《TTWN: The Tale of Will Newbie》 1.1 The Newbie Family Part 1: The Village Boy The sun climbs over the eastern border of the Guardian Wall, the circular barrier casting a deep shadow over everything along its circumference, and a new day in the kingdom of Humania begins. A boy lies still beneath a tree, eyes closed and breath even, yet not asleep. No, he¡¯s just enjoying the morning, that mystical period of time in which the world seems to stop turning. He feels light, as if a single breeze could take him away, far away, take him high into the sky and allow him to gaze down at all the world, and have a chuckle at just how small it all really is. In these kinds of mornings, there is no reason or need, there is only rest. At least until he¡¯s rudely interrupted by a knocking at the door. His eyelids, seemingly bolted together, slowly wrench themselves apart and allow him sight once more. A small shaft of sunlight comes in from the window above his bed, the dust skipping around in the air, paying the desires of gravity no mind. Everything feels strangely far away, and he almost considers that he might have imagined the knocking. His eyelids slowly begin to collapse in on each other, as if pulled together by the very gravity the sparkling dust seems so impertinent towards, until the knock returns in full force. Reluctantly, he throws the sheet off of him and swings his legs over the edge of his bed, thrusting his arms in the air, feeling his rusty limbs strain and stretch, a loud groan escaping through gritted teeth. Slowly blinking the sleep from his eyes, he finds himself, rather unfortunately, in his familiar room. A wardrobe sits nearly empty on the far wall next to the door, a sword in its sheath leaning against the side, and a desk cluttered with papers, books and a single lantern is shoved against the left, a map of the local area hanging above with several colored tacks stuck into it. More papers and books litter the floor, the sunlight draping from his window over the mess and bringing light to the shabby place. The door creaks open, the familiar face of a girl poking through the crack, her long, golden blonde hair flowing in front of her sapphiric eyes. ¡°Well well well, how kind of you to return to the world of the living.¡± Elizabeth chuckles, her eyes glittering like gemstones as she grins. Will grunts as he stands, his arms swaying from side to side to side as if on a loose hinge. He gives her a scowl, trying to look as annoyed as possible, but it doesn¡¯t intimidate her in the least. The door opens further, revealing his older sister leaning against the doorframe, already dressed in a simple brown tunic, a belt with a golden clasp around her waist and her blue shell necklace hanging over her breast. Her arms are crossed, and her glittery eyes stare directly through her brother. ¡°You better hurry,¡± she chuckles. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to make Momma angry, would you?¡± And with those final words of wisdom, she closes the door behind her, her footsteps indicating her leaving for downstairs. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Will Newbie begrudgingly trudges over to the wardrobe, throwing open the doors and peering inside. All that¡¯s in there is a single blue tunic hanging from a bar along the top, a pair of faded brown pants neatly folded and resting next to a pair of hiking boots on the bottom, and a heavy leather cloak hanging from a hook on the door. He quickly throws all of these on, before catching a look at himself in the mirror in the back of the wardrobe. Staring back is the same gangly sixteen year old as ever, those sparkly blue eyes, slightly stuck out ears and thick nose he supposedly inherited from his father. What aren¡¯t painfully normal, however, are the royal blue curls dancing over his eyes. He¡¯s had blue hair for as long as he could remember, though he didn¡¯t dye it. Apparently he was just born this way. Some take it as a sign from God that he¡¯s somehow special, others just think it makes him look even weirder than usual. Leaving his room, he¡¯s greeted by the sound of clattering pots and pans, along with the smell of freshly baked pancakes, making its way up the stairs to assault his senses. His lips tilt up in a slight smirk as he makes his way down the hall, making straight for the stairs. There are three doors on either side of him, two the left and one on the right, these being each of their bedrooms. A window on the far end of the hall casts the only light into the gloomy passage. Sliding his way down the banister and onto the first floor, the smell of his mother¡¯s cooking hits him at full force, his small smirk turning into a goofy grin as he turns to face the rest of the house. The bottom floor is composed of just one big room, with the kitchen and dining area to his left, the fire room to his right, and the door to the rest of the town being dead ahead. The fire room is a carpeted area dedicated to resting and talking, with a fireplace embedded into the right wall and a couple benches with cushions tied down to them sitting around a table. The kitchen has a tiled floor, with all of the necessary appliances on the far wall next to the door. An oven and stove, an ice box that¡¯s almost never used, and different tools hung up on the wall. A table with four chairs is placed just below, with his sister and mother already taking up two seats and devouring plates of pancakes.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Mornin¡¯ hon, kind of you to join us, Will,¡± his mother chuckles as he takes a seat across from Elizabeth. ¡°How was your trip to Dreamland?¡± Will pulls his plate to him as he looks over at the only two people in his life. Elizabeth, his older sister by three years, with her pretty face and sweet smile, always the talk of the other teens in the village. And his mother, Charlotte, or as a certain few call her, Charlie, a stout old woman with the capacity to switch from a gentle breeze to a whirling typhoon on a dime. Her curly brown hair falls down her back in waves, her curls being the only thing she seemed to have passed on to her son, with neither of her kids bearing much resemblance to her. Apparently they both look just like their father, save for Will¡¯s curly blue hair, which is an anomaly unto itself. Will and Elizabeth continue eating in respectful silence as Charlie lets them in on all of the town¡¯s gossip. Apparently, Ms. Lingham, the old bat who was convinced Will was possessed by the devil (on account of his strange hair) was now raving about seeing Demons roaming the plains. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t be her first ¡°sighting¡± of monsters and devils, with her claiming to have seen a skeletal pale white figure walking about without a face, which was later revealed to just be a rather ferocious white cat. In other news, Clint, the local blacksmith, had attempted to woo one of the girls in town yet again, and of course ending in tears, yet again. They spend every morning listening to the tales their mother will regale them with, gathering the news of their little town out in the middle of nowhere. It¡¯s never anything fantastic or terribly interesting, but it¡¯s enough to keep them informed about the goings-on, while also being rather entertaining. Besides, Will quite prefers being able to learn about his fellow villagers without having to go to the trouble of ¡°getting to know people¡± or ¡°socializing¡± or¡­ ¡°communicating.¡± He finds this to be much easier and much less stressful. Elizabeth cracks a joke about Clint¡¯s seventh attempt at hitting on her, one that all of the village remembers quite well, and the table erupt into laughter, Will desperately trying to keep his food in his mouth and not on the table or his windpipe, when he notices his mother looking at the two of them strangely. She¡¯s smiling, but it¡¯s not exactly a happy kind of smile, one that he¡¯s seen on her a few times before. ¡°What¡¯s up, Ma?¡± he asks, a concerned look crossing his face. She looks from him to his sister, her uncertain smile unwavering. ¡°You even smile just like your father,¡± she breathes. Their father. Will¡¯s cloak feels ten times heavier on his shoulders as he thinks about him. His father had disappeared when he was just four years old, twelve long years ago. One day, according to the villagers, James and Charlie Newbie just walked off one day in a rush, and only she came back. The only thing she returned with was the same cloak Will wears every day now. He hardly remembers the man at all, the only image he can conjure being that of a gentle smile. And she¡¯s right, it is his smile, and Elizabeth¡¯s. Charlie never said what happened, and anytime they asked she¡¯d get the same faraway look on her face, and she¡¯d be in that state for anywhere from ten minutes to all day. She never cried, though, and thinking about it, Will¡¯s almost certain he¡¯s never seen her cry over anything. An awkward silence fell over the table as each went into their own thoughts. Unable to stand it any further, Will abruptly rises to his feet and plants his hands onto the table. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no use gettin¡¯ all down-in-th¡¯-dumps so soon in th¡¯ mornin¡¯,¡± he exclaims, rousing his family out of the deep pits of thought. ¡°We got stuff ta do, right?¡± He gives his sweetest, million-gold-piece smile, his attitude infectious as Charlie and Elizabeth rise to their feet, too. ¡°Yer right, sorry for bringin¡¯ th¡¯ mood down like that,¡± Charlie sighs as she hobbles her way to the oven. Elizabeth waves her hand dismissively, responding, ¡°It¡¯s no trouble, Mom. We all have feelings that slip out, nothing wrong with that.¡± Charlie turns around to her two kids, both giving supportive smiles. They really do look just like their father, the both of ¡®em. But with both of them there, smiling happily, she can really tell the difference, too. The uncertain look in Will¡¯s eyes, and the blinding radiance from Elizabeth. In many ways, the two are the same, but in so many more they¡¯re different. It¡¯s just unfair to compare them to a man they hardly knew. So, she smiles back, telling them, ¡°I¡¯m so lucky ta have you two.¡± And another day begins. 1.2 Sir, theres a shoe in my pie... Will walks down the one street of their little village of Nalan with his hood drawn over his head and a pie in his arms, freshly baked. He¡¯s on a delivery from his mom, who¡¯s most known in town for her exquisite baking, not that they have much to compare to. To call the town ¡®small¡¯ would be like attempting to compare an ant to a mountain, which works because the town is most often compared to the mountain range that they¡¯re sitting at the base of. Nalan is composed of a single street surrounded on all sides by higher ground, precisely nine buildings lining both sides, with only one or two of these not actually being houses. The road travels from south to north, beginning at the entrance to the valley in the midst of the mountain range, travelling north into open fields and connecting into the main road keeping the majority of the kingdom of Humania together. Different stands with different products sit outside of nearly every home, everyone in town looking to make some meager living. Not that they¡¯re starving or anything, but money is money, and what you don''t eat from the garden gets put outside. Will¡¯s last job of the day is to deliver a blueberry pie to Ms. Lingham, the same woman convinced he was some kind of Satan-spawn based entirely on his weird hair. He doesn¡¯t really get why the color has to matter so much, but hey, old ladies are weird from what he can tell. At the very least, she doesn¡¯t recognize him with his hood up. Guess her sight ran off to whatever hole her sanity was hiding in. Soon enough, he finds himself on the very edge of town, faced with the most run down and decrepit home in town. Most homes here are made of brick, but this one is made from rotting wood, the once marble-white paint now a mottled and moldy grey, peeling from the skin of the house and revealing the rotten boards beneath. There used to be a porch, but all that¡¯s left is an outer frame without a floor, the only place to stand on being a rickety pile of milk crates positioned in front of the door. How she gets in and out of her own house without breaking her neck is a mystery in itself, though he wouldn¡¯t question her agility. It¡¯s unfortunate for an old lady to be holed up in a sorry place such as this all on her own, but no one in town would dare take her in for fear of losing a few fingers. The pastor, Brother Jay, is the only one who really cares for her, giving her food, taking care of household chores, and even giving her some money from church donations so she can afford things like the blueberry dessert in his arms. Approaching the door, he tugs his hood down as far over his face as he can. The last thing he wants is another sandal to the face. Balancing the pie in his left arm, he brings his right up to knock at the door. Despite the sounds of the people nearby going over their own daily routines, the sound of his knuckles pounding against the door feels hollow and seems to bounce off of every surface in town. Perhaps a trick of the mountains being so close? He doesn¡¯t have time to think about it as he hears a noise from inside. ¡°Come in,¡± he hears the woman croak. Breathe in, breathe out. He turns the rusty brass doorknob and opens the door. He¡¯s immediately blasted with the familiar smell of Ms. Lingham¡¯s home. Now, Ms. Lingham isn¡¯t the only old person in town, there¡¯s plenty elderly in Nalan, and each of them seem to have a distinct ¡°old person¡± smell to their homes. Now just imagine that smell, multiplied by a thousand and squeezing itself directly up your nostrils all at once at 90 miles an hour. You might get pretty close to the first step into Ms. Lingham¡¯s house. Will Newbie, now breathing exclusively through his mouth, steps inside. The floorboards creak with every step he takes, and the house moans and groans at the slightest breeze. It¡¯s pitch dark inside despite the early morning sun pouring through the doorway, and he stumbles his way in, already bumping into a tattered lamp. Despite only having two rooms, the entire place is filled to the brim with miscellaneous junk and furniture. Lamps, chairs, tables, a stuffed deer with a twisted leg, a plastic owl with a clock stuck in it and an eye missing, and a weirdly realistic looking lizard that he soon comes to find isn¡¯t quite ¡°realistic¡± as it scuttles back behind the piles of junk. Nasty. Nowhere else to go but forward, he supposes. Conveniently enough there¡¯s a path cut out in the miscellaneous trash allowing passage into the deeper part of the house. It follows like a labyrinth as he navigates the impossibly large house, going down several different paths that all end in dead ends, trying his darndest to keep from causing a disturbance. That doesn¡¯t quite go as planned when he steps on a squeaky rubber rat toy, and the few times in which his cloak snagged on some random junk, but he believes himself to be in the clear, at least in that department. But, soon enough, he finds himself at the far right side of the house, where a fireplace sits smoking empty, and a comfy looking chair contains a heaving, purple, velvety mass. There she is. Ms. Lingham. Approaching the old woman, he¡¯s allowed a good look at her face, though maybe ¡°good¡± is the wrong word for it. Her skin appears to be several sizes too large, sagging off of her flesh like it were nothing more than a suit. The idea makes him think about how snakes and other reptiles shed their skin, born into a newer, younger form. If only that was how people worked. Her pure white hair comes down in a tangled, stringy mass, her bangs hanging over her eyes, making it impossible to see them. Will can¡¯t even recall ever seeing her eyes. As for her clothes, all she ever wears is the same, faded grey dress wrapped entirely in a plush, purple robe. He has to say, she looks quite comfortable like that, he almost feels jealous. But then he notices something that strikes fear into the very reaches of his soul. In the shadowy corner to her right is a pile. A tower, perhaps. A mountain, if you would. Of sandals. Different shapes, sizes, colors, ones for guys, ones for little girls, sandals of all types. Ripe and ready for the picking¡­ and throwing. An old lady¡¯s weapon of choice, and Ms. Lingham¡¯s got an arsenal. Now the real problem arises: Should he try and wake her? Her breathing is even, and she hasn¡¯t acknowledged his presence since he knocked on the door earlier. Which is weird itself, since she was apparently awake enough to let him in, but not enough to receive her pie? Curiouser and curiouser. The thought occurs to him that this could all be a ruse, that she¡¯s just waiting for him to get close so she can hit him with a sneak-attack¡­ He finds his eyes wandering back to the stockpile of shoes¡­ There¡¯s no other recourse. He doesn¡¯t exactly feel like shouting in an old lady¡¯s ear, so he¡¯ll just have to take the gentler approach. Slowly stretching his hand out, he approaches Ms. Lingham, taking soft, smooth strides towards her. Up close and personal, he¡¯s made aware of how the house¡¯s smell just seems to emanate from her, as if it were some dark miasma leaking from her very soul. Trying to keep his face as stony as possible, he brushes his hand against her shoulder, keeping a tight grip on the pie. ¡°Ms. Lingham, I brought yer pie¡­¡± Instantly the woman launches forward, her arms swinging wildly as she shouts and screams, ¡°Ya damned Devils! Damn ye all! Devils! DEVILS!¡± Will is thrust back, his right hand gripping the side of the fireplace for balance and his left dancing around in the air with the pie in his palm, desperately trying to keep it from wobbling out of his grip. The homunculus of a woman continues her crazed tirade, shouting about Devils and Sins and ¡°The blasted Demons got ¡®em, Ah¡¯ll get ¡®em fer it! AH¡¯LL GET ¡®EM!¡± while her flimsy limbs thrash wildly about. This continues for about a minute until she¡¯s left hunched over the front of her chair, panting and gasping for air. For an old lady on death¡¯s door, she¡¯s quite the bundle of rage. Will eventually managed to get the pie under control, gripping the tin with two hands and shaking with adrenaline. If he couldn¡¯t feel his heart beating his ribs open he would be checking for signs of a heart attack. ¡°I- I broughtcher pie, ma¡¯am,¡± he gasps, scared out of his mind. The woman looks up at him, as if only now becoming aware he was there. She looks back down in shame. ¡°Ah- ah¡¯m sorry, boy¡­ Ah di¡¯n¡¯t mean fer ye ta see me like that¡­¡± she says, her lips parting and her toothless gums revealing themselves in an apologetic smile. ¡°Her, ah got me sum money-¡± she stops, her head snapping back up to look at him. He can¡¯t see her eyes, but he just knows they''re boring straight into him. ¡°Devil Boy¡­¡± she rasps, reaching a thin finger out towards him. ¡°Devil Boooooyyy¡­!¡± No, how could she have known?! His hood- His hood. Ah crap, his hood! It flipped back when she jumped at him and he was too in shock to notice¡­! He slowly backs away, keeping one hand gripped tightly onto the pie with the other gesturing in front of him defensively. ¡°L-look, I-I brought yer pie, just please, don¡¯t do this-!¡± ¡°SHUT IT! ¡°You Devils have taken everything from me! Monsters, monsters, all of ye!¡± She thrusts her hand to her right and rips out her first missile, flicking her wrist as it suddenly flies from her hand and directly at Will. He quickly swats it out of the air, his legs spreading into a defensive posture as he considers his options. He can¡¯t just fight an old lady, but he also can¡¯t let her ruin the pie. He¡¯s decided now that he will defend this dessert with his life, so he needs another option. But he isn¡¯t given a lot of time as she starts reaching for another shoe, so he goes with the most obvious option: running.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He quickly dashes behind another pile of junk as a second sandal soars past his head. His back against the wall, he calls out to her, hoping to negotiate. ¡°Listen, lady, I¡¯ve gotcher pie right here, so please stop throwin¡¯ stuff and let¡¯s talk!¡± he shouts over the ramparts. ¡°ShutupshutupSHUTUP!¡± and a sandal smacking into the wall behind him is the only response. Okay, negotiations are out the window. But as he¡¯s coming up with a new plan, the situation changes. He hears the squeaking of upholstery, the rustling of cloth, and the tumbling of shoes. And then a step. And then another. And then one faster than the last. And faster and faster¡­ Until Ms. Lingham¡¯s face grins toothlessly from behind the corner. ¡°Gotcha, Devil Boy.