavenger insisted they shouldn’t rest as the places weren’t safe.
“How much more to go?” Daniel asked wearily.
“About nine hours,” the Scavenger said, all pepped up.
“It’s almost dark. Let’s call it a day, please,” Daniel said. “We are exhausted. And you said that travelling in the night is dangerous.”
“Yes, but this place will be overrun with beasts soon. I know of a cave nearby where we can crash tonight. It’s about an hour away from here. Let’s go.”
The children groaned but got up.
They walked on for about fifteen minutes before another trouble approached them.
A creature, with long horns, a spiked tail and a scowling face tumbled out of the bushes. It smelled so bad that the children almost fainted. They quickly tied scarves around their noses.
“That’s a HIC!” the Scavenger said.
“Short for ‘Hygiene Is Crazy’?” Daniel asked.
“Hyper-Ingenious Creature!” the Scavenger replied.
As if on cue, the creature shrieked. “Cover your ears,” the Scavenger yelled.
The children covered their ears tight, but they could still hear faint music imploring them to sleep. They wanted to curl up and sleep for eternity…
“Don’t let it trap you,” the Scavenger shouted, breaking the trance. “Try not to listen to the music!”
The children used all their willpower to ignore the melody.
The Scavenger leapt and landed on the creature’s back, plunging his sword into its hide. The smelly thing shrieked, its sound tearing into the children’s eardrums and erupted into a cloud of dust.
“Let’s get out of here fast,” the Scavenger said, looking around cautiously. “The HIC’s shriek would have warned every being in the area. We have to run for the cave, quick.”
They had barely managed to make their way to the cave and were just about twenty feet or so away when they saw another creature, named, according to the Scavenger, Nose-Shooter. “Seriously, what kind of a name was that?” Archer thought.
The Scavenger explained to the children that a Nose- Shooter was harmless except for its teeth. If it caught you, it would devour you in one bite. It had a very thick hide, so it was difficult to attack it with any weapon, as nothing could harm its tough exterior. Naturally, the Nose-Shooter chased them.
“It cannot register turns made by its prey!” the Scavenger said, turning abruptly to the right.
The Nose-Shooter probably understood that the Scavenger was smart and it started to chase Daniel.
The Scavenger and Matt reached the cave. They both shouted words of encouragement as the others zigzagged their way to the cave. Archer and James entered the cave, panting a little.
Finally, Daniel leapt wildly inside the cave.
The Nose-Shooter didn’t follow them into the cave. He growled softly and then ran away.
“Well, it was a hard day,” the Scavenger said. “But now we are safe. It’s now safe to call it a day. Cheer up and rest.”
The children nodded and soon they were snoring.
Not long after, something roared from just outside the cave.
All of them sat up straight, pulling out their swords.
The Scavenger walked slowly towards the cave entrance as the children followed him. When they peeped outside, they came upon a shocking sight.
Two huge wicked monsters were fighting. The first one with a green face was bulky and robust, two horns protruding from its head. Its armoured body glowed orange. It had strange legs, looked like two slithering snakes below the knee and its feet were ashen black, covered with soot.
The second one was no less frightening. Its face was blue, and it wore grey armour. The sword and shield looked impressive on it.
“The bulky one is a Cave Troll, and the other one is a Brute Ogre. They are very rare to find, and they can’t stand each other. Whenever they see each other, they attack.”
The Ogre kicked the Troll in the chest, but the Troll hardly felt the blow. He brought down his spear and the Ogre blocked it with his shield. The Ogre swung his sword at the Troll’s head and the Troll ducked. The Troll jumped hard, dodging another strike and extending his legs and arms. His legs hit the Ogre on his head, making him fall to the ground.
“What do we do now?” Matt asked.
“See. We can’t intervene. I am friendly with both of them. Just wait for their fight to get over. It will not be long. The result is always the same. Both of them will get exhausted and leave in different directions. The only thing that we can do is to stay quiet and not let them know that we are watching.”
The children silently watched the fierce fight between the Troll and the Ogre. The Scavenger was right. After about an hour, both of them were so exhausted that, with a roar, they parted in different directions. The children heaved a sigh of relief and went back into the cave.
“We need to start early tomorrow. Take rest,” the Scavenger said. The children collapsed on the beds within no time.
6
Next morning, they all started for the Isle of the Beast.
After walking almost all afternoon, the Scavenger halted on top of a cliff and asked the children to look down below. It was a beautiful sight – a village with lush green bushes, trees and grass. They could see people frolicking around.
“That is what we call the Isle of the Beast,” the Scavenger said. “It is the only place in the Dark World that is untouched by evil.”
“How do we get down there?” Matt asked.
“We climb down, obviously,” the Scavenger said. “Just repeat what I do. Trust me.” The Scavenger jumped.
The children looked at each other. Tossing aside all uncertainty, they jumped down too.
“WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Matt shouted. “AWESOMMMMMMMMMMMMMEE!”
At first, the children were enjoying the free fall as the cold and fresh air flew past them, but as the ground approached faster and faster, they started to get worried.
The ground came up almost at once and the children started to scream. Suddenly, a huge cushion formed on the ground. The children fell on it, sinking at least five metres. Their momentum got transferred to the cushion, protecting them from the impact.
Once they were stable, the cushion disappeared, and the group stood on the ground.
“Come on,” the Scavenger said, moving forward. The children followed him.
Suddenly James noticed a sad expression on Archer’s face. “What happened?” he asked, concerned.
“Nothing. It’s just… I miss my parents,” Archer said, his voice cracking.
“Yeah, I understand,” James said, sighing.
He also felt the same. It had only been a day, and they already felt homesick. He missed his mom. Even bull
ying from Luke and Robby seemed okay to him.
James shook his head. He had to stop thinking on those lines or he would go crazy. As he got out of his gloomy thoughts, amazing sights awaited him. He stared in awe at the picturesque village, beautifully decorated huts, orchids, and tropical flowers and trees laden with exotic fruits. James saw a man teaching children how to fight with knives.
“Hey!” called a voice. “Who are you?” An aged man with yellow hair and rounded features came running towards them. He was carrying a sword in his right hand and a spear in his left. There was a bow slung across his shoulders and also a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back.
“Who are you?” James counter questioned.
“The name’s Max,” the old man replied. “And you are…?”
“The prophesied children,” the Scavenger said shortly.
“What? Did I hear it correctly? You said the four prophesied children,” Max said as he moved towards the children and carefully examined their foreheads.
Within moments, his jaw dropped, and he shouted:
“THE PROPHESIED CHILDREN ARE HERE!”
The children wore a surprised look on their faces. Just by looking at their foreheads, how could Max be so sure about them?
The Scavenger understood their confusion and said, “As I said, the Isle is a sacred place untouched by evil. The inhabitants of the Isle possess divine powers through which they can internally scan anyone.”
Max closed his eyes and raised his arms to the sky.
“At last!” he whispered. “The day we have been waiting for has arrived! The prophesied children are here to free us from the tyranny of the Death Lord!”
Everyone cheered.
“Listen!” the Scavenger interrupted, “you know why we have come here.”
Max nodded. “Absolutely. Follow me.”
The children and the Scavenger followed him to a wide, open area, where people had assembled in neat lines. Max led the children to a stage in front of the assembly.
“What is happening?” James asked.
“Just observe and surrender yourself to the moment,” Max replied.
The children felt a little anxious. What did Max mean? Were they in for a shock?
On the platform, an extremely mature and gracious man was sitting. Max motioned the children to bow to the man. He introduced the man as Aronicle.