¡± He doesn¡¯t even think as he¡¯s running straight past her, delving back into the labyrinth of trash. He needs to get out of there now, he doesn¡¯t even care if his mom¡¯ll be mad at this point, he just needs out. His mind races as he takes a left, then a right, then another left, doing everything he can to get the hell out of this house, all the while he can hear the woman¡¯s mad screeching as she hunts him around every corner. Another dead end. Turning to run back out, he can already hear her heavy steps coming right over the corner, so his only option is to throw himself to the floor and huddle into the corner, clasping his hand over his mouth as he waits. And waits. And waits. Her steps grow closer and closer, her insane ramblings slithering into his ears; ¡°Ah¡¯ll kill ¡®em¡­ Ah¡¯ll kill ¡®em all¡­¡± over and over she mutters, her lips flying in a blur. Slowly, she creeps into Will¡¯s view, her head twisting from her left¡­ to her right. And she¡¯s staring directly at him. He doesn¡¯t move. He doesn¡¯t breathe. She doesn¡¯t look away. She just stares. Then she lets out a howl, something so inhuman and unearthly that he could never in a million years comprehend what that sound could possibly mean. And then she continues walking. Once she starts moving again, her insane mutterings returning, he lets out the breath he¡¯d contained all at once, before immediately stopping. She didn¡¯t notice. So her elects to take a second to rest, taking his hand from his mouth and propping himself up on the floor. Squeak. That damn rat toy. Instantly, her head snaps over to his hiding place, her mouth opening in yet another deafening howl, her grip tightening on the sandal in her hand. She steps forward, hr legs flying from beneath him as she runs directly at him, her hand reaching back, ready for the beating of a lifetime. He thrusts his hands out, sliding the pie away from him in hopes of keeping it safe. And as she¡¯s running, he finally catches a glimpse of her eyes, and it startles him far more than her flying directly towards him. Her eyes are a beautiful color of amber, almost golden, but it isn¡¯t the color that shocks him. It¡¯s the pure, unabashed feeling of anguish he can see as she barrels towards him. Her cheeks are moist with tears and her eyes are reddening from her crying and, even as she¡¯s coming to beat him, he can¡¯t help but be more afraid of what it is that could cause such agony. He lowers his arms, resigned to his fate. He¡¯s not getting out of this, so his only option will be to take it until she tires herself out. About thirty seconds pass before he fully registers that he¡¯s not being beaten into a pathetic pulp by a crazy old lady with a shoe. Opening his eyes, only now realizing they were closed, he looks up at the woman and finds her standing straight up, stone-still, and smiling that same toothless grin. And it¡¯s then when he hears it: from beyond the wall, in the direction of the church, comes a voice, sweet as honey and smooth as cream. The voice of an angel. ¡°Oh, dear, is that Newbie girl out singing again? She always had the sweetest voice¡­¡± her hand slackens, the sandal slipping from her hand and landing on the floor with a soft thump. Her expression is pure serenity, nothing compared to the unadulterated suffering Will had witnessed just earlier. Quickly realizing the situation, he throws his hood over his head, jumping to his feet, pie in hand and entirely undamaged, keeping his face down. ¡°M-ma¡¯am¡­ would you like yer pie, now...? It¡¯s blueberry¡­ yer fav¡¯rite¡­¡± --- Will breathes a sigh of relief, sucking in that fresh noon air, far better than that stuffy old lady house. After she¡¯d calmed down at last, the transaction went on without a hitch, her apparently forgetting the entire chase in a flash. That howl, though¡­ It still rings in his ears¡­ Whatever it was that could turn a poor old lady into¡­ that, he¡¯d rather avoid. He quickly pushes it from his mind, deciding there¡¯s still things to do. Stepping down from her death trap of a porch, he decides he¡¯ll stop by the church next door to thank his savior. The church isn¡¯t anything special, the only thing differentiating it from any other building being the wooden cross painted white and splashed with red standing on top. Oh, and the massive crowd of villagers standing around outside watching, and listening, to the main act. Standing on a box, her head barely managing to poke out from over the heads of all the people, is his sister, her hair glowing golden in the afternoon sun, singing her praises to The Author. Elizabeth Newbie, the pride and joy of Nalan village, and the only reason anyone under the age of 40 goes to church anymore. Her voice has always been something truly magical, and she¡¯s always dreamed of singing for as many people as possible. So, she volunteers outside the church, bringing in patrons from across town to uphold the dwindling faith. And it apparently works, judging by the grin on Brother Jay¡¯s face, the local pastor. His dark skin might have blended in with the shadows if it weren¡¯t for his pearly teeth and brilliant white suit. He always somehow managed to be the cleanest in town, even despite going into Ms. Lingham¡¯s daily. He was also probably the kindest in town, and his sermons were full of vigor and fire. While Will didn¡¯t go as much as he used to, many of the man¡¯s sermons still stuck in his head. But, for the most part, Will was focused on Elizabeth. He always looked forward to Sundays, if not for church then to hear his sister¡¯s gorgeous singing. Her vocal cords must have been spun from holy thread, because every note seemed to want to bring him to tears. Hopping onto a rickety fence coming off of the church, he looks up and watches his big sister go. After two more songs, she finally finishes, giving the crowd a smile as they all clap and cheer for her, Will thinking himself the most vocal. And she takes notice, beaming directly to him as he hollers for her. Stepping down from her pedestal, she squeezes past the thinning crowd and over to him, her smile never faltering. The two of them head off in silence, waiting to leave the people behind before finally talking. ¡°Well, my knight in shining armor, you just saved my life,¡± Will chuckles as they make their way down the street. She looks to him quizzically, and he quickly clarifies. ¡°Went ta Ms. Lingham¡¯s to deliver a pie, crazy old bat chased me down with a shoe till she heard you singin¡¯ outside!¡± He elects to leave out the screeching and crying. Elizabeth starts laughing her head off, imagining the fantastic scene as Will stoops his head. ¡°Wow¡­ can¡¯t believe she even managed to get up,¡± she gasps as her laughter finally calms down. ¡°Were you alright?¡± ¡°Well, th¡¯ mental trauma might last me a good while, but as fer her, she¡¯s all good, ¡®pparently.¡± She laughs again, and they talk on and on for a while until finding themselves back home. Will stops at the door, hesitant to enter just yet. He looks over his shoulder, gazing up at the mountains, then looking back down at the old house at its base. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about tomorrow, right?¡± Elizabeth says, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nods, staring off into the distance, not really looking at anything specific. In truth, yeah, he¡¯d been thinking about it all day, save for the events at Ms. Lingham¡¯s. ¡°Going out in the mountain¡¯s is big, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s been up there in years.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°We don''t know what''s up there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡± They look into each other¡¯s eyes, a rare feat on Will¡¯s part. They¡¯re both dead serious. He¡¯s been planning this for a month now, and he wouldn¡¯t be swayed now. Elizabeth gives a lazy smirk, knowing there¡¯s no way he¡¯s letting himself get talked out of it now. It took weeks of begging and nagging to get Charlie to agree, and now the day is just around the corner. She¡¯s worried for him, of course, but this is Will we¡¯re talking about. Once he¡¯s got a plan in his head, he can¡¯t be stopped, no matter how stupid of a plan it might be. They smile together, before opening the door and walking in together as well, reminded at once that doorways are meant for just one person at a time. 1.3 Short Goodbyes The wind whips and tugs at his cloak as he stands atop the Guardian Wall, gazing out at Humania below him. Most of what he sees is completely alien to him; in the dead center, a certain range of mountains loom over a certain near-empty road, branching off of the main road that connects to the capital farther south (to clarify, Humania is already the southernmost kingdom.) That little, insignificant dirt path, with a few houses and farms following along here and there, is what he calls home. Everything else is nothing more than a blurry, swirling mess, as if God began painting the land before him, before giving up halfway through and tossing whatever was left on his palate at the canvas. But when he turns around, away from the kingdom of Humans, he¡¯s faced with the entire paint bucket, splashed against a swirling whirlpool of thoughts and theories. He doesn¡¯t know what the world beyond the Wall looks like, and, even in all of the mind¡¯s intricacies, it does a shoddy job of filling in the blanks. But still, gazing upon that muddled horizon of blues and greens, he just knows that somewhere, out in that mess of color and shapes, is his purpose. His reason for going on. He loves his home. He loves his family. He loves the people there. But he¡¯s always known, for as long as he remembers, that he doesn¡¯t belong there. So, logically, his place, his niche, his home¡­ It must be out there. Somewhere. Waiting for him. Lord knows nothing else will. He¡¯s been awake for ten minutes now, but that whirlpool of imaginings of an escape still swirls through his mind. Not a dream, but a fading memory of a fantasy escape he was unsure of his desire to return to. Sitting up, his head hanging over his lap, he takes a second to think. What¡¯ll he find up there? Will he find anything? Will it even matter? His contemplations are interrupted when he notices something slip between his sheet-covered legs: a feather. A rather large one at that, and strangely colored too. The vane, that being the soft and fuzzy part, is of the purest white he¡¯s seen, but closer to the middle, it changes to more of a baby blue. He¡¯s never seen a feather with such odd colorations. He runs his finger along the side, feeling the softness, and he¡¯s surprised at just how soft it is. If only his pillow were filled with more of these¡­ But, while he¡¯s interested in its origins and why it¡¯d be on his bed, he also has other things on his mind. Swinging his legs over the bedside, he readies himself for his first adventure. --- He makes his way back down the stairs, this time with much less speed and grace. He¡¯s wearing the same clothes as yesterday (and every day before that) with a large travel bag slung over his shoulder, packed full of all the stuff he¡¯ll need for his journey. It¡¯s surprisingly light as well, considering it contains an entire sleeping bag stuffed in with his jerky and water canteen and his mysterious metal ball and first aid kit. Besides that, strapped to his waist is the sheathe to his bronze shortsword, the same he¡¯d been practicing with for two years. The second he saw it in that traveling merchant¡¯s cart, he just had to have it. He makes it to the landing, turning to face the rest of the house, his sister reading in the fire room and his mother busy in the kitchen. He doesn¡¯t want to call too much attention to himself, for fear of looking desperate, but he also isn¡¯t sure what he¡¯s meant to do. Should he just¡­ leave? Clear his throat? Sneak up and scare the living daylights out of his mother? All good ideas, some more than others, but he¡¯s still faced with the question of how he should present himself. The many trials and tribulations of the socially awkward. Elizabeth decides for him. ¡°You just gonna stand there collecting dust, or are you gonna stop pretending we don¡¯t already know you¡¯re there?¡± she says, not even glancing up from her book. Charlie finally turns her head around, grinning at her son as she puts her cooking tools down. ¡°Well well well, aren¡¯t you looking positively adventurous this mornin¡¯, eh?¡± she chuckles, walking over to Will and fretting with his hair. ¡°I swear, yer gonna wake up one mornin¡¯ with a bird¡¯s nest in yer hair¡­¡± Will ducks under her arms, swinging around behind he, saying, ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m going into th¡¯ mountains, y¡¯think the animals care whether I¡¯m presentable or not?¡± Elizabeth laughs, finally rising from her seat and setting down her book as she bears witness to the battle of a woman who cares too much and a boy who couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Nonsense, it¡¯s always important ta look yer best, no matter whatcher doin¡¯!¡± she insists, stretching up to his head to tidy his hair up more.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Once Will¡¯s clothes are smooth and his hair is nice and tidy, he stands in the doorway, saying his goodbyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t see you off, but I¡¯ve got my own work to be done,¡± Charlie laments. Will just stoops down, wrapping his arms around his mother¡¯s neck encouragingly, saying, ¡°It¡¯s alright, ya don¡¯t gotta see me off everywhere.¡± Rising back to his feet, the two keeping eye contact, the second time in a week for Will. Must be a new record. She smiles up at her little boy, reminded of all the adventures she¡¯d go on, her and James. They say history repeats itself, and the child before her is concrete proof of this. She knows that he won¡¯t be able to hold back much longer. Someday, he¡¯s gonna go off on his own, ¡°find himself,¡± and if she tries and hold him down, then she won¡¯t even know when he¡¯s going until he¡¯s gone. He¡¯ll have fun, she¡¯s sure of it. He¡¯ll get hurt, and she¡¯s more certain of that. But she can¡¯t keep him from either. Besides, no matter where he goes, his home is here, at his momma¡¯s house, and no matter how far he runs, he¡¯ll always come back here. Someday. So she smiles, closing the gates to her tears, for now, and says goodbye. ¡°I love you!¡± she calls, as her pride and joys walk out of the house. Will turns around, walking backwards as he and Elizabeth wave and he calls back, ¡°I love you too, Ma! See ya later!¡± She closes the door, making her way back over to the stove. Harris¡¯s cake is probably done by now. She puts on her oven mit, stoops down, opens the oven, pulls out the cake, sets it on the counter to cool, pulls the oven mit back off, sits in the fire room, and¡­ All at once, the gates open. --- The two siblings stand at the edge of town, blanketed in the shadows of the mountains above, only two paths available. Into the valley, or down that mystery path. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Elizabeth says, breaking the silence. Will shifts awkwardly, unsure of what he¡¯s meant to say, meant to do. Should he give some kind of cool speech or one-liner, reassuring her that he¡¯ll be fine? Or does he just walk off without a word, and leave it at that? The former option is looking pretty good right about now¡­ His eyes glance back to the house. Ms. Lingham¡¯s. That scream returns to rip into his head, that agonizing howl of a thousand pains, a thousand sorrows. His imagination immediately sets to work imagining every possibility as to what brought her to such a place. Husband torn apart by wolves? A son kidnapped by those ¡°Devils¡± and slaughtered? What did it? And could it get to him, too¡­? His thoughts are broken by a loud voice calling to them from behind. Twisting himself all the way around, Will finds himself face-to-face with the pastor, Brother Jay. He bounds his way down the street, calling out, ¡°Heya kiddos!¡± before coming to an abrupt stop between the two. A single drop of sweat trickles down his charcoal forehead, though the rest of him makes no indication of exertion. He smiles, his mouth full of shining pearls, almost blinding to look at. ¡°Heya, Brother. I¡¯m just here to see him off,¡± Elizabeth says, propping her elbow on Will¡¯s shoulder. Jay¡¯s smile doesn¡¯t change, but now he looks curious. ¡°And where might you be going, Mister Newbie?¡± he asks. Will looks down, even more uncomfortable now than before. ¡°I-I¡¯m going up in th¡¯ mountains, sir¡­ Up that path,¡± he says, pointing off to his right. Jay follows his hand, an amused expression coming over his face. ¡°Well now, ain¡¯t that interesting. You look mighty prepared,¡± he says, looking over Will¡¯s shoulder at his bag. ¡°And that sword, is that why you asked me to help you?¡± Will nodded. For the past month, Will¡¯s been training with Brother Jay, but he guesses he just never said why. Jay nods as well, looking thoughtful. Will looks up, seeing a peculiar shine overcome his fiery orange eyes. He looks back down to Will, unfortunately making eye contact as he looks rather pleased. ¡°Well, now, if you¡¯re going up there all alone, take some advice: keep your feet on the ground, y¡¯hear me?¡± Will quickly nods, desperate to get out of this situation ASAP. Jay looks even more pleased, as he nods at both of them, before twirling on his heel and making his way to Ms. Lingham¡¯s. Just as Will is going to look away, Jay suddenly stops in his tracks, turning and calling back to Will one last time: ¡°One more thing to remember,¡± he shouts. ¡°You¡¯re never truly alone, got that? You¡¯ve got The Author writing your story!¡± And with that, he turns back, bouncing up the steps and slipping into the old lady¡¯s house. ¡°Well, that was kinda odd,¡± Elizabeth states rather plainly. She looks down at Will, giving him the sweetest smile she can. ¡°Be sure to bring me a souvenir,¡± she says, before heading back off into town, not another word said. Guess he was overthinking it after all. So, he turns around, feeling the peaks of the mountains glaring down at him, and heads up that overgrown path, tugging his cloak free from a bush. That was the last normal day of his life, for better or for worse. 1.4 Adventure aint all its cracked up to be. Will slumps against the side of the rock face, dragging his back against it as he slides to the ground. Clumps of dirt tumble onto his shoulders and a root tickles the side of his face. He throws his bag down, extending one aching leg out and keeping one to his chest, pulling out a stick of jerky and shoving it in his mouth. His hood shadows his face as he looks up at the sky, the sun hanging over the eastern horizon. It¡¯s been a long couple of days. Swallowing the dried cow flesh, he drags out his canteen and takes a swig. He never knew water could grow stale, but the taste has slowly gotten less palatable. He¡¯s learned a lot of things on this journey, such as caves aren¡¯t always the safest of places and foxes are vicious little bastards. But he hasn¡¯t learned anything really all that great. Tossing the canteen back into the bag, he pulls out a third item: a smooth, silver ball. He holds it up to his face, mesmerized by its perfect surface, glinting in the sunlight. No matter how he holds it, his hands don¡¯t leave the tiniest smudge. Even when he first found it buried in the dirt, probably left there for a century or two, all of the dirt just slipped off. Finally breaking from its entrancing surface, he decides to actually use it instead of obsessing about how shiny it is. Bringing it up close to his face, he breathes one word, ¡°On.¡± The ball instantly whirs to life, purple lines crossing its surface, shafts of light appearing from within. The lines outline segments of the ball, all of which begin to separate and slide into their respective positions, a noticeably larger gap appearing on the top. Will bring the ball closer to his face, once more mesmerized by the little orb. No matter how many times he watches this same sequence play out, it always fascinates him. From the center, a thin rod rises from within its depths, a glass lens perched on top, when, all at once a blinding purple light erupts from the lens and flashes into Will¡¯s eyes. He throws his head back, banging it against the rock wall and thrusting his arm away from his body. He brings his free hand up to his eyes, pinching the eyelid as he silently curses his stupidity. He does this every time. Once his vision has cleared and his head stops throbbing, he returns his attention to the ball still clutched in his outstretched hand. Hovering above the glowing orb, a purple, rectangular screen floats suspended in midair. Setting the ball on the ground, the ball¡¯s round base having shifted to become a stand, he presses the large button in the center of the screen. A bunch of different icons, buttons, and menus appear on the screen, all on top of a strange, abstract background somewhat resembling feathers. Many of this mysterious device¡¯s functions are entirely unknown to him, even alien in some ways. The language, though using the same alphabet, looks completely jumbled. Some words somewhat resemble ones he¡¯s familiar with, and carry similar meanings, but, other than that, it¡¯s all foreign to him. But, there was one thing he was able to figure out, and it¡¯s something he¡¯s been waiting a while to use. Poking one of the icons, an image of a paper and pencil stamped on top, a new screen pops up, this one only resulting in a page of words. His words.
Will Newbie, Adventure Log 1-
-Well, that was a lot of walking. Pretty much nothing happened all day, just walking, tripping, etc. I saw a weird looking bug, I think it had two heads¡­? Maybe that could be a separate log¡­ Well, it¡¯s getting late, and I don¡¯t really have anything to say other than that¡­ I wonder if I should have some kind of signature¡­ Eh, I¡¯ll think about it. -Note to self: Keep away from caves, don¡¯t underestimate foxes.
Will Newbie, Adventure Log 2-
-More of the same today, just going in and out of mountains. There are/were a few tunnels here and there, but, other than that, there¡¯s just more road. Last night was interesting, but the thought keeps growing on me¡­ Is this a mistake? Did I come all the way out here for nothing, do all that training for nothing? I thought I might get answers here¡­ Like, who used this road before me? Why is it out of use? And, I guess the biggest question¡­ Why do we need a Guardian Wall around the kingdom¡­? -Well, I saw a fleuf, so that¡¯s something! I¡¯ve always wanted to touch one, I hear they have the softest fur out of any animal. But, once I got anywhere near it, it just rolled up into a ball and rolled away. Didn¡¯t know they could do that. -Nothing else new. I¡¯ll just sleep under this tree, and pray nothing carries me off. So far, no predators, so that¡¯s nice.
Not the most exciting adventurer¡¯s journal, to say the least. He¡¯s really starting to have his doubts¡­ He shakes his head, letting the negativity bounce out his ears. No. He¡¯s just being impatient, that¡¯s all. For all he knows, he could turn the corner and find something cool! Like, some ancient holy grounds, where he¡¯d have to navigate deadly traps and narrowly escape the clutches of some long forgotten god¡­ Or find a powerful Beast with eyes of piercing red, hellbent on separating his spine from the rest of his body¡­ Though, in retrospect, those actually sound a little too exciting for his tastes. Returning to the real world, he taps just below his latest entry, and a keyboard appears at the bottom of the screen. But, instead of remaining a flat image, it separates from the screen, appearing as a slanted plane for ease of access. He begins:
Will Newbie, Adventure Log 3-
-Another day, another four hours spent walking uphill. Did I mention it¡¯s been mostly uphill this entire time? I am climbing a mountain after all. It¡¯s exhausting, and I¡¯m frankly quite sick of it¡­ But I gotta keep going, or it¡¯ll have all been for nothing. I¡¯ve gotten this far, why throw it all out so soon? Guess I¡¯m just that impatient lol. Anyway, my legs have hopefully recovered by now, so I think I¡¯ll get back to it.
His hands come to rest at his sides, and he tilts his head back, looking up into the sky. It¡¯s a warm, breezy spring morning. Suddenly springing to his feet, his arms swinging about his sides, he looks over the fence lining the edge of the cliff. His feet drag slightly behind him as he approaches the fence, being careful not to put any weight on it for fear of it crumbling underneath him, he looks out at the landscape below. Rolling hills, sparkling lakes, and towering mountains, the kingdom of Humans has it all. The wind rolls over his back, his cloak fluttering around his ankles, his hair blowing in and out of his eyes. A warm calm comes over him, as he looks over that land of green and blue. His home. But his eyes soon drift upwards, and he sees the Wall again, and his mind immediately returns to its thoughts and theories and conspiracies, a million meaningless answers to a question he hardly ever asks. He blinks, suddenly remembering what he¡¯s supposed to be doing. He chuckles to himself, turning around to pick up his things. He must remember to not distract so easily. --- Every part of him feels heavy. His boots drag through the gravel, his cloak drags his shoulders down, and his bag throws off all of his balance. No one told him there¡¯d be this much walking on grand adventures, the books usually skipped this part! ...usually. It occurs to him the other reason he wanted to go back¡­ his twiggy legs just weren¡¯t made for this kind of abuse... He lifts his drooping head, peeking from beneath the brim of his hood, and he sees an upcoming bend in the road. He quickly resolves that once he crosses that bend, he¡¯ll stop for another break. How long had it been this time¡­? Four, five, six hours? Looking back at the sky, the sun glares directly down at him, telling him it¡¯s around noon. It hasn¡¯t really been that long.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The moment he rounds the bend, he¡¯s already slinging his bag from his shoulder, throwing it to the ground, and diving face first into it. It¡¯s not the softest landing, but it¡¯s quick, efficient, and not gravel. He breathes in the smell of himself and leather, before twisting his head around to get his nose out of the bag and into open air. He believes he¡¯ll just stay here a while, and rest¡­ Wait¡­ What¡¯s that? His eyes snap back open, his head jerking up from the questionably comfortable pillow, and looking ahead in the road. His eyes widen, his heart quickens, and his face breaks out into a grin. Scrambling to his feet, his hood desperately vying for some purchase on his head, he looks up in awe at the sight before him. A boat. In a mountain. Almost as if in response, the wind picks up, ripping into his cloak and passing through the grounded vessel, a deep howling coming from its depths, accompanied by creaks and groans as the structure strains under the forces of nature. Almost magically forgetting his fatigue, he makes his way to the side of the ship to get a better look.. He¡¯s seen pictures and models before, but he¡¯s never really seen any kind of boat in person before. So, he¡¯s not entirely sure they¡¯re supposed to be this big. It towers over him, at least ten or twenty Will¡¯s tall, and with the way it keeps groaning, he¡¯s kind of getting the fear that it¡¯s gonna fall on him. Vines cover its hull, making it appear as if it were covered with soft, green scales. On the top deck, though it¡¯s hard to see from where he is, two masts bend in odd, unnatural directions, with ripped paper sails flapping about. A few questions go through his mind, such as: Why is there a boat in the mountains? and How old is this thing? and If it¡¯s as old as it looks, why hasn¡¯t it fallen apart yet? and Has something gotten into my bag yet? After checking the integrity of his bag, he approaches the side of the ship, dropping his things off right in front of it. He¡¯s now faced with the conundrum: What now? Looking from one end of the ship to another, he can¡¯t really detect any obvious weaknesses. The whole thing looks pretty sturdily put together. The vines creeping along its side are the only indicators that this thing¡¯s been up here for any amount of time. There¡¯s only one option, isn¡¯t there? Breaking and entering. He frowns, reluctant to besmirch this magnificent ruin, but he doesn¡¯t have much of another recourse. A thousand secrets lie waiting beyond this wall, and he¡¯ll be damned if he just lets them go. He puts a hand on the wall, almost as if trying to comfort the empty vessel before breaking in. And the wood turns blue. He jerks his hand back, watching as thin lines of light blue course through the grain of the wood, the effect rippling out across the side of the ship from where his hand touched it, before eventually dissipating. He¡­ doesn¡¯t know what to make of this, mostly just staring. He looks down at his hand, which looks fine, then back up at the boat, which¡­ well it doesn¡¯t exactly look fine, but it¡¯s not any different than before he touched it. Screw it, he thinks, before planting his hand full-force onto the ship, and, all at once, a dance of flickering blue energy erupts from where he placed his hand, leaving the confines of the wooden planks and bursting out to swirl and dance in the air in front of him. He looks on in awe as the particles slowly dissolve and leave nothing behind. He draws his hand back, speechless. It comes down to rest at his sword hilt. He steps back, turning to face the cliff as his hand clutches the hilt. He draws it out with that signature shiiiinnnkk, its bronzine surface glinting dully in the sunlight. He raises it over his head before swiftly bringing it down, its point directed towards the Earth, but its blade being too short to actually make contact. He turns back around, feeling kinda terrible for what he¡¯s about to do but not really since the thing¡¯s decrepit already anyways. He points the blade down at the side of the ship, grasping the hilt with both hands, before driving it down into the wood. More sparks fly as he wedges it in between the boards, tugging it up and down, prying the boards apart as they snap and groan. As he tears his way into the ship, the sparks begin oozing from the boards instead of flying out, as if they¡¯re growing weaker the more he busts the thing open, until, all at once, the energy bursts out as splinters fly. The board tumbles to the ground, and the sparks dissipate once more as more leak from the shattered wood. The board at his feet carries no more color. Shaking his arms out, worn from the effort he put into breaking a single board, he checks over his sword. At the point where it¡¯d been inserted into the ship¡¯s hull, it bent. He bent his sword the first time he actually used it, and it wasn¡¯t even from fighting. Dang. Inserting it into the ground, he decides his hands will have to suffice for the rest of the job. After much grunting, lots of sweat, only one nervous breakdown and twelve splinters, he manages to pry open a hole large enough to fit through. Tossing his sword through first, he squeezes his way through the gap, his cloak catching on the sides but thankfully not ripping. Once his waist is through, he slumps over the side, his face hitting the dirt below, as he worms the rest of his way through. He lies there for a moment, taking a second to let the thought of how ridiculous he must look wash over him, before finally rising to his feet, dusting himself off. He stoops to pick up his bent blade, spinning it around in his hand as he takes a look around. For starters, the entire floor is missing. In its place is broken wood littering the ground and piling up all around. The space he finds himself in was evidently some dining space, evidenced by the shattered furniture littering the ground. To his right, two sets of stairs lead up to an upper platform, where a massive window casts light into the ship. And then there¡¯s the bodies. It takes him a second to notice them, but once he does, he realizes that they¡¯re everywhere. All reduced to skeletons, their flesh and clothes long lost to rot, they¡¯re strewn about the ship in various mixed up positions. Some remains have shattered or altogether missing bones, while some remain in pristine condition. One skull, seemingly without its body anywhere nearby, is impaled on a rusted metal bar from who-knows-what. But it doesn¡¯t stop there. As he¡¯s passing through the ruined dining court, he notices something on the far wall. A stain. A big one. As he approaches, a rancid smell suddenly fills his nostrils, and he has to cover his nose for a moment before he can continue. When he finally gets close enough, he can¡¯t do anything but stare. He¡¯d been expecting red, or brown, because it¡¯s blood, isn¡¯t it? But the more he looks on, he can¡¯t deny it. It¡¯s black. Black black, like the darkest void or deepest pit. It gets to the point where it screws with his perspective, as if all light is absorbed into it. His heart starts pounding. Something bad happened here. Something very, very bad. But now he¡¯s conflicted, does he run, or does he stay? The likelihood of whatever attacked here still being here is infinitesimally small, but it¡¯s not zero and that¡¯s not very reassuring. But, looking to his left, he¡¯s reminded of the higher platform. Secrets, a voice whispers from the farthest reaches of his mind. It¡¯s easy to run, heck, it¡¯s preferable. But Will was never one for the ¡°preferable¡± route. Despite his fear, despite the violent scene around him, he¡¯s compelled to continue. He must continue, or else he¡¯ll never forgive himself. So, he makes his way to the stairs, leaving the stinky stain to stink and stain alone. Bounding up the miraculously sturdy steps, hopping over every other step, he finds himself on the higher platform, which appeared to have taken the form of some kind of control room. Beneath the massive window, a long board of controls borders the wall, with a large wooden ship¡¯s wheel in the center. Broken glass covers the floor like snow that really wants to cut your toes off. Thank goodness he brought his boots, he happens to be rather fond of his toes. The glass crunches underfoot as he examines the control area. Various doohickeys and thingamabobs stick out from the panel, all serving some purpose he could never know. Interestingly, inscribed beneath them are words in a language he doesn¡¯t understand, but strikingly similar to the language in the ball device he carries. And speaking of small metal balls¡­ As he¡¯s about to turn and leave--the atmosphere is starting to get to him--something small catches his eye. Looking over, shadowed beneath the control board, he spots a little blue ball. Setting aside his sword and stooping down, he picks it up, and is immediately struck with how it feels. Its perfect smoothness, its flawless surface, it¡¯s just like the other ball. He wishes he hadn¡¯t left it in his bag outside now, he could do with a comparison. Then he feels something else, a strange¡­ tingling in his hand as he holds it. He rolls it from one hand to another, and he sees the same energy from the boards outside drifting around the orb. It¡¯s mesmerizing, watching it seemingly dance and swirl through the air of its own accord. But there¡¯s also a sort of pattern to it, because they all seem to be drawn to one specific direction. Lifting his head to look in that direction, he realizes it¡¯s the ship¡¯s wheel they seem so attracted to. Slowly, he kneels in front of the wheel, careful to keep his knees out of the glass, and holds up the orb. There¡¯s a metal slot in the center, one that would fit the orb perfectly. Not only that, but the energy seems to have picked up speed, dashing about far more rapidly than before, and he even feels a slight tugging at his arm in the direction of the slot. Lesser men would have considered their options, factored in risks, or at least been a tad bit reluctant to insert a strange orb into a strange slot on a strange boat up in some strange mountains, but¡­ Will is above such wastes of time. Without a second thought, he slips the orb home. It shines a brilliant blue, Will stumbling back as a loud whirring sound rolls through the ship. The blue light suddenly spreads from the orb to the wheel, then to the controls, then to the walls, the entirety of the ship appearing to come to life. Energy pulses through the walls, and a wind begins to pick up. Faster and faster, this wind whirls around the ship and through Will, throwing him off of his balance against the railing, him clutching the wooden barricade for dear life. He¡¯s unsure whether that feeling in his belly is the sinking feeling of regret, or he¡¯s rising up. Crap. 1.5 Tis But A Scratch We last left our hero in the midst of a panic attack as the world around him collapses, brought here by a series of questionable decisions involving a bloody massacre and a funny-looking ball. Now, the floor is trying to move out from under Will¡¯s feet as the ship steadily rises further above the ground, quickly falling apart under the increasing pressure of the mini-hurricane surrounding it. We all caught up? Good. Feeling the swirling void of regret and jerky threatening to expel itself from his belly, Will takes a careful step away from the wheel. While removing the orb from the wheel may prove useful, that also runs the risk of bringing the entire structure down upon his soft and supple skull. His best idea is to keep his balance, and slowly hobble his way over to the stairs. Thankfully, liftoff is taking its sweet time, so he should be able to hit the ground without issue. So he can relax. That is, until he hears a clicking noise over the howling wind. From behind, slinking up the jittering stairs, comes a creature from Will¡¯s darkest nightmares: a wallcrawler. It rbest resembles that of a spider crab, but it manages to somehow be even more of a rejection of all that is good and holy. It has six long, segmented legs and a small body, one razor sharp claw on the end of each leg and two equally sharp pincers on its face in an O shape, its body coated in a short black fuzz. Will¡¯s body immediately freezes up. See, he¡¯s never had much issue with spiders, so long as he didn¡¯t spend too much time looking at one. It was the deeper features, the eight eyes, the pincers, the legs¡­ As long as he couldn¡¯t see it too well, he¡¯d be fine. But with this¡­ this thing¡­ he can see every beady red eye, each drip of venom from its razor blade fangs, even pick out each individual hair. This is terror incarnate. It must have had a den somewhere deeper into the ship, somewhere dark and safe. But now, this place is far from safe, and our friend here isn¡¯t too happy about it. It stumbles around, digging its claws into the floorboards to remain steady, its body swiveling from side to side as it searches for the cause of the disturbance. It doesn¡¯t take long for it to settle on Will. This is, quite possibly, the most terrifying situation he has been in in his entire life. So now he is forced to consider his options: He could vault over the railing, but that would likely result in a broken leg, making him wallcrawler food in an instant. He could try and charge the wallcrawler, but he doesn¡¯t have a weapon and that thing has way more reach on him¡­ He¡¯s trapped. In the .5 seconds it takes Will to come to this conclusion, the wallcrawler has noticed him, screeched horribly, spewing purple venom everywhere, and then entering a charging stance. It spreads its legs apart, rooting itself into the floor, its pincers clacking in preparation. He has no options, no defense, nothing¡­ So, when the creature launches itself forward, he desperately throws himself to the ground in front of it as the monster soars over him. His hands fly out to break his fall, his palms scraping against the glass-covered floor. He lets out a sharp hiss through gritted teeth as he collapses to the ground. As for the wallcrawler, upon its landing, it found itself stumbling about drunkenly, having fully expected to have landed on the poor traveler and still unused to the trembling ground beneath it. Will lies on his stomach, his face gazing off in the direction of the great window, the sun¡¯s light reflecting off of the glass shards as they glitter like diamonds. Some shards glint red, the sunlight hitting his blood and making it sparkle and shine. Shine, like something in the background that catches his eye. It''s dull, but it''s noticeable thanks to the lack of glass surrounding it. His sword. That stupid, useless, bent-up blade that broke the first time he used it. A tool as stupid and useless as that deserves and equally stupid and useless wielder. He plants his hands in the glass, grunting through the pain as he lifts himself up. On his hands and knees, he lunges to the sword, glass and blood flying from his hand as it thrusts towards his weapon. He grips the hilt, ignoring the searing pain and the dripping blood, standing shakily to his feet as the wind whips around him. He turns back to the wallcrawler. It¡¯s finally managed to regain its footing, fighting the tempest as it digs its claws into the floor once more. It clacks its pincers in frustration as it twists around to face Will, the two now engaged in a standoff. Will holds out his bent blade, pointing it at the abomination as he slowly begins to circle it. ¡°You wanna go?¡± he taunts, warming up for his battle cry. The Beast returns to its pouncing stance, and he grins. As it flies, he lunges forward, swinging his sword wildly, crying, ¡°THEN LET¡¯S FREAKN GO, MOTHERSHUCKER!¡± What a hero. By some miracle, he manages to bat the wallcrawler out of the air, sending it tumbling over the edge of the railing. With it hopefully subdued for at least ten seconds, Will begins flying down the stairs, managing to keep his balance by some act of God, and hits the landing.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Everything from before, the furniture, the skeletons, all of them lay strewn about on the ground below. Now, the massive gaping hole in the floor is made much more apparent. The distance down isn¡¯t a ridiculous amount, he could jump it just fine. But he still can¡¯t seem to get the guts. Then he hears another furious clacking to his left. He doesn¡¯t even look as he soars through the air and he feels the presence of unthinkable horror pass directly past him, smacking into the wall that was once to his right. Curl your legs on impact curl your legs on impact curl your legs on impact As his feet touch dirt, he bends his knees to absorb the impact, and immediately crumples to the ground. Now, his feet don¡¯t hurt, but his knees sure as hell do. Forcing himself to his feet, he stumbles about as he looks up at the flying ship above. Boards and dirt and rubble and vines all tumble from the levitating vessel as it slowly falls apart faster and faster. It¡¯s unlike anything he¡¯s ever seen; Now, free from the danger, he¡¯s allowed to fully appreciate just how awesome this really is! A flying ship, up in the mountains¡­ what could this mean?! And¡­ he looks back down to all of the skeletons around him¡­ what happened to all of these people¡­? He isn¡¯t given much of an answer other than a quickly approaching screeeeeeeeeeee- Twisting around, he sees that the wallcrawler is now rapidly approaching the ground, though apparently much less willingly. Best guess is that it rolled off the side after smacking into the wall. It hits the ground with a nasty crunch, its legs splaying about as it screeches in agony. Its legs flail about, its pincers clack, and nasty green goop gushes from where Will smacked it with the sword. He almost feels bad for the sorry thing, seeing it thrash about as it slowly, inevitably dies. But then it manages to agonizingly flip itself over, and suddenly all of those feelings, and Will himself, are gone. He sprints away at top speed, his cloak whipping about behind him as he hears the Beast shriek and clack again, and he knows it¡¯s readying itself to pounce again. With no other option, he whips himself around, screeching to a halt as dust flies about him, and he crouches, preparing for a dodge. The wallcrawler prepares itself for liftoff once more, but now there¡¯s no pesky wind. Will can¡¯t help but feel just how much of an uneven battle this is. If this thing¡¯s going to die, it very much so plans on dragging Will kicking and screaming back down to Hell where it belongs. But then their little standoff is interrupted by a loud snapping sound, and Will looks up. Before he can even blink, the entire ship, all at once, comes crashing down on top of the screeching monster. It''s quickly enveloped by a roaring dust cloud, and Will throws himself to the ground behind some rocks, covering himself with his cloak to shield from the dirt and rocks raining from the sky. It''s the most deafening sound he¡¯s ever heard, his ears ringing as the ramshackle pile of boards and mysterious metal reunites very quickly with the earth beneath it. It takes a hot minute for the dust to clear and the sound of the crashing boat to quit its echo across the mountain range. As he walks on shaky legs, he peers out at the wreckage in front of him. It¡¯s nothing but a pile of shattered wood and torn vines. He can¡¯t even spy a single bone in there. Though he does notice a rather satisfying pool of green goo. ---
Adventure Log 3-
-I did it. I found something, something big. I don¡¯t know what it could mean, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do with this information, but whatever I¡¯m meant to do, it¡¯s not just about Nalan anymore. I found a boat, a really freaking big one, and there was a bunch of skeletons and broken furniture and a weird stain, but then I found this orb and the ship flew! ...and then it fell apart¡­ There was a wallcrawler too¡­ ugh¡­ but that¡¯s taken care of, thankfully¡­ But what does this mean¡­? How did it fly, and what happened in there? Does this have something to do with the Guardian Wall...? No one¡¯s really sure why there even is a wall¡­. They mostly just mention some war, ¡°The First War,¡± and nothing else¡­ but this could be the secret! This could answer all of my questions! And, maybe¡­ maybe I could take one of those ships over the Wall¡­ Then I could fulfill that promise to Elizabeth¡­ Haha, lots of hopes, eh? I can''t help but wonder if I¡¯m not just overreacting¡­ But this is undoubtedly big. I don¡¯t know what it all means just yet, but I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t find out.
He returns the ball to his bag with bloody and bandaged hands, before slinging it over his shoulder. Without another thought, Will turns his back on the wreckage and makes his way home. That¡¯s enough adventure for one week, if not a lifetime. --- The return trip is only two days this time around, two days of walking and eating in complete silence. His only thoughts are of seeing his family again. And as he¡¯s walking along the pathway, he gazes over the cliffside at his home. Nalan. He made it back, miraculously in one piece. His thoughts wander to his bed, of course. On some nights, it could feel as tough as a rock, but now, he can only imagine it being nothing less than laying on the clouds of Heaven. He grins, thinking about how his family may react to seeing him again, after all, it¡¯s been a week. He¡¯s suddenly self-conscious of the bandages on his hands¡­ he¡¯ll have a lot to explain. He breaks into a grin as he imagines the looks on their faces as he tells them of all he did, from the flying ship, to the wallcrawler, to nearly getting squished like a bug¡­ He¡¯s immediately brought out of his thoughts though when the entire town is all at once blanketed in red light, before vanishing. Not a thought crosses his mind once he starts running. 1.6 Everything is Different Now His feet pound against the gravel as he runs and runs and runs, blood rushing through his ears and his temples throbbing and his legs aching¡­ but he runs and runs and runs. That wasn¡¯t normal. That wasn¡¯t good. That can only be bad bad bad bad why did he ever leave?! A thousand questions blaze through Will¡¯s mind as he races down the mountainside. He has no answers. He can only run. He screeches to a halt at the entrance to town. All at once, his feet can¡¯t move, his arms are rusted stiff, and his lungs have collapsed in on themselves. It¡¯s late, the sun is going down, and the world remains still. No voices, no sounds of animals, nothing. Though it¡¯s late, there¡¯s always someone out until midnight. Doors hang open, stands sit fully stocked but empty, and lights remain on throughout town. There¡¯s no one here. There¡¯s not even a sign of struggle, as if everyone just vanished into thin air. He doesn¡¯t know what to do. If he runs in there now, whatever¡¯s waiting for him, whatever¡¯s taken all of these people, could very well kill him. But did it kill them? And what was that light?! No. No questions right now, only action. The sky is stained pink and red as the sun goes down, almost like some unfunny joke as he prowls through the shadows, concealing himself beneath his cloak. A lifetime of remaining hidden comes in useful as he keeps his footsteps 100% silent, remaining invisible to the glancing eye and unfocused ear. As he creeps towards the end of the road, he can make out three silhouettes, two very large ones on either side and one smaller in the middle. The center shape is jagged and unnatural, and he doesn¡¯t recognize any of them. He can only consider them the culprits. At once, the three shadows begin moving and, without another thought, Will dives behind Mrs. Glensdale¡¯s fruit stand. His lungs still refuse to work, leaving his heart to pick up the slack, his chest heaving and his hands shaky. As the sound of footsteps comes closer and closer, Will struggles to regain control of his breath as their footfalls stop directly in front of his hiding place. Crap crap crap crap. Steadying himself, his breath slow and even, he slowly peeks around the corner. He can now see the three shapes up close and personal, though he almost wishes he couldn¡¯t. The two people on the sides, if they can even be called that, are two lumbering giants in tight black tank tops and shorts going down to their knees. Their faces are completely expressionless, and they stand at at least 1.5 Wills tall, but that¡¯s not what really terrifies him. Their lower arms are completely missing, instead replaced by two long, pointed blades, their edges looking sharper than any weapon he¡¯s seen in his life. Even stranger, at the stump of their elbows where flesh ends and blade begins, instead of skin or meat, the insides of their arms appear to be entirely black. But the one in the center manages to terrify him even more. They aren¡¯t that tall, but they still manage to carry such a strong, commanding presence, that they might as well be miles high. Their body is covered entirely in black, jagged armor, and two identical swords rest at their sides, the serrated edges fashioned to resemble wings. But their eyes¡­ from beneath their helmet, two eyes peek from the shadows, glowing an unnaturally bright red. Then, as the cherry on top, starting at the center of their forehead, two horns wrap around the side of their head, before curling upwards. A Demon. Will wants to run away, as far as possible, as fast as possible, but he can hardly move. The sight in front of him is unlike anything he¡¯s seen, or feared. Slowly, deliberately, taking extra care to not make a single sound, he moves back into his hiding spot as he keeps every atom of his body entirely still. There¡¯s the sound of a sharp inhale, before a groan. A muffled voice grunts, ¡°Nothing. Still no Power,¡± followed by something clattering against the ground. Will takes another peek, and he sees a small metal flask bouncing into the battered path, a red mist flowing from its interior. The same color as the light he saw. He snaps back into place as he hears the voice once more. ¡°We¡¯re running out of villages. How much longer until we find it¡­ or is it already gone¡­?¡± The voice trails off, as if deep in thought. ¡°Well, so long as we¡¯re here,¡± it says, before he glimpses the black hand scooping the flask from the ground. It makes no sound. Come to think of it, he doesn¡¯t hear the clanking of armor, despite how much they¡¯ve walked and moved. He¡¯s heard rumors of what Demons can do, but could it really be true¡­? His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of retreating footsteps. Peeking once more, he watches as the three figures continue onwards into the valley, the same valley he was never permitted to enter. If Demons want something in there, then they must not have been kidding about it being dangerous. He watches as they disappear into the shadows, the valley swallowing them whole. He looks on for a minute longer from his vantage point behind the fruit stand, as if expecting them to launch back out and drag him into the abyss with them. But nothing happens. The song of crickets casting their voices into the sky replaces the all-encompassing silence, finally breaking him from his trance. It¡¯s night, and he¡¯s alone. He doesn¡¯t remember moving, but when he looks up, he¡¯s standing at the door to his home. He stares at the doorknob for a moment, contemplating what lies beyond. Doors are funny things, you never really know what¡¯s behind them until you open it, no matter how confident you are. Even if you were to look through the windows, there would still be secrets hiding behind chairs and within cabinets. You never know. Without thinking, he grasps the doorknob, but hesitates before opening it. You never know. Are they in there? He pulls it open. He doesn¡¯t know what he expected. The house is empty, just like the rest of them. The lantern still hangs over the kitchen, and a candle casts dancing shadows on the fire room¡¯s walls. Strangely, there¡¯s a cookbook spread on the floor, several recipes scattered across the tiles. It must have been dropped. Was his mother holding it before she vanished? Was it really that instantaneous? It feels impossible, but, then again, so did flying boats before his little ¡°adventure.¡± This week¡¯s full of surprises. He blinks, and once again finds himself in a different place. He¡¯s sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the candle on the table. It flickers to the left, then the right, then the left again three times, then thrust upwards, then¡­ He feels his eyelids slowly drifting together. He¡¯s so tired, and he¡¯s not gotten a proper sleep in almost a week. He just got done running really hard. He deserves a nap. Fatigue drags him to the cushions, his sight going dark, and warmth rushes over him. ~~~ ¡°Ya like the look a that shell, eh?¡± the traveling cart salesman says. Will looks up at him, surprised he was watching, and the man chuckles as he picks it up from a pile of shells, lifting it up to the sunlight. It glitters brilliantly, as if a thousand tiny diamonds were embedded into its surface, and Will is mesmerized. ¡°Y¡¯know, there¡¯s legends surroundin¡¯ these kindsa shells,¡± the man tells. ¡°They say that each little sparkle is a spirit of its own, an old soul taking shelter inside.¡± He looks back down at the boy, grinning. ¡°You want this?¡± he asks. He just nods. The man looks thoughtful for a moment, before tossing it to him. ¡°Take it, they¡¯re only a copper each.¡± Will¡¯s face lights up as he catches it, holding it up to catch the light again. ¡°Thank you, mister¡­¡± he mumbles. The man just smiles on and moves to deal with other customers.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Will already had an idea of what he wanted to do with the shell. He gets Mr. Crona, the local blacksmith, to cut a tiny hole through the tip so he can slip a small strip of leather through it. It¡¯s Elizabeth¡¯s 14th birthday, and he¡¯s so excited to show her the new necklace. He finds her out in a field, singing from a songbook in hand to no one in particular. She¡¯s always been nervous in front of audiences, all except her little brother. He sits in the grass behind her, losing himself in her song. He can¡¯t understand why she can¡¯t just go out and sing, her voice is the greatest he¡¯s ever heard! He tends to think a lot as she sings, feeling his mind wander across a million subjects as her song comes to a close. Once she finishes, he claps excitedly, applauding her as she turns around in surprise. ~~~ ¡°I¡¯ve gotta gift for ya!¡± Will giggles, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the necklace. A leaf flutters between the two siblings, hiding from the summer sun beneath their favorite tree. Elizabeth¡¯s eyes glitter in that trademark Newbie way as she sees it flash and sparkle in a lone shaft of sunlight. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± she breathes, holding her hand out for him to pass it to her. She takes a moment to just look at it, admiring its every gorgeous feature, before placing it around her neck and staring down at it in wonder. Will grins proudly, overjoyed that she loves his gift so much. The two remain beneath the tree, chatting the day away, just basking in each other¡¯s company. They never really have to talk about much, and sometimes they don¡¯t even talk at all. Despite being three years apart, the two of them always seemed to understand each other, better than anyone else. As their conversation starts to fizzle out, Will brings up her singing, and she blushes, looking away. ¡°Still nervous, huh?¡± Will asks. She just nods. He sighs, resting his head against the tree, thinking. ¡°Yer voice really is somethin¡¯ special, y¡¯know?¡± he asks. ¡°I¡¯m sure if you sang for ¡®em, gave ¡®em a chance, they¡¯d all love it!¡± Her head casts down, and Will backpedals a little bit. ¡°I love it,¡± he says. Elizabeth finally looks into her brother¡¯s eyes, and he can read the fear plain on her face. ¡°But what if they don¡¯t¡­?¡± she mutters. ¡°They will!¡± he exclaims, jumping forward as she flinches back. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± he apologizes. His outbursts tend to scare. Her face relaxes, smiling, but reserved. She¡¯s always thinking, never talking. It makes him mad. ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± she says, her nervousness turning to a sad acceptance, which only infuriates him more. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re only ten, what do you know?¡± He leans back against the tree, pouting. He hates it when people treat him like a kid. He¡¯s smart, smarter than a lot of the grown-ups, too! At least, that¡¯s what they all tell him. So why doesn¡¯t he get to know anything, just because of some stupid number?! ¡°But I do know!¡± he shouts, refusing to give up. ¡°Your voice is th¡¯ greatest n¡¯ th¡¯ prettiest I ever heard!¡± She blushes again, flattered by his comments, but still not quite believing them. He¡¯s her brother after all, he¡¯s just saying what they¡¯re supposed to say¡­ Without warning, he grabs her hands and drags her up, stumbling to her feet. He then throws himself at her waist, latching tight like a leech and making her stumble back, fighting for control of her own gravity. Once they¡¯re steady, she rests her hands on his shoulders, prying him free from around her waist. ¡°What was all that about?¡± she laughs confusedly. He looks up at his big sister, a look of pure determination on his face. ¡°¡®A voice that gorgeous shouldn¡¯t be wasted on empty air. I swear to you, fair maiden, I will carry that voice of yours across the four winds!¡¯¡± he exclaims. Elizabeth bursts into laughter, instantly recognizing the quote. ¡°The Husband of the Songstress, right?¡± she says, as Will nods. ¡°Every time I read that book, I¡¯d think of you, ¡®specially that line,¡± he mutters, embarrassed now for saying so. ¡°I don¡¯t wantchou to end up like Tess, hiding and scared¡­ I want you to sing, and I want you to be proud, like I am, and like Ma!¡± he says, his voice slowly growing in confidence. Elizabeth blinks down at her little brother, younger by three years, hardly coming above her hip, yet somehow talking like a grown-up. She doesn¡¯t know whether to be proud or scared. ¡°You really gotta stop reading those kindsa books, kid¡­¡± she says, smiling uncertainly. ¡°You¡¯re talking too big for yourself.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true!¡± he shouts, still not letting up. ¡°Every time yer out here, so am I! And I¡¯m not just here to be polite, I¡¯m here because yer voice is the best thing I¡¯ve ever heard, dadgummit!¡± She¡¯s unsure how to react. She doesn¡¯t really want to believe it, after all, he¡¯s just her little brother. It¡¯s his job to say all these nice things about her, so he¡¯s gotta be faking it¡­ But the certainty in his voice, the determination in his eyes, it just feels so real. But if it¡¯s real, then she can¡¯t lie to herself anymore, and that would take admitting that she¡¯s been lying this whole time. That people don¡¯t care about her. That her voice isn¡¯t as good as everyone says. That people only say these things because it¡¯s what they¡¯re supposed to say. If she truly accepts her brother¡¯s words, then she¡¯ll have to accept these as lies as well. She sinks to her knees, holding his face in her hands. Tears sting at her eyes as she stares into his, before pulling him into a tight hug. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± she whispers, trying and failing to keep her voice from cracking. Will squeezes his big sis as tight as possible, grinning from ear to ear. He¡¯s done something right, he knows it. ¡°¡®Salright,¡± he says, giggling again. ¡°Just keep singing, and we¡¯ll all be happy.¡± On that day, she received two gifts. A little blue shell necklace, and the kindest, most genuine words she¡¯d ever heard. From that day on, she pulled herself from the shadows and sang for all of the town, and Will would listen every chance he could. And so would everyone else. The kid was right, people loved her, and they loved her voice. After that, every time she slipped the necklace over her head, she¡¯d think of those words, even if they weren¡¯t his own. ¡°I swear, I will carry that voice of yours across the four winds!¡± ~~~ Will¡¯s eyes flutter open, the moon looking down at him through the window, its dim light washing over the empty house. It¡¯s still night. Yawning, Will raises himself to a sitting position, his back aching from sleeping on such an uncomfortable surface. The entire house is dark except for the looming presence of the moon. The candle and the lantern are out, but wax drips into the candle¡¯s basin beneath it, so he¡¯d hardly been asleep for long. He stares blankly into nowhere, his head empty of all thought. The claws of despair climb to his heart, digging into his ribs as they threaten to rip his vitality away. He shivers, unsure if it¡¯s from the cold, or something else entirely. After a minute of looking at nothing, his eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar glimmer. Looking down, he immediately jolts to reality, finding on the table in front of him the blue shell necklace. How he missed it, he could never know, but it doesn¡¯t matter to him. With shaking hands, he pulls it off the table and holds it up to the moonlight. The glittering diamonds still remain within its surface, and he almost feels relieved, as if somehow even this shell¡¯s light had been dulled. A wave of memories come over him, especially those of his dream, and that promise rings in his head. He never forgot either. He never forgot that promise. That promise that he broke by being helpless to do anything to keep his family from vanishing into thin air, into nothing. Pathetic. Worthless. More and more evil thoughts wash over him, as despair clutches his beating heart, preparing to rip it from its place and make him a shell of nothing. No. He doesn¡¯t let those thoughts overwhelm, he doesn¡¯t let The Despair grasp his heart, and he does not let those tears fall. Taking some control over his life, he slips the necklace over his head, letting it rest at his breast. He¡¯s immediately greeted by the disheveled, teary-eyed girl he¡¯d only just been dreaming of. He¡¯s immediately stunned into silence, unsure if what he¡¯s seeing is a vision, or something real. He¡¯s almost scared to know which. He doesn¡¯t know what to say, he¡¯s just so confused. The tears he''d only just been holding back sting at his eyes, threatening to release, as his body begins to tremble. In a flash, he''s thrown himself from his seat, throwing his arms around her shoulders, shouting, "Elizabeth!" Tears fly from his eyes as he soars through the air... And falls directly through her. 1.7 A Demon Rudely Vaporized My Big Sister The siblings¡¯ joyous reunion is abruptly interrupted by Will smacking into the coffee table, the candle winking out as it falls off one side and the books fly off the other, him tumbling over the edge to the carpet below. Pages from the brutalized books flutter around him as he blinks up at the ceiling, his mind struggling to justify his continued persistence in this uncaring and unforgiving world as Elizabeth ashamedly giggles at her brother¡¯s unfortunate plight. Struggling to sit up, his hands catching and slipping on the pages now littering the floor, some sliding off of the top of his head, he looks up at Elizabeth in the eyes, wondering just what it is that¡¯s so funny about his ever-raging war against the forces of gravity. She reaches her arm out to pull him up and, not learning his lesson, Will goes to grab it. Their hands never touch, instead his fingers uselessly grasping at chilled air as goosebumps travel up his arm, a chill climbing from the tips of his fingers and rattling his spine. He stares blankly ahead, not quite comprehending the situation and his arm still hovering in the air as Elizabeth awkwardly draws hers back into herself. Shaking to his senses, Will scrambles back to his feet, and the two stare at each other for another few painful minutes, before the eye contact becomes entirely unbearable and he hurriedly searches for literally anything else to stare at. Elizabeth, already fully acquainted with her brother¡¯s awkward behavior, largely ignores his behavior and instead lets out the sigh of a teenaged girl thoroughly exhausted with the multitude of life, before soundlessly plopping down on the couch behind her, staring at the fireplace ahead of her. Will, deciding that there wasn¡¯t that much interesting to find in the empty kitchen, does much the same, taking his seat considerably less noiselessly next to his sister. A few minutes pass as the siblings stare at nothing in particular as if it were the most captivating thing in the world. Despair had given way to a messy, confused feeling within both of them, one that isn¡¯t quite a good or bad feeling. The best description Will could come up for it is grey. But grey was never an interesting color to him, he much preferred blue, if you couldn¡¯t already tell, so he decided to do something to do away with the grey feeling. For quite possibly the first time in his life, he initiated a conversation. ¡°So, uh¡­ wanna talk about it?¡± he says rather plainly. He¡¯s not terribly sure what exactly ¡°it¡± is, however. Maybe ¡°it¡± is simply everything. He supposes he¡¯ll just let Elizabeth figure that part out. Which she does, sighing the same sigh, before opening her mouth and letting ¡°it¡± come tumbling out into a messy pile at her feet. --- I was reading in the living room, as usual, and Mom was in the kitchen, as usual, and we just¡­ went about the afternoon. As usual. But, in just one second, without warning, everything was engulfed by this¡­ red¡­ mist, I think, and I couldn¡¯t see anything. I felt this weird tingling feeling all over my body, like everything just went numb, like the entire world had just fell from beneath me, but it was cold too, so freaking cold, and I¡­ I dropped my book then¡­ I think I could hear Mom drop hers as well¡­ It all just happened so fast, and suddenly I was moving¡­! My legs wouldn¡¯t move, my arms wouldn¡¯t move, but I just felt like I was moving¡­ somehow¡­ and I don¡¯t think I was touching the ground, either. But then I stopped, like I was on a leash. Whatever was making me move¡­ It was like something had lassoed my neck and was pulling on me, but something else had me on a leash or something. It pulled and pulled and pulled, and it kept pulling, and I felt like my whole body was being ripped apart, atom by atom, until it all just stopped. The red mist left. I could see again. The tingling was gone, and I was back in my seat. But¡­ I still couldn¡¯t feel anything. I got up and looked around and saw that Mom was gone. I tried not to freak out. ¡°She must have just¡­ gone outside!¡± ...at least I told myself. I didn¡¯t believe it, but, I believed I believed it, so I guess that was enough. I went to the door and¡­ my¡­ hand went through the knob. Like it wasn¡¯t even there. It just felt cold. I was cold. And alone. I couldn¡¯t feel. Just¡­ cold. I kept trying and trying, my hands phasing in and out of the door, until I¡¯d had enough and just threw myself at it. Of course, I went through. At that point, I was beyond freaking out. So many thoughts and fears just started bubbling up and I was starting to cry and¡­ then I saw them. At the end of the street. So I hid in between a couple houses, holding my breath, not moving, until they left. I knew at once that somehow they were behind this, but it still made no sense how. But all of those thoughts went out the window... when I saw you. I uh, got pretty excited¡­ I guess¡­ heh¡­ But that ended pretty quickly when I realized you couldn¡¯t see me. You just walked past in a daze, not responding to me when I yelled, screamed¡­ cried¡­ hit you¡­ Then you just¡­ passed out, and I was left alone again. I cried. A lot. I felt like the sky had just fallen on top of me, squishing me into a little red spot, but still keeping me alive for some reason. And after a while, I didn¡¯t feel alive. I was pretty much dead. ...And then you woke up. --- ¡°So, uh¡­ that¡¯s pretty much it.¡± Her final words are so ridiculously simple in comparison to the haunting monologue of Despair she had just casually tossed into his lap he might have laughed if his heart hadn¡¯t completely gone cold. He glares intensely at the nothing in front of him, lips pressed to his tightly clasped hands in thought. His knuckles would be turning white if they weren¡¯t already. For the majority of his sixteen years of life, he had read. So had his sister. His life had been quite dull up until recently, with the same day seeming to pass indefinitely for years. So, he would read nearly every chance he got. From the start of each morning, to the long hours of the night, to every time off he had from his chores. He would explore worlds far beyond his own within the shadow of the Guardian Wall, ones with unthinkable creatures and technologies, magic and forces outside his comprehension. He had fathomed the unfathomable, seen the impossible become possible, and yet¡­ after all of those adventures, the last page was always a staunch reminder that the world he had just explored did not exist. Sometimes, that depressed him, and other times he was quite thankful. But on this night, this terrible, perplexing night, so many things had happened that he could not understand. Unfathomable, impossible things. And he didn¡¯t know what to do about that. From the sudden kidnapping of an entire village, to magical leashes dragging his sister around, to spontaneous ghostification, none of it made any sense to him. Despite everything he had read, he wasn¡¯t prepared for this. There was no precedent. No clear directions or solutions. And, worst of all, most terrifying of all, the thing that held his throat and froze his heart, is that this is very, very real. This isn¡¯t a story. This is his world. And that scared the hell out of him. As if to be reassured in this fact, he slapped his palm firmly against his forehead. This apparently does nothing to any effect other than leaving a round, red mark on his forehead in a shape just smaller than his palm. It also hurt a bit. ¡°Will, what do we do now?¡± His eyes open. He didn¡¯t even realize they were closed. Dragging his hand over his face from his forehead, he looks up at his sister, and she doesn¡¯t meet his gaze. Her body is completely still, her eyes stare blankly ahead, and she does everything in her power to give herself an air of introspective serenity. But he¡¯s not stupid. He could hear the crack in her voice, he can see her hand clutching her knee in a death grip, and her eyes. The uncertainty, the fear. Despite all of her vain efforts to hold herself together, he can feel everything she is just by looking at her. And this is partly due to the fact that they were already feeling a lot of the same. ¡°Ah¡¯don¡¯ really know,¡± he breathes, looking back down into his lap, his lips pressing into a thin line. ¡°Way I see it, we got two options: We could stick around here, scrape out a living, pretty sure we¡¯d only need to eat for one¡­ or we could try ¡®n follow th¡¯ bastards who did this.¡± Elizabeth is shocked by his language; sure, he¡¯s cursed from time to time, and ¡°bastard¡± isn¡¯t the worst of them, but she can feel something hidden beneath his use of the word. Will looks back up at her, grinning, amused by her reaction, before standing up and strolling to the window, pressing his forehead to the top of the sill as he stares out at the barren streets beyond their walls. ¡°There¡¯s bound to be plenty of leftover food, farmland, etcetera¡­ We-or rather I-could prolly pretty easily get by. I could maybe put myself to work somehow,¡± he says, his breath fogging up the window pane before him. Elizabeth chuckles to herself at the thought of Will in farm clothes, tending to soil in the hot sun, still stubbornly wearing that cloak of his. ¡°Will, you haven¡¯t done a hard day¡¯s work in your life-¡± ¡°Or we could go into th¡¯ valley,¡± he interrupts, looking back at her and leaning against the wall, arms crossed. ¡°And figgre what the hell is goin¡¯ on.¡± Elizabeth raises her eyebrow at him, giving a mocking smirk as she says, ¡°That¡¯s suicide and you very well know it. We don¡¯t know what those things are capable of. Besides, what¡¯re you gonna do when you finally catch up, huh? Call them a ¡®mothershucker¡¯ and hope that scares them off?¡± He expels a slight amount of air from his nostrils, raising his own eyebrow in retaliation, retorting, ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly in the plan, but if you think it¡¯d work¡­¡± They stare at each other a moment longer, their eyebrows fighting for dominance, sarcastic smirks growing wider, before Will finally sighs and his face returns serious. He glances out the window again. ¡°I just wanna do something, y¡¯know? Like, there¡¯s not a lot to do here other than get weird looks and get chased by old ladies¡­ but now even that¡¯s gone. I just need somewhere to go, something to do, just¡­¡± His face scrunches up in frustration. ¡°Something!¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face softens, stepping forward to reassure her brother. ¡°Will¡­¡± But he¡¯s already starting a whole new tangent. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°I¡¯ve never had a place in this village, I never made friends, hardly anyone even acknowledged my existence. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to live with myself if I just sat around and did nothing. Maybe it is suicide, but¡­¡± He takes a moment to regain control of himself. He¡¯s begun shuddering, and he feels the sting of newborn tears attacking the backs of his eyes. Despair is taking him, but he isn¡¯t letting it. He takes a deep breath, in his nose, holds it, and lets out his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯d have much of a life here anyways.¡± Elizabeth looks at Will, shaking and holding back tears, and it finally hits her just how similar their feelings are at the moment. The hopelessness, the fear, the constant wondering of what the future will hold for them. She cautiously approaches her fearful brother, placing her hand on his shoulder. Miraculously, it doesn¡¯t go through, resting directly on his shoulder. He gives out another shudder, the chills returning, but he¡¯s still comforted by her presence. She looks into his eyes, Will struggling to return her gaze, and he sees her full big-sister powers activate. Her eyes are full of love for him despite their redness, her hand is cold, but it feels protective, and her smile is perfectly genuine. She pulls in close, wrapping her arms around him, holding him close. He tries his hardest to return her embrace, pulling his arms around her, but he just ends up hugging himself. ¡°I wish I had an answer, Will. I wish I knew what to do, where to go. But I¡¯m just as lost as you are. Still, just know that I¡¯ll always be with you. Even if you can¡¯t feel me, hear me, or even see me, I¡¯ll still be there to hold your hand,¡± she says. Will continues to tremble, unsure if it¡¯s from the tears threatening release, or from his sister¡¯s chilling embrace. All he knows is that he¡¯s feeling way too much right now for him to fully identify a single emotion. He pulls away, looking back up at her. ¡°I just wish we had something to tell us what we need to do. Some kind of sign, anything, even if just to remind us that God¡¯s still there.¡± The words had hardly left his quivering lips when an eerie blue glow began to wash over the two of them. Their heads whirl around to the window, the blue light beginning to envelope the entire room. Will stumbles back, his heart pounding, a new fear gripping him. Is this the Demon¡¯s doing? Or something else? Their whole motif seemed to be red, so it feels unlikely, but- His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of the glow¡¯s culprit in the form of a little floating blue ball of light. Wisps of blue light curl off of its shimmering surface, the creature/object being about the size of a child¡¯s kicking ball and hovering about an inch off the ground. It slowly bobs up and down, completely silent. ¡°Th¡¯ hell izzat¡­?¡± Will mumbles, staring in disbelief at the new arrival, as if the night couldn¡¯t get any weirder. (Trust me, it will.) Elizabeth hasn¡¯t moved, less shocked at the new friend and more struck by the ironic consequences of Will¡¯s previous statement, hoping for a ¡°sign.¡± ¡°Matthew 7:7,¡± she breathes, looking in awe at the requested sign before her. She whips her head back at Will, excitement lighting her face up. ¡°Will, I think this is it! A sign!¡± He returns her gaze with less enthusiasm. ¡°This¡­?¡± he asks. ¡°This is our sign from God¡­? A glowing ball?¡± Her smile droops slightly at his less-enthusiastic attitude. The way she sees it, this is their sign, their hope. ¡°Well, I mean, it might not look like much, but¡­¡± She kneels on the floorboards, approaching the object and reaching her hand out. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be something though, right?¡± Will attempts to pull her back, his hand grabbing nothing as he cautions, ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯ touch it-¡± The moment her hand makes contact with the ball, the world is overtaken by a blinding golden light. When his vision returns, Will is staring at the ceiling, his back on the solid floorboards below him. For the second time this night, he has been tossed onto his back without a clue as to how. He doesn¡¯t even feel any aches or anything indicating he fell. A distant voice calls to him, ¡°Hey, Will, you coming?¡± Pushing himself back off of the floor once more, somehow with even more difficulty this time, he sits on his butt and looks around dazedly for the source of the voice. Then it reveals itself through the window, Elizabeth poking her head clear through the class without difficulty. She looks around a moment, before noticing him on the floor and frowning down at him. ¡°How did you end up down there¡­?¡± she asks. ¡°As if ah¡¯ve gotta clue,¡± Will groans as he strains to his feet. He then meets her gaze, her head still poking through the window as if it were a completely normal occurrence. ¡°How did you end up out there?¡± She shrugs, ¡°Same answer as you, I guess. Bright light, ended up out here.¡± She gives him a mocking smirk. ¡°Least I didn¡¯t end up on my back,¡± she giggles. Will rolls his eyes as her face returns somewhat serious. ¡°Anyways, the blue-ball-thing ended up out here too, and he¡¯s quite energetic. I think he wants us to follow him.¡± Will raises his eyebrows. ¡°Follow it? What makes you so sure? Also, he¡­?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face turns strange, looking deep in thought. ¡° dunno,¡± she mumbles, before returning to her bright self. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m pretty sure he/it does want us to follow it, so I say get out here!¡± She then promptly yanks her head back through the glass and strolls to her new friend. Will shrugs, pulling the door open, stepping outside, but something stops him. He looks over his shoulder at his childhood home, the place he¡¯s lived for his entire life. It isn¡¯t quite in the best shape. Books and pages on the floor, the lanterns slowly losing their flame. He only hopes that he¡¯ll get to return soon. He isn¡¯t ready to leave forever just yet. And with that, he walks out into the cool, nightly air, pulling the door shut behind him. More goosebumps crawl within his skin, but this time they¡¯re less assaulting. The night has always been a comfort to him; dark, quiet, chilled. No man, woman, or child walk the streets this late. But now it¡¯s too quiet. He¡¯s quickly reminded of all of the people, the families, the children, all whisked away in an instant. He may have never felt a connection with this town or its people, but this isn¡¯t something he¡¯ll take lightly. The woman who cared for him all of his life, his mother, and even the kids who would bully him as a young child, he would save them all. He doesn¡¯t know where these thoughts came from; he never saw himself as much of a hero. But still, a thrill goes through him at the prospect nonetheless. He thinks of all of the heroes he had come to love over time: A boy who stole the thunder, another with lightning scarring his face. A slumbering champion with a fairy on a quest to save a princess. A lonesome kid blessed and cursed with great responsibilities. Perhaps, one day, he could be like those heroes. ¡°Hey, Will? Oracle to Will?¡± His sister¡¯s voice shakes him out of his inner monologue. Without even realizing, he was standing in the center of the street alongside Elizabeth, staring ahead into empty space. He finally becomes aware of the hand passing over his vision, that hand belonging to his slightly irritated older sister. ¡°Dude, you zoned out again,¡± she chides, though her face shows no real sign of annoyance. ¡°Sorry,¡± he mumbles sheepishly. He somehow only just notices the ball, which, like Elizabeth said, has gotten quite energetic, though that may be an understatement. It bounces up and down. Hitting the ground, flying into the air, drawing invisible Ms in the space in front of him. He watches its erratic dance, before looking back to Elizabeth and asking, ¡°So.. if it wants us to follow it¡­ how do we get it to move?¡± Elizabeth thinks on this for a moment, before shrugging, ¡°Guess we just do what we did last time,¡± and reaches her hand out to touch it again. ¡°NO!¡± Will jumps in front of her hand as it slips past his ribcage and tickles his heart. He doubles over, clutching his heart and shivering as he recovers from one the most surreal experiences of his life, which all seem to be piling up quickly around him. He recovers rather quickly once the goosebumps leave, so he pulls himself up, looks his sister in the eye, and points behind him, and states, ¡°No touch.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Elizabeth responds. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t think I need to.¡± She points behind him and he follows her finger to see the ball at the far end of the road¡­ at the base of the valley. Several thoughts and feelings pass over him, all of them bad. ¡°That¡¯s the forbidden valley,¡± Will states. ¡°Yep,¡± Elizabeth responds. ¡°That¡¯s also where the Demon went.¡± ¡°Yes he did.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not even supposed to go there under normal circumstances, but this¡­¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Their gazes meet, and they both know they¡¯ve already made their decision. They have nowhere to turn, nowhere to go but forward. Elizabeth gestures forward, and Will takes the lead, his sister following close behind. He pauses for a moment as they pass over Nalan¡¯s street and into the grass, and he looks to his left. Her house, the house of Ms. Lingham, a crazy old bat who chased with a sandal and suffered something far beyond his comprehension, still stands there, ever shadowed by the mountains ahead. Her howl still rings fresh in the back of his mind, and he has come to know its meaning; The Howl of Despair. A feeling he prays he will never feel himself. He almost curses himself for even saying it, as if even thinking of a poor future will set it in stone. He turns away, gazing back at the darkness, the glow from the ball hardly even permeating the ink. A cold hand rests on his shoulder, but he doesn¡¯t flinch or shudder this time. The cold feels safe. They step forward in the valley, in the shadow of death, and with his sister by his side, he fears no evil. 1.8 A Friendly Smile From Your Neighborhood Shadow Demon It was like being swallowed by a monstrous Beast beyond their comprehension. The moment they stepped foot into the valley, the moon was swallowed by darkness, and there was nothing to see beyond the limited range of their ball friend. The wind rustled and howled like nothing they had heard before, stirring up leaves and disturbing the shrubs around, all of it pulsing to the same beat as if it were breathing. As for the trees, they don¡¯t represent any trees they knew, as they seem completely bare of bark or limbs, shooting upwards into the dark above so their tops, if they have any, are completely unseen. Beyond the howling wind, the valley is completely silent. No animals, no people, not even their elusive Demon friend. Every step they took echoed off the high-rising mountain walls like repeated gunfire, every snapped stick resembling a bomb going off. These feelings came from a couple places: a fear of what may hear them, a fear of what they themselves can¡¯t hear, and even a feeling as if making sound was disturbing something sacred. There was something about their surreal location and situation that made this place almost feel hallowed in some way. Still, neither say anything, even the unseeable and unhearable Elizabeth. Will¡¯s heart has recently made a habit of assaulting his chest in a most brutal manner. He had occasionally read a scary story here and there that might have freaked him out a little (okay maybe the one about the faceless man stealing children kept him up a few nights) but he had never known a fear like this. The kind of fear that breathes down his neck, tickles at his spine, clenches his heart with many-clawed fingers. It was this fear he felt launching himself from a collapsing ship, discovering everyone he knew to be gone, and to be just underneath the shadow of creatures breathing death. And now he feels the oppression of absolute and inescapable darkness, with only his incorporeal sister and a questionably sentient glowing soccer ball as company. As for Elizabeth, the most surreal thing to her is the fact that she no longer has a heart to pound. They walk in the vacuum of space for what feels like hours, though it truly only lasts around 20 minutes. The wind picks up Will¡¯s cloak, dragging it behind him as he shudders from the caress of the night air. It¡¯s always in these realms of dark that he feels watched; unseen eyes poring over him from the ink beyond each tree. His head swivels this way and that, analyzing every bush, every tree, every out of place sound, constantly under the expectation that there is something hiding, watching, preying. ¡°You alright?¡± It was only a whisper, yet it practically sent him launching out of his skin. He glares up at Elizabeth, who¡¯s busy stifling a snort, accusingly. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Will scowls and returns to his sweeping of the area as they trod onwards. ¡°Ah¡¯m just¡­ nervous. Never been a fan a th¡¯ dark,¡± he whispers. ¡°Never know what could be ou¡¯ there.¡± His hands begin jittering, sending involuntary shudders up his arms and through his shoulders, so he clasps them together to keep them under control. He draws his cloak tighter around his body, as if the heaviness of the leather could guard him from the imaginary devils haunting his mind. Something moves. He caught it just out of the corner of his eye, a quick rustle of a bush without a wind to disturb it. Immediately, his mind sets to work creating an infinite number of horrors that could be hiding within; distorted, broken faces with grins too big to be real poke out from every shadow, sending his heart into a frenzy as he feels his legs lock up. He can¡¯t move. ¡°Will, what¡¯s up with you?¡± Elizabeth asks, startling him again. He twists over to his sister, worry covering her face. He doesn¡¯t know how to answer, somewhat embarrassed over his reactions to the smallest details, and he opens his mouth, planning to answer, before he notices the figure standing behind her that had been watching them this entire time. There¡¯s a quiet plong as the ball hits the ground, sending the forest into blackness. Will immediately dives for the ball, desperately picking it up and swinging it around, casting its weak glow against the trees. There¡¯s no sign of any figure. ¡°Will, look at me!¡± Elizabeth cries. He turns around to face her, the dampened light of the ball forming strange shadows across her face, distorting it to the point of looking misshapen and wrong¡­ or maybe that was just his nerves. He takes a moment to breathe, getting himself under control. His shoulders tremble, his jagged shudders jerking the ball in his hands around, sending wild, twisting shadows across the forest. ¡°Elizabeth, I think there¡¯s someone here. I-I saw someone watchin¡¯ us,¡± he ¡°whispers,¡± but with how loud he speaks he might as well have screamed into the treetops. Elizabeth furrows her brow, looking down at him with concern, conflicted over the possibilities of him being right or wrong. If he¡¯s right, then there¡¯s major cause for worry, but if not, well, she¡¯s more worried for his mental stability. It¡¯s already been a rough night, but he¡¯s also been prone to seeing ¡°things¡± in the night that really aren¡¯t there. She steps forward to console him, reaching her arms towards him, saying ¡°Will,¡± under her breath. But she doesn¡¯t see the face behind her head. He does. Will stumbles back, his heart freezing. ¡°Elizabeth, behind you! Move!¡± he shouts, his hand shooting out and pointing at the creature behind her. Elizabeth whirls around, her eyes rolling across the grass and seeing nothing. She looks over her shoulder at her trembling brother, her concern only growing. ¡°Will, there¡¯s nothing there.¡± What the hell. Nononono, there was something there, he saw it. He saw stringy, matted grey hair, sagging flesh, sunken eyes and yellowed teeth in a twisted grin. He saw it. Why didn¡¯t she? How could Elizabeth just stand there while that¡­ thing was breathing down her neck?! ¡°Will, you¡¯re starting to worry me¡­¡± Elizabeth says, attempting to soothe him. ¡°Maybe we should go back¡­ After all, the ball¡¯s stopped moving.¡± She approaches him, thinking of some way she can help without being able to touch him. His mind continues racing as he tries to figure out what¡¯s going on¡­ when he feels something brush against his cloak. A thin, greyed hand lays four long, spindly fingers on his shoulder. A disgusting stench fills his nose, one he¡¯s almost certain he¡¯s smelt before.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. A shuddering rasp fills his ear. Devil~boyyyyyy~ He makes tracks. He rips his shoulder away from the claws of the creature and bolts off into the forest, leaving his sister well behind. As she stands there, dumbfounded, still not knowing what the hell is going on with him, she feels her throat tighten. An invisible force suddenly yanks her off her feet by the throat and drags her into the forest, her body limply trailing through the air behind her brother. Meanwhile, Will soars through the trees, jumping over roots, tripping through bushes, the forest slowly thickening with each step. But as he heads deeper and deeper into the woods, that stench from before only grows in intensity. It fills the air, sending thick gulps of rancid breath down his already straining lungs. It¡¯s like trying to inhale soup. Yet still, he runs. He can only think of running. Just get away. A part of him is ashamed by his cowardice, but the rest of him, now completely under the control of screaming animal instinct, just screams run. Ignore your aching lungs, ignore your straining legs, just put as much distance between you and whatever the hell as fast as possible. The plan goes smoothly right until the ground drops out from beneath his feet. He hits the ground with a thunderous crash, rolling over roots and shrubs and leaves as he eventually comes to a halt. He groans, sitting up against the trunk of a tree he landed in front of. ¡°Dad-frickn-gummit¡­¡± he mumbles as he clambers to his feet. A couple feet away, some tree roots had pushed up against the ground he had previously been running across, before suddenly dropping off for him to fall down. Lovely. He bends down, snatching the ball up off of the ground and using it to illuminate his surroundings. Once he does, he catches a glimpse of Elizabeth tumbling through the air, passing through the tree behind him and disappearing from view. He dashes around the tree, catching sight of his sister¡¯s crumpled body on the forest floor, and rushes to her side. She groans much like he did, pushing off of the ground and glaring through her messy hair at Will. ¡°You alright¡­?¡± he asks dumbly. Her glare persists. ¡°Well, at the very least I don¡¯t have any bones left to break. However, I also for a moment apparently lost all oxygen to breathe,¡± she snaps, before climbing to her feet. Will follows her up, and she looks down at him, returning to her ¡°concerned big sis¡± mode. ¡°Will, you need to tell me what¡¯s going on. You can¡¯t just run off like a madman, dragging me along, without any explanation!¡± ¡°Th-there was somethin¡¯¡­ A woman, she smiled, she¡­ she called me¡­¡± he stammers, word soup pouring from his mouth as he tries to understand what¡¯s happening himself. Devil~boyyyyyyy~ He freezes once more, slowly turning around to face the distorted mockery of Creation before him. She bears the face of Ms. Lingham, but her smile¡­ God, her smile¡­ It¡¯s too big for her face. Her lower jaw seems to lower more and more just to make room for it, and he swears he can even see the skin tearing on the sides. That disgusting odor emanates from her mouth in a whirling burst of fetid breath. He stumbles back, his head going light and dizzy from the force of its scent. He passes through Elizabeth, who¡¯s still staring at him, completely bewildered, officially coming to the conclusion that her brother is either incredibly dramatic or totally off his rocker. Ms. Lingham¡¯s mouth doesn¡¯t move when she speaks. Oh, little Devilboy¡­Do you know it feels¡­ to have bugs¡­ crawling¡­ under your skin? To have them¡­ climb up your ribcage? Dance on your heart? Swim in the juices of your brain? Without even moving a single muscle, she crosses the space between her and Will, through Elizabeth, and into Will¡¯s face, her smell overtaking his entire world. Do you know how it feels to lose everything you ever loved, and then not even remember what it was you lost? He doesn¡¯t know what to say to that. She cackles, her arms extending to the air above and spinning in a circle, her very tippy toes barely touching the ground. She spins and spins and spins, before stopping, thrusting her arms to her sides. Her eyes are wild, her jaw drops further, and- A long, thick, sharp claw burst from her chest, stopping her mad laughter short. Then another. And another. Then five more. With each claw launching from her insides, a thick, black goop splatters across the ground. The smell magnifies. Will¡¯s head throbs. The madwoman¡¯s face doesn¡¯t budge, her expression of pure insanity remaining as she slowly falls onto her back, the eight claws falling limply to her sides. A glob of the disgusting liquid splattered across his face, and he lifts a hand up to wipe it off. He suddenly remembers where he¡¯s smelled this before: that ship. There was a black stain on the wall, impossibly dark, and it smelled just like this, just much less powerful. He faintly wonders what the connection is, but he¡¯s too busy trying to comprehend a single bit of what¡¯s been going on. ¡°Will, what is that-¡± Elizabeth¡¯s words are immediately cut off by an incredible shriek. It fills their heads, both of theirs, reverberating in their skulls and sending spikes through their brains. It¡¯s a sound most similar to TV static, but it¡¯s not like they know what that is. The sound continues for a few more seconds, though it feels like an eternity. Until it stops, the shriek replaced by a giggle. Will, his head in between his knees, his forehead to the ground, and his hands planted firmly over his ears, slowly looks up from the dirt and to the shuddering body of Ms. Lingham. The giggling is coming from her. Her crumpled form jolts and pulses, the claws that pierced her torso now twitching. ¡°Will¡­¡± Elizabeth whimpers shrilly. ¡°What in the name of God is that?¡± Will looks up to her incredulously. ¡°Now you see it?!¡± He doesn¡¯t have time to continue, as the creature before them has begun to really move. Each of the eight claws lift from the ground before stabbing down, piercing the earth and pushing up, the old lady¡¯s body being limply held up. The new abomination turns itself around. Ms. Lingham¡¯s body hangs from her chest by eight long, segmented legs, each with a piercing claw at the end. Her smile only seems to grow wider, and though her head swings upside down, her jaw defies gravity by being held only by a string of flesh keeping itself connected to the rest of her face, yet still somehow hanging wide open in her distorted grin. The siblings take this horrific sight in, all of the gruesome details, all of its disgusting features, and all Will has to say is, ¡°I hate spiders.¡± 1.9 Everybody Fears Something ¡°Run,¡± Elizabeth hisses. Will scrambles to his feet, twisting his body away from the behemoth before him and snatching up the ball. ¡°Oh, now ya wanna run?!¡± he shouts as he picks his legs up and launches into the forest, his sister following close behind this time. There¡¯s a harsh shriek, and the beast charges. ¡°Is this really the time to be acting snarky?!¡± Elizabeth calls ahead as she barrels effortlessly through the trees. ¡°I¡¯m coping!¡± he shouts back, prancing back and forth through the densely packed forest. The two continue their mad dash through the woods as the creature behind them launches from tree to tree, shrieking and snarling horrifically, black goo splattering across the leaves below. The chase continues, deeper and deeper into the depths of the darkness, their only thoughts being of running. Will, always the faster sibling, slowly inches ahead of his sister, who feels the leash from before tightening around her throat. She reaches up to her neck and feels cold metal wrapped tight around her like a collar, but she can¡¯t see anything there. Still, the leash tightens, limiting her oxygen as the world around her grows darker. Devilboy~! Come out come out come out! Come give your neighbor a hug! nopenopenope Will runs and runs and runs, the sound and smell of the beast behind him wearing the twisted visage of a senile old lady growing closer and closer. Still, he runs, but for how much longer? How deep does this forest go? How long can he keep this up?! Without noticing, he runs straight into something soft, but sticky. It wraps around his body, clinging to his arms, his body, his face, and he struggles and tugs on it in a crazed attempt to get it off. Devilboy! Stop running, and just accept your fate! Her voice is angry, and his mind only grows more panicked. He rips at the substance around him, tugging it off of his body as he hears her grow closer by the second. Then he feels it. Tiny little legs. They crawl on his arm. In his hair. On his face. He lets out a petrified scream, as he dances from foot to foot, coming to the realization that he¡¯s caught in a spiderweb, and dozens of tiny spiders are now marching along his body, under his clothes, all over him. He jumps and hops and swats and bats away as many of the little critters he can, but they only seem to grow in number. He doesn¡¯t notice when his foot doesn¡¯t hit the ground until he¡¯s already tumbling over the side. He lands with a hard whump on his back on the cold stone below and the air escapes his lungs in a loud whoosh. He coughs and gasps for oxygen, his entire body aching, from his exhausted lungs to his throbbing legs. Everything hurts. He attempts to roll over on his stomach when his arm swings out into open air, catching on the side of the stone slab he¡¯s on to prevent himself from tumbling over the side. He lets out a shaken gasp as he scrambles away from the side, realizing that he¡¯s on some ancient bridge inside a deep gorge. There¡¯s only darkness below. Looking up, he sees the ledge far above, and he briefly wonders how he even survived the fall. His thoughts are quickly interrupted when the air above him suddenly goes dark. There¡¯s a loud crashing sound ahead of him and he looks to see her standing there. Ms. Lingham, or whatever creature has taken her form and twisted it in such a horrifying manner, grins down at him from the other side of the bridge. Will, sitting up, quickly pushes himself as far away from her as he can, his back hitting the wall much quicker than he¡¯d hoped. Just the two of us now¡­ Nowhere to run¡­ Nowhere to hide¡­ ¡°Please, jus¡¯ go away¡­ Leave me alone, please, jus¡¯¡­¡± A thick glob of black fires from her mouth, slamming into his body and sticking him to the wall with force. ¡°AGH, frick¡­ crap¡­ please¡­¡± He doesn¡¯t know how much more he can take. Tears sting at the corners of his eyes, the edges of his vision blurring as he begins to sob. ¡°Please¡­¡± It¡¯s over. His adventure had yet to even start, and he¡¯s going to die here. Just pathetic. She crawls closer, and closer¡­ And closer¡­ The sound of an angelic melody interrupts its attack. ¡°You¡­ you gonna break my heart¡­¡± The creature stops its advance. ¡°You gonna tear it apart¡­¡± It looks to the ledge above, its disgusting grin finally dropping. ¡°No matter what you do¡­ I¡¯ll still be there for you¡­¡± From above, Elizabeth drops, landing in between Will and the creature, but her gaze isn¡¯t on Ms. Lingham. She looks directly into Will¡¯s eyes, and he could swear there was gold in that look. ¡°And if you call my name¡­ I won¡¯t be far away¡­¡± She steps forward. ¡°No matter where you go¡­¡± She rests her hand on the ball in Will¡¯s arms. ¡°You¡¯ll never be alone.¡± Gold light emanates from the ball, but not with nearly as much force as before. It slowly hums and vibrates, tugging at his arms as if begging for release. Will looks into his sister¡¯s smiling face and warns, ¡°Ya migh¡¯ wanna duck.¡± She ducks her head down to the stone ground as the ball launches itself from his arms, blasting through the air and slamming itself into Ms. Lingham¡¯s face, digging a black track through her features as it bursts out the other side. It stumbles back, letting out one final, ear-piercing shriek, before collapsing on its back/front, its legs curling around its body. Any color that it used to have leaves it for that same, light-absorbing darkness, as the creature decomposes into the ink it¡¯s truly made of. It slowly collapses into itself in a puddle of black goop, before slipping off the side of the bridge and into the gorge below, finally hitting the ground with a wet splat. The siblings¡¯ vision blurs, their heads swim, and the world around them twists and folds into itself, until they at last open their eyes to find themselves still in the middle of the forest, not a trace of the gorge or the creature in sight, Elizabeth standing over Will sitting in the dirt.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Elizabeth flops down next to her brother, taking a moment to breathe alongside him. Looking over to him, his head in his hands, his body giving out sharp jolts, she realizes he¡¯s crying. Her ¡°big sis mode¡± reengaging, she rests her palm on his back. He shivers, looking up from his hands and to her, but he doesn¡¯t push her off. The two sit there for a moment, letting him cry. --- ¡°Are you finally ready to talk about it?¡± Elizabeth asks gently. Will stares at the ground in front of him, his tears having long since halted their flow. The ball, now returning to its original energy, hovers next to him. ¡°Talk about what¡­?¡± he mutters. ¡°What really happened at Ms. Lingham¡¯s, Will? You said she chased you around, which sounds kinda freaky, but this?¡± she asks insistently. ¡°Besides, every time we pass by her house, you get this freaked-out look on your face¡­ I¡¯m worried about you.¡± He doesn¡¯t move a muscle. He doesn¡¯t look from his empty stare. But he answers, ¡°I delivered th¡¯ pie, but she caught a look at who I was. Like ah said, she went nuts, throwin¡¯ sandals an¡¯ other stuff at me, chasin¡¯ me down. But then¡­ she screamed. Like, really screamed. Screamed a kinda scream that only th¡¯ craziest an¡¯ most broken kinda people could scream. She hardly sounded mortal. An¡¯ when ah heard, I felt some of what she felt. And it was terrifying. ¡°She lost somethin¡¯. Ah know it. An¡¯ that loss still eats at her to this day. An¡¯ that scared the bejeezus outta me.¡± A few more tears drip from his eyes before he looks back up at her. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± The silence continues for a few more seconds before Will asks a question of his own, ¡°What made ya start singin¡¯?¡± She lets out a slight chuckle. ¡°Well, you remember that book, ¡®True Tales From Across Oracle¡¯?¡± He nods. ¡°Well, it just so happens that, before I got zapped into¡­ this¡­¡± She gestures at herself. ¡°I was reading the chapter on ¡®The Forest of Fears.¡¯¡± Will¡¯s eyes widen in recognition. ¡°Wait, you mean¡­ this is th¡¯ Forest of Fears? From that freakn fairytale?¡± She smiles and nods. ¡°Yep, looks like it. At the very least, the situation reminded me of that story, and how the only way Collin made it out was through a song his wife used to sing. So, the first thing that came to mind was that old lullaby mom used to sing for us when we were scared.¡± He nods in understanding. He remembered that story well; The intrepid adventurer Collin Angelo was chased down by a giant bear, the same one that killed his wife. It was through that song his wife sang that the creature vanished. The forest was supposedly meant to manifest your greatest and darkest fears as a way of killing you, meaning he was right near death. He shivers at the thought, before coming to a second realization: ¡°So that means my worst fears are spiders and an old lady¡­ great.¡± Elizabeth giggles at his remark, and the air feels somewhat lighter. He always loved making people laugh, and Elizabeth¡¯s smile is a treasure. He needed that talk, much more than he¡¯d thought he did. He slaps his hands on his knees and shoves himself to his feet, a universal sign that it¡¯s time to get moving. Elizabeth follows him up, then taps her finger on the top of the ball, which briefly shimmers gold and sets itself back on its original path, with Will and Elizabeth following close behind. The darkness no longer feels as oppressive, and the two walk onwards without a care in the world. At least for about a dozen yards until the distant sound of sobbing breaks the silence, stopping the both of them in their tracks. Will looks in the direction of the sound, to their right. ¡°Please tell me you hear that,¡± Will begs. ¡°I do, don¡¯t worry,¡± Elizabeth replies. He¡¯s unsure whether that¡¯s a comfort or not. He starts off into the direction of the sound, but Elizabeth touches him to stop him. ¡°Will, stop,¡± she insists. ¡°Remember? The Demon guy¡¯s in this forest, what if it¡¯s a trap?¡± He looks at her, then back in the direction of the distressed sounds. He clenches his jaw and purses his lips, considering the risk. ¡°If it is, I can run. If it isn¡¯t, well¡­¡± he starts back in that direction. ¡°God willing, I¡¯ll do something about it.¡± Elizabeth shakes her head, looking to the ball for support. When it doesn¡¯t bring her any, she follows him close behind, with the ball following her. He takes extra care to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. If it is a trap, he secretly hopes he¡¯ll be able to figure it out before it¡¯s too late. He carefully steps through the foliage, following the sounds of crying. There¡¯s a strange, hollow sound to it, and the voice is deep. Finally, he comes across a clearing, and, at the center, a lone figure lies on the ground, hands over their head, forehead to the ground, and sobbing uncontrollably. Two swords rest at their sides. They¡¯re cloaked in black armor. It¡¯s them. Will stops dead in his tracks, Elizabeth walking straight through him before she realizes the situation. ¡°What¡¯s going on-¡± she stops herself when she sees the shuddering form of the Demon on the ground. ¡°Please, please, please¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ Please, just leave me the hell alone!¡± they scream, their hollow voice bouncing off of the trees and into the night. ¡°I was just doing what he said, it could have been so much worse, I-¡± They stop their ramblings, turning their head to face the siblings, revealing those piercing red eyes that stab directly through Will¡¯s heart. ¡°Wh-what¡­¡± they mumble, before they stumble to their feet, swinging their head wildly. ¡°Where¡¯d they go¡­¡± they say, until their eyes land back on the two of them. ¡°You,¡± they rasp. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± they demand, their voice suddenly booming. ¡°Back to runnin¡¯,¡± Will whispers, Elizabeth nodding in agreement. She ushers the ball ahead with her hand, pushing it onwards, and it responds, quickly zooming off into the trees. Will and Elizabeth quickly follow, with the Demon hot on their heels. ¡°You get back here!¡± they cry. Over the roots, through the bushes, you know the drill. After all of the problems they¡¯ve faced so far, they only seem capable of running. How sad. But that doesn¡¯t stop them of course, after all, what other option do they have? So they run. The ball leads the way into the seemingly infinite darkness, and Will wonders if there really is an end to this God-forsaken forest. It just goes on and on and on¡­ At least, that¡¯s until a pinpoint of light appears in the path ahead. It¡¯s small, and it¡¯s far, but they¡¯ve got plenty motivation to get there quick. ¡°Elizabeth!¡± Will calls back. ¡°I see the end! We¡¯re nearly there!¡± She looks up, squinting ahead until she sees it, then her face lights up. ¡°Still, doesn¡¯t mean we took care of them,¡± she remarks, jabbing her thumb behind her. He follows her gesture and sees she¡¯s pointing at the Demon, which he wasn¡¯t entirely sure was even following them since he couldn¡¯t hear their footsteps. ¡°Don¡¯t let that slow you down! Keep going!¡± Elizabeth encourages. And with that, the chase continues. ¡°Where the hell did you even come from?!¡± they shout. He can¡¯t help himself from looking back every now and then, catching a glimpse of two pinpricks of red light standing out against the overwhelming darkness. They seem to have no issue traversing the land, while Will struggles through every minor obstacle. They¡¯re catching up quickly. Too quickly. The light seems out of their reach, and the Demon seems only a hairsbreadth away. They¡¯re running out of time. But time is on their side. Closer, and closer, and closer¡­ The light grows, consuming the group of four, and the world is engulfed in brightness. There¡¯s a loud whump, and once their vision clears, they¡¯re standing in a field of lush grass. The night seems to have completely vanished, replaced instead with a day brighter than even the hottest summer. The siblings stare in awe of the sky, before they hear a frustrated grunt from behind, and twist around to see the Demon standing just a few feet away. They swing their fist onto open air, and in the space where their fist stops, ripples of light-blue light emanate from the place of contact. Again, they slam their fists against the invisible wall, again to no avail. Will and Elizabeth approach with caution, flinching with each hit. Will stands face to face with the person on the other side. ¡°Well, I have to say. That was quite a chase. Who exactly are you?¡± He balls his hands into fists. ¡°My name is Will Newbie, and you took my town away, my family.¡± They tilt their head, almost as if in concern. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terribly sorry to hear that. I hope you understand, though, I¡¯m doing this for the sake of my people.¡± His eyes widen in shock at their nerve. ¡°Your people?! What about my people?! What about my mother? What about all of the hard workers? What about the kids?!¡± They almost seem to wince at the word ¡°kids,¡± though they remain firm. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m going to give you a friendly warning: stay out of this. This is leagues beyond the importance of some backwater town in this crap-hole kingdom. So remember this: he has your face. So if I end up seeing you again, I might not be able to hold him back.¡± And with that last ominous remark, they turn to leave, their black form merging with the shadows. Will stands a moment longer, watching them go, before he turns back to Elizabeth with a stupid grin on his face. ¡°He wa¡¯n¡¯ as scary once I realized I¡¯m taller¡®n ¡®im,¡± he chuckles. Elizabeth rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. ¡°Are you gonna have a genius and witty remark to cap off every near-death experience we have?¡± The two laugh together, before finally turning to face the new world they find themselves in, Will trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back. 1.10 ARotundRodent It was like stepping into a different reality. The grass is greener than they¡¯d ever seen, the sky is bluer, the rivers sparkle like diamonds. They find themselves in a vast glen, towering mountains surrounding them. Four waterfalls cascade down the mountainsides, flowing into rivers before falling again into a deep valley in the center. A wind with seemingly no source flows along the blades of short grass, their movements feeling purposeful, yet wild, as if the glen itself were alive. If the forest from before were the mouth, this is the heart. The whole thing feels so unreal, like a dream. But what captures their attention the most is at the very center, floating above the crevasse, is a massive temple hovering in the air. The only thing grounding it is a long stone bridge facing the entrance of the glen, though it¡¯s unlikely that that¡¯s what¡¯s holding it up. The temple itself is made from white brick, with bright blue swirls painted along its sides. The roof is made from red ceramic tiles, sloping upwards into a curved pyramid shape. The two of them stand there for a few moments, taking in the surreal scenery. It¡¯s like nothing they¡¯ve seen or even read. It¡¯s something so far beyond their own imaginations that even I could never do the complete unreality of the situation any justice. It¡¯s truly like a dream. ¡°Woah,¡± Will astutely observes. ¡°Woah,¡± Elizabeth reverently agrees. The return of the blue ball at last breaks them from their trance as it dances across their line of sight, dashing through the grass ahead of them. Will chuckles, deciding he quite likes their new companion. He waves his hand to Elizabeth, stepping forward. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s not jus¡¯ sit aroun¡¯ gawkin¡¯. We got stuff ta do,¡± he says, following the ball in the direction of the bridge. With that, the three of them make their way to the center of the valley. The bridge is made of pure white stone, the light reflecting off of it almost blinding. Dozens of candles line the railing, and on their approach, they erupt into flame, lighting the path to the door of the temple. The siblings glance at each other, before stepping forward. But before a single foot can land on the bricks below, a booming voice filling the world, ringing loud in their heads. ¡°AT LAST, YOU¡¯VE ARRIVED!¡± the voice thunders, sending both teenagers tumbling to the ground with their hands clamped down over their ears. The voice seems to take notice of this. ¡°OH DEAR, APOLOGIES, GIMME A Sec¡­ There, is that better?¡± the disembodied voice asks. Will looks up to the sky, looking for a source of the voice, before realizing this one¡¯s in his head as well, like Ms. Lingham¡¯s from before. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­?¡± he responds, uncertain. ¡°Oh, good! Again, my sincerest apologies, it¡¯s been far too long since a mortal has entered my valley¡­ Come in, come in! There¡¯s much for us to talk about!¡± For a second time, the siblings exchange a glance, this one much more confused, if not concerned. Returning to their feet, they make their way across the ancient bridge. They come upon a pair of large, wooden doors at the very end, more blue swirls wildly dancing across their fronts. Will reaches to push it open, but it begins to move on its own. ¡°Here, let me get that for you¡­ Welcome to my temple! Forgive me, it¡¯s a bit¡­ dusty¡­ hardly any come to visit nowadays, so you can¡¯t exactly blame me, haha!¡± Will and Elizabeth walk into a short hallway, with thick columns rising to the ceiling on either side. Wooden crosses hang on each side, with benches meant for prayer sitting beneath. At the far side is another door, this one much smaller and simpler. But most impressive is the massive mural on the far side. On either side, dark figures approach the center, all of varying size and shape. Some are long and tall, others are short and fat, and some are absolutely massive. But, in each of the four corners, a single person stands on guard against the incoming assault. And in the center, a figure stands larger than all of the others, an angel. Her brown hair flows elegantly over her shoulders, and great wings soar out to either side of her. Her hands are clasped together,her eyes closed, and her mouth open, assumedly in prayer. It could be considered the first time either of them had seen art. ¡°Ah, yes, I see you¡¯re admiring one of the great prophecies from so long ago! Oh, I still remember those days¡­ Back when mortals still cared for art and prophecy. Shame this one went the way it did¡­ No matter! We mustn''t get lost in the artistry, time waits for no rat, and there¡¯s too much to talk about to dilly-dally! Now, head into that far door, then we can meet face-to-face!¡± the voice says. Will sighs, realizing that the night had gone from weird to terrifying and now back to weird. He walks onwards nonetheless, ignoring his aching everything to follow the commands of some random voice in his head. Opening the door, they find the next room to be completely empty, save for a pedestal and bench on the far wall. Approaching the pedestal, Will realizes that it¡¯s holding what looks to be a sword, though not a sword like anything he¡¯s seen. It¡¯s blade is a light blue, and only has one long, waving edge, curving like the waves of the ocean. It curves down into a point on the end, but twists into a spiral on the other side where it would normally meet the black hilt. But what really intrigues him is the metal the blade is made of, if it can even be called ¡°metal.¡± It shines like a metal, but it¡¯s also mildly translucent, and in some ways sparkles instead of shines. It doesn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Now, now, Mister Newbie, what did I say about getting caught up in artistry? While I¡¯m thankful you¡¯re interested in my work, there are more important things that concern us at the moment,¡± the voice chides. Will backs away from the sword, looking up at the ceiling in frustration. ¡°Well, whaddya wan¡¯ me ta do? You said we¡¯d be meetin¡¯, but ah don¡¯ see you anywhere!¡± he shouts exasperatedly, before flopping down on the bench below him. It¡¯s too late, and he¡¯s too tired for this crap. He just wants something, anything, to make some freaking sense. ¡°And it will, if you only listen to me,¡± the voice responds. Will looks up, realizing that the exchange of thoughts must be mutual. Immediately, a hundred awful things he¡¯s said or done within his sixteen years of life come bursting up as he does everything in his power to squash them all down. This of course only makes them bubble up past his blocks, and everything fills his head at once, alongside the howling laughter of the spectre within his mind. ¡°Oh, son, if you think that¡¯s the worst I¡¯ve seen Humans do, or anyone for that matter, you¡¯re well wrong,¡± he says, before laughing again. Elizabeth looks to Will quizzically, before noticing his face is turning beet red. All of sudden, he bursts from his seat, waving his hands over his head as a symbolic way of clearing his mind. ¡°Alright, enough, if there really is somethin¡¯ that¡¯s just oh so important, would ya mind tellin¡¯ us what it is?¡± he shouts to the ceiling. The laughter in their heads subsides, as the voice returns to its serious tone. ¡°Alright then, there¡¯s just one last thing I need you to do,¡± he reassures. ¡°I just need you to take that necklace around your neck and touch it to the base of that pedestal.¡± An odd request, that¡¯s for certain. But, at this point, Will¡¯s just done questioning it. So, slipping the blue shell necklace from around his neck, the gift for his sister, and touches the shell to the pedestal. And all at once, their world turns white.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ~~~ For the umpteenth time tonight, Will opens his eyes to find himself on his back. As he opens his eyes, the world slowly turns from solid black to pure white. He¡¯s laying on the ground, yet feels nothing below him, instead the only thing he feels being a cool breeze, blowing stray strands of blue from his eyes. Slowly, he raises his body from the intangible ground, expecting pain and fatigue to wash over him, throwing him back to the ground. Instead, he feels fine. He lifts an arm, swinging it around, expecting his joints to lock up or fall back to his side like lead. Instead, his limbs move with an energy and ease he hadn¡¯t felt all day or night. Slowly, he pushes himself to his feet, examining his blinding surroundings. Looking down, he realizes he¡¯s standing on what looks like a cloud, wisps of mist stirring up wherever he steps, climbing up to even his nose. Still, he can¡¯t feel it, not even the ground under his feet. His mind knows he¡¯s supposed to be standing, but his feet tell him he¡¯s flying, or maybe falling. ¡°Will?¡± he hears, twisting his head around to see Elizabeth getting to her feet. He stands up to meet her, and the two look around the empty space surrounding them. ¡°Welp, any idea where we¡¯re at now?¡± Will asks, placing his hands on his hips. Elizabeth just shakes her head. ¡°ALRIGHT, GLAD YOU COULD MAKE IT! EH, WAIT, WHAT¡¯S THE PROBLEM?¡± the voice returns in full force once more, throwing the siblings back to the ground. ¡°OH, WAIT, BLOODY- There, is that better?¡± The two return to their feet, nodding. ¡°Whew, thank goodness¡­ All of these settings are screwing me up, just- give me a moment.¡± Their heads fill with the sounds of various clicks and whirs, followed by a low hum. ¡°Alright, that should do it! Oh, uh, you two might want to hold onto something, it might get a bit bum-¡± He doesn¡¯t finish before his vice is sharply cut off. Elizabeth looks to the air, throwing her arms out exasperatedly. ¡°Hold onto what?!¡± She doesn¡¯t quite receive the answer she was hoping for, instead feeling the ground shifting beneath her feet. Wind whips around the two of them, sending them off balance as the world around them transforms and is given shape. Will bumps into Elizabeth, causing them both to tumble to the floor in a heap, as the empty ground beneath them shifts into hard packed dirt, the blank white space replaced with dirt walls and ceiling, roots crawling down from above. Will and Elizabeth now find themselves in a short dirt tunnel, the edges of the walls lined with candles on the floor. At the end of the hall is a simple wooden door. A muffled voice, now no longer playing in their heads, comes from beyond the door: ¡°Alright, that should do it! Now then, come in! Oh, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had guests!¡± he says excitedly. They disentangle themselves from each other, brushing off the dust from their clothes. Will looks up at Elizabeth, Elizabeth looks down at Will, and they both look ahead at the door. Neither of them have a single clue what could be waiting for them on the other side of that door, but still, they have nowhere else to go. So, they march onwards, pushing the door open into the next room. On the other side is a massive cylindrical chamber, still made from dirt walls, that reaches upwards into seemingly infinity. On top of that, the walls are also lined with colossal bookshelves, filled to the brim with countless books, all reaching upwards into the abyss above. On the far end of the room is a circular wooden platform, with a desk and tons of books and papers covering it, a fireplace set into the wall, and a large, plush chair sitting in front. ¡°Woah,¡± Will once again observes. The voice calls out to them from the platform ahead, interrupting their awestruck observation of the library and diverting their attention to its source. That being the strangest sight the two of them had ever beheld. Sitting in the chair, silhouetted by the dancing flames, is a rat. A big one. It hops out of the chair, standing proudly on its hind legs, reaching a pink paw to the nearby golden-headed cane, and using it to support itself as it limps towards the two of them. It stands at about half of one Will Newbies tall, with thick, well-groomed brown fur and a rather jiggly belly. His head is small, pointing out in a snout and tipped with a round, black nose, and long whiskers. But most striking are its eyes; behind silver spectacles are two pure golden orbs, shining with intelligence and wisdom unknown to the two teenagers. ¡°Well well well, if it isn¡¯t the Newbie kids! Come in, come in, make yourselves at home in my humble realm!¡± He gestures widely at the room around them, grinning. The two of them just stare agape, too dumbfounded to speak, as the rat-man-thing blinks up at them. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he says, realizing their shock. ¡°I suppose this is quite a perplexing sight, heh¡­¡± He chuckles awkwardly, clasping his paws over his cane. ¡°Well, my name is Ratra, and I am a god.¡± That doesn¡¯t clear much up. Realizing this, Ratra just waves it away, saying, ¡°Look, there¡¯s no point in bothering about all that business, that can wait. After all, time is much more, er, flexible here, so it¡¯s of no concern. Please, take a seat.¡± He waves his paw, two thickly cushioned chairs--or perhaps thrones--appear suddenly behind them. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, food, drink, quite nearly anything, just ask. This realm is purely mine to control, so I can manifest whatever you desire!¡± Slowly accepting just how ridiculous the world has become, the two Humans sit down, sinking deeply into the cushions. Elizabeth is the first to open her mouth, as usual. ¡°Erm, could I get a glass of water, maybe?¡± she asks timidly. Ratra¡¯s grin broadens, lifting up his paw. ¡°Why, of course! Just hold out your hand, and¡­¡± With a wave of his paw, a diamond encrusted crystal goblet manifests in her hand, containing the purest and cleanest water she has ever seen. She peers into the glass in shock, before taking a deep gulp, only just realizing how thirsty she is. Probably since she didn¡¯t even have much of a stomach to fill before. Will raises his hand, grinning. ¡°Well, can I get some grape juice?¡± he asks. Ratra smiles to him as well, waving his paw again, and this time a purple goblet, sapphires embedded into its rim, appears from nothing in his hand. He takes a long drag, lifting it away from his mouth and wiping the purple from his top lip. ¡°Nice, it¡¯s the sour stuff, too!¡± Elizabeth nudges him with her elbow. ¡°Don¡¯t wipe with your arm, did Mom teach you nothing?¡± she chides, but he just bumps her back, nearly causing her to spill her glass. They finally return their attention to the man before them, whose eyes have been watching them with an intense focus. Seeing they¡¯re watching him, he shakes his head, regaining his composure as he looks back at them. ¡°You must forgive me, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had guests,¡± he says, his eyes darting away for a moment. ¡°But, enough about me, I know you¡¯ve had a rough night! From losing your town, to the incident with Nightmare¡­ Sorry about that, he just kind of does his own thing¡­ Uh, but I mean to say, you must have questions. It¡¯s been strange, I know, but I¡¯m here to clear up as much as I¡¯m permitted.¡± His eyes suddenly widen as he remembers something important. ¡°Ah, yes! The book, it¡¯s here just, give me another second..¡± and with that, he limps back over to the platform. The platform then quickly rises into the air, sending a few papers fluttering off, as it soars above the siblings, Will still sipping from his drink as he watches it go up. After everything else they¡¯ve seen tonight, this is nothing special. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Rs¡­ Rs¡­ Rs¡­ Ah, it must be somewhere in here¡­ Hmmm¡­ Where¡­ could it be¡­? I could have sworn- oh! Aha, got it! Wait, no, oh bloody- nononono blOODY HELLLLL-¡± A brown lump topples over the side of the platform, landing with a loud thud as Ratra hits the ground. Will almost chokes on his juice as Elizabeth starts from her seat, before he peels himself from the ground without issue. Brushing his paw along his fur, clenching a thin book in his other, he looks up to see the two of them watching him in shock and horror. ¡°Oh! Bah, don¡¯t worry about me, I may be old but I¡¯m surely not dying today!¡± he laughs as he starts back over to them. The platform promptly lands on top of him. But, instead of being splatted into a brown smear on the dirt floor, his body punches directly through the wooden boards, sending shattered wood and splinters scattering across the ground. He blinks for a moment, unmoving. ¡°Anyways-¡± he sighs. He now waves the book in front of their faces, completely ignoring all of what had just recently transpired. ¡°This here is The Book of Rebirth: a quick summary of all of history up to this point,¡± he explains. ¡°And I do mean quick. This library acts as a repository for all of the world¡¯s knowledge--literally, all of it--but this should get you up to speed nice and easy.¡± He flips it open to the very center page, before peering at the two of them over his spectacles. ¡°You two might wanna get up,¡± he warns. "The trip could get... bumpy." They quickly get to their feet, as the world around them changes once again. 1.11 A Brief History of Everything Ever The dirt walls break away, books come tumbling off the shelves as the bookcases fold into themselves, and the room goes swirling into the great blue above. Will, Elizabeth and Ratra look around at the landscape around them. They¡¯re surrounded by vast, rolling hills, mountains and forests off in the distance. Not a wall or a building in sight. ¡°Welcome to the very beginning,¡± Ratra announces, gesturing widely at the world around them. ¡°Back before the Guardian Wall, before Sin, even before the four races. The world was just this: wide and green, filled with animals and nothing more.¡± There¡¯s a rustling from the grass around them, before they hear the sound of little scampering feet climbing a nearby stone. A small, brown rat clambers to the peak, sniffing at the air as it gets its bearings, before throwing itself off its perch and dashing off. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Ratra chuckles. ¡°Look at me go!¡± The rat dashes through the grass with speed, vaulting over obstacles with ease. The old rat sighs, ¡°I miss those days, back when I had all the energy in the world. But time waits for no rat, and soon enough, I began to slow.¡± The world shifts again, now to a dark forest, the sun nearing the end of its descent below the horizon. The younger Ratra is here as well, noticeably thinner and slower. He stares up at the sky, his nose twitching, as if in thought. One can only guess at how a rat comes to understand its time is near. Ratra looks upon his younger self solemnly. ¡°A rat is a scavenger. That is our place in the world. But what¡¯s a rat to do when he¡¯s too slow to get even the most meager of scraps? Just as the sun set on this world, it would soon set on my life. I only had a rudimentary understanding of this fact, but I knew it nonetheless.¡± Then the world is enveloped in a blinding, golden light. The siblings shield their eyes, averting their gaze from the shaft of light descending from above. Ratra grins, gazing within the light without issue. ¡°That was, until God took pity on me.¡± The light vanishes, and in its place is a golden goblet filled with golden liquid. The young Ratra sniffs at it inquisitively, before a voice thunders across the woods: My son, your time is near. Death comes for you. I am here to bless you with an opportunity at a new, eternal life, but know it does come with consequences. The little rat looks back up to the sky as if in understanding, so the voice continues. You have a choice, to drink of this goblet, or to accept your fate. This goblet is of my blood, Iquor, the blood of God. If you choose to drink, you will become one of my servants, a lesser God of sorts, and you will be granted great power. But there is a catch. A god is not permitted to wander this Earth, therefore you will have to ascend to another plane. You will be able to watch the world from above, but it will no longer be your own. Young Ratra looks back to the cup, sniffing at its contents. He appears to be contemplating his decision. However, I will also grant you another opportunity: a chance at a legacy. If you drink of this goblet, I will permit you to leave behind something to carry on your name. A race of people, someone to praise you. I will grant you the greatest power of God: the power of Creation. But the choice is yours, there is no wrong answer. So choose, eternal life or eternal peace. Ratra returns to his paws, gazing at the goblet itself. He¡¯s thinking. Finally, he peeks back over the brim of the cup, and begins to drink. The world returns to white. Ratra crosses in front of the siblings, looking back at them with a grin. ¡°Of course, you can clearly see my choice. So you understand: I created Humankind as a way of leaving behind a legacy, of giving my worthless life a purpose.¡± The silhouette of a giant rat appears behind him as he stands there, basking in his own pride. Three more silhouettes appear around them, one of a deer, a lizard, and an owl. ¡°Though I certainly wasn¡¯t the only one,¡± he says, gesturing at the other silhouettes. ¡°Each of us, the four lesser gods, the Creators, were all near the end of our life, in one way or another. Deria, the creator of the Fawns, was lame in her front leg, meaning she couldn¡¯t keep up with her herd and would be the first to be picked off in the event of an attack. Lizzeran, creator of the Drakonians, was cowardly, unwilling to leave his hole for fear of being devoured. And Owlin, Creator of the Demons, was blind, leaving him unable to hunt and capture prey. ¡°Each of us were broken in our own ways, so we each created a race to make up for our faults.¡± In front of Deria¡¯s silhouette, a faceless woman with deer antlers on her head appears. ¡°Deria wanted her race to be swift and kind, to compensate for her lameness, and so they would always treat nature with reverence.¡± Another figure, a titan of a man with broad shoulders and muscular arms appears in front of Lizzeran. ¡°Lizzeran wanted a race that didn¡¯t need to fear any creature, one who could strike down any foe without issue.¡± A final figure, one with horns atop their head, appears in front of Owlin. ¡°And Owlin, having lost his eye to a branch during a faulty landing, wanted his race to be wise with sharp instincts, so that they would always be certain in themselves before making decisions.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Once Ratra finishes, they arrive on a tall cliff, now with more of the faceless figures wandering around. ¡°And this was Oracle,¡± he states plainly. Will and Elizabeth look out over the world below them, seeing large cities, great towers, and strange vehicles soaring through the air. Will looks down on it all in awe, completely enraptured in the beautiful sight. ¡°This was Oracle?!¡± he exclaims, before catching something out of the corner of his eye. He runs to the other side of the cliff, catching sight of a wooden boat with paper sails drifting smoothly through the air. ¡°That¡¯s just like the ship I found! They really did fly!¡± Elizabeth joins him at his side, watching the ship go by with him. ¡°Where did it all go..?¡± she asks. They both turn back to Ratra, who looks back over the world below mournfully. ¡°Unfortunately, this peace could never last.¡± The image before them disappears as well, back in the white space. ¡°The races began to drift apart, isolate. Their differences became more and more apparent each day.¡± A Drakonian and a Fawn with wolf ears appear, walking away from each other. ¡°Things truly began to escalate whenever the Drakonians, primarily dedicated to hunting the fierce Beasts of their homeland, became more indiscriminate in their prey.¡± The Drakonian quickly twists around, unsheathing a massive sword and cleaving the Fawn clear in half. ¡°The Fawns, defined by their animal characteristics, were looked down upon by them, and became prey.¡± The two figures, frozen in the gorey act, vanish, replaced by a lone Human. ¡°As for the Humans, well, no one could see anything special about them. They were considered weak, useless. They weren¡¯t special enough, so they too isolated.¡± The Human solemnly walks off into the distance, vanishing as well, before being replaced by a Demon. ¡°But, in the case of the Demons, their discrimination was by far the worst. Not only were the wise and cunning, they also had a secondary power: completely silent movement. This, of course, led to none trusting them, cast out and shunned by all others.¡± The Demon falls to their knees, their head in their hands, and sobs. Will feels a pang of sorrow just from the sound. ¡°There was a great bitterness among Demonkind. They grew to resent the greater society that judged them, treated them as criminals. This opened the gate for a great darkness.¡± Behind the Demon, a massive, black shroud appears, taking the form of a hulking creature, grinning menacingly with shining red eyes. ¡°A cursed deal was struck, and the Demons sold themselves to Sin.¡± The shroud grows, enveloping the demon beneath it, before plunging the entire world into darkness. Another transition. They¡¯re back in the field from before. There are no animals, no faceless people. The air is still. The world doesn¡¯t dare breathe. Will¡¯s heart picks up speed, feeling as if something big is coming. From below, the ground rumbles, as if the Earth itself were enraged. The wind suddenly howls, ripping at their clothes, dragging Will¡¯s cloak in the air as everything falls apart. Cracks appear in the dirt, ripping the earth apart. The ground explodes, dirt and roots climbing into the sky and bursting like fireworks. Will and Elizabeth tumble to the ground, Ratra standing unmoving against the oncoming tide of soil and stone. When the dust clears, the siblings expelling the grime from their lungs, they eventually see it. A massive, black pit has appeared in the ground, going down into an apparently infinite darkness. Will peeks over the side, feeling his heart lurch as he gazes into the bottomless depths. Deciding he¡¯s had enough, he stumbles back, looking back to Ratra. A single tear crosses the rat¡¯s smiling face. ¡°And from there, these pits, the Sins rose.¡± There¡¯s another rumbling as a loud, horrific screeching comes from below, before a massive black form consumes the world. A million creatures, all of different sizes and shapes, erupt from the pit and crawl across the world. They start as disgusting, inky masses, before taking form and giving themselves flesh. Some run, some crawl, some fly, all of them are awful. It isn¡¯t long before the world transitions again, and for the final time. They find themselves back in the library, sitting in the chairs from before. The world falls silent, all except for the crackling of the fireplace. Ratra¡¯s golden orbs glisten as he stares ahead, mourning the world that was lost. ¡°We didn¡¯t give up, of course. The mortals attempted to rally some heroes together, Champions, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t enough. There was nothing we could do¡­ So, as one final, desperate chance at hope, a special group of mortals sealed the Sin army away, and the gods combined our power to erect the Guardian Wall as a way of containing the pits and the Sins that gushed from within them. To put it simply¡­ we failed. Best we could do was hide away and hope¡­ delay the inevitable to give us a chance to fight back. ¡°It didn¡¯t end there, though.¡± Another faceless figure appears behind Ratra, a Human. ¡°Humans weren¡¯t happy with me. They cursed me, blaming me for their weakness.¡± The Human bends down and screams silently into Ratra¡¯s ear as the siblings watch. He doesn¡¯t even seem to know it¡¯s there. ¡°They forgot about me, leaving me out of their prayers and abandoning my temple.¡± The Human turns and storms off, before vanishing. ¡°And I was left here, alone. A failure of a god.¡± The silence returns, and the atmosphere is thick. None dare speak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Elizabeth whispers. Ratra looks up to her, and they lock eyes, before he shakes it off. He grins unevenly, looking over the two of them. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to be such a downer¡­ heh¡­¡± His face seems to regain some of the strength from earlier. ¡°Listen, there is a reason I¡¯m telling you all this. For so long, I have abandoned hope, but now¡­ now we have hope. We have¡­ the first Champion.¡± He points his cane at Will. It takes a moment for him to register what he means, looking down at his chest where Ratra¡¯s pointing, before looking back up. ¡°Me? Why?¡± he asks dumbly. 1.12 Guess its time to do something with myself for once. The rat man chuckles to himself, the chair by the fireplace manifesting behind him as he sits himself down, leaning his cane against the arm of the chair. ¡°Oof, pardon me¡­ I may have legs, and I may be immortal, but I¡¯m still old as dirt¡­ at least most of it!¡± He throws his head back, barking a laugh at his pun. Elizabeth laughs quietly with him, while Will grapples with the growing warmth in his belly. What does he mean by ¡°Champion?¡± Because it can¡¯t possibly mean what he thinks it does¡­ ¡°Will,¡± Ratra finally says, shaking the boy out of his thoughts threatening to send him into a spiral. The laughter has long since died down, and now both his sister and god are looking at him. His face reddens slightly. ¡°The people have been without hope for a very long time. Mortalkind has grown despondent, empty, and determination runs low. The great wall we gods had erected as a final line of defense from evil has cast a shadow upon the people¡¯s hearts. The line between haven and prison blurs evermore with each passing second.¡± Ratra states with sorrow in his eyes. Thinking about it, Will completely understands what he means. He had felt this himself, this growing restlessness, as if the walls protecting them were slowly closing in, and it was getting hard to breathe. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have to remain this way,¡± he continues. ¡°The forces of Sin aren¡¯t nearly as strong as they think. In this situation, all it would take are the actions of a few to bring about the release of many. What we need is a small collection of heroes, Champions, men and women willing to stand up and retaliate against the darkness we have lived beneath for so long. These creatures believe they have won, but you can prove them wrong. You can be our courage, our life, our strength, our wisdom. But you can¡¯t do it alone.¡± Will feels the presence of others. Shadows, mysteries, people new and familiar, all gripping the back of his chair. ¡°You will journey to the other kingdoms, recruit the other Champions, and unite against the forces of Sin. This is your mission, should you choose to take it. It¡¯s your choice.¡± A silence falls over the strange company. A boy, a ghost, and a rat, all sitting ¡®round the fireplace determining the fate of the world. Thinking about this, Will looks into those warm, shining eyes of a rodent. ¡°Before I answer, I have to know. What happened? To the village, to Mom, to Elizabeth. Is she¡­¡± he trails off, the fear of just what the answer may be clear as day in his eyes. Ratra¡¯s smile slightly wavers, but his voice remains level. ¡°Your village is fine, for the most part. They¡¯ve simply been¡­ relocated. By use of a terrible relic, the Flask of Greed, they were stolen from their homes and taken north to Demonia. For what? I do not know. But they are alive,¡± he reassures, before his eyes take on a special, knowing twinkle. ¡°But as for your sister, that¡¯s a completely different story The Flask attempted to take her, but something held her down, a powerful magic that far outweighs that of Sin: love.¡± Will and Elizabeth blink at Ratra, glance at each other, eyebrows raised, then look back at the strange rat man. And both double over laughing. ¡°Yer jokin¡¯, right? ¡®Cuz that¡¯s gotta be the corniest frickn thing I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Will grins, clutching at his stomach. Ratra rolls his eyes as the teens continue their raucous hilarity. ¡°While it certainly may sound like some cheap cliche, it doesn¡¯t make it any less true.¡± Once the two finally calm down, Ratra patiently tapping his cane all the while, he resumes his explanation. ¡°The secret lies in that necklace of yours,¡± he says, nodding in Will¡¯s direction, who subconsciously reaches for his throat. The boy¡¯s eyes suddenly light up. ¡°So then, the stories are true!¡± he exclaims, a wondrous gleam in his eye. ¡°These shells really do hold spirits!¡± Ratra laughs again, slapping his knee as the siblings watch, still confused. ¡°No, son,¡± he answers. ¡°Those shells are nothing special; I¡¯m afraid you were sold nothing more than a story. He was hoping you¡¯d come to buy more, or maybe tell your friends and have them buy some.¡± Well, jokes on him, Will didn¡¯t have any money or friends. ¡°No, the shell on its own held no power or special ability, they are simply shells. In reality, its power came from the sentimentality of such a trinket. If I remember correctly, did you not wear it nearly every day since?¡± The old man raises an eyebrow at Elizabeth, who blushes slightly. Will smiles to himself, and though he¡¯s still laughing silently at just how sappy all this ¡°love magic¡± is, he¡¯s touched his sister would really care enough to wear the silly little gift of a silly little boy who truly didn¡¯t know what he was talking about at the time. Ratra waves his paw as the two watch, a golden dust filling the air between them, dancing over some invisible object until it reveals itself: a long, gleaming, golden chain, starting at the necklace sat on Will¡¯s chest and leading up to a thick manacle around Elizabeth¡¯s neck. ¡°Oh,¡± she states, looking blankly at the collar of a prisoner. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ new.¡± ¡°To put it simply, Elizabeth has been ¡®dislocated,¡¯ leaving behind her spirit, chained down only by this ¡®Soul Link.¡¯ Only Will wearing that necklace can see her,¡± Ratra finishes, at least, he thought he did, until an idea came to mind. ¡°Ah, yes! The two of you have already become quite familiar with a certain spirit, if I recall.¡± The rodent grins, before calling out, ¡°Callum! Callum, come meet our guests. Callum? Callum, oh, blasted- there you are!¡± At his master¡¯s behest, the blue ball from before drops in from the abyss above their heads and lands with a soft plong in between them. ¡°Wait, the ball thing?!¡± Will¡¯s face lights up in excitement at the sight of his new friend. The ball, apparently named Callum, hops up from the dirt floor and into Will¡¯s lap as he giggles. Ratra watches the scene with the same energy as a grandfather watching his youngins play with the dog. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my most faithful servant. Though his spirit isn¡¯t nearly as strong as Elizabeth¡¯s, he still maintains what little sanity hasn¡¯t gone crumbling off into the valley below.¡± Callum settles into Will¡¯s lap, and the subject returns to the future. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s about as much as I¡¯m able to explain,¡± Ratra returns to speaking. ¡°But now, you are left with a choice. You can take up the mantle of Champion, receive my blessing, and go out to save your family and your world from the evil that has plagued it for so long. Or, you could simply live out your days in solitude, waiting for another hero to take your place. No one could blame you for either choice. I won¡¯t lie to you, or sugarcoat it. The path ahead of you is dark and dangerous, and if you think that creature from the forest was a horror from your worst nightmares, you will be faced by terror far beyond what you could imagine. You will likely face death at nearly every turn.¡± Will and Elizabeth sit in resolute silence, listening to the rat¡¯s words with concerned rapture. ¡°But I also believe that there is a very good reason for you being here. What are the odds that one boy, out of every village to have been attacked, would be the only one to escape? That only two siblings would care enough for each other that fate would intervene, allowing them to remain together? And why at this village, at the base of these mountains, near my temple? There¡¯s coincidence, and then there¡¯s fate. It is my humble theory that this meeting has been set up by divine forces beyond even my own comprehension. The world needs a hero, and by God we might just have one.¡± Once his monologue finishes, a deep, thoughtful silence falls over the strange company. Will absentmindedly strokes the top of Callum as he cranes his neck back, staring into the darkness above. He ponders just how far up it goes, and just how much knowledge could be contained in these walls. Ratra claims it¡¯s all the knowledge in the world, but such a figure is impossible for his head to wrap around.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The abyss reminds him of the night sky, but wrong. Terrifying. No stars, no moons, just black, with the ever heightening walls rising on all sides. That dark could contain anything. An image flashes through his mind of several Beast Linghams crawling from within that infinite darkness, their eyes flashing with bloody malice and their legs wrapping around him. He shudders, casting these thoughts away, before looking back to meet Ratra¡¯s golden eyes. ¡°Why me?¡± he asks. ¡°Of all the people in Humania, in Oracle, why choose some loser kid? I¡¯m weak, Ah freak out at the first sight of spiders, an¡¯ I can hardly talk with my own family, much less a prospective Champion. I¡¯m just some loser kid from a tiny town hardly deserving of a mark on th¡¯ map. As much as I¡¯d love ta take ya up on the offer, I jus¡¯ can¡¯t help but think there¡¯s prolly someone out there better fer th¡¯ job, cuz I¡¯m just not hero material.¡± Will hags his head, his mind swarming with all kinds of toxic thoughts. Those words repeat over and over, ¡­just some loser kid¡­ ¡­just some loser kid¡­ ¡­just some loser kid¡­ Ratra smiles, and Will raises his head, his eyes clouding over from mental exhaustion. The rat man speaks, ¡°Anyone can be a hero. Anyone can be brave enough to fight evil, kind enough to fight for others, strong enough to fight with fire, or smart enough to fight a winning battle. All it really takes is the effort and determination to do what you must.¡± Will feels his confidence tank with every word, despite very well knowing there to be a ¡®but¡¯ soon enough. ¡°But this isn¡¯t about any of those qualities.¡± Bingo. ¡°This is truly about love. When your sister or mother were ever down, you¡¯d break your back to make it better. Even though Ms. Lingham terrified you, you still took pity on her and volunteered to deliver to her. And even though Nalan looked down on you, considered you strange or freakish, still you grieved for them. You may not be the bravest, the kindest, the strongest or the smartest, you are the most loving. And that is what we need in our Champion.¡± Will falls back into silence, mulling it over. Is he really all that¡­? He never really saw anything he saw as special, or remarkable in any way¡­ he just did what he wanted. Anyone else would¡­ right? A warm hand falls on his shoulder, and he looks up into the glittering blue eyes of his sister, those Newbie eyes. She smiles that golden smile, and he hears a thousand words not once said. It is in those eyes and that smile that he comes to his decision. He suddenly stands up, cloak fluttering around him and Callum rolling from his lap, filled with a new determination he has not felt before. Elizabeth follows, the chain round her neck clinking as she stands, and Ratra squeezes his plump behind from his seat, plopping down on the floor. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve made your decision?¡± the rat smiles, and Will nods. ¡°Figgered Ah might as well do somethin¡¯ with my life, so why not?¡± he grins. The three of them stand in the middle of the platform, the fireplace ever crackling. Ratra waves his paw one last time, and in the center of the trio rises a long, curved blue sword, the blade curling into itself before reaching the hilt, the same sword from the temple before. ¡°This is Windbreaker,¡± Ratra muses, and the two gaze at its shimmering surface, the firelight passing through the blade and splitting out into dim blue lights that pass over their faces. ¡°Its weight wll match your abilities, but can become so light that it carries on the wind. And that is what you shall do: with my blessing, not only will you receive strength and stamina beyond that of a normal Human, you will also be able to channel the power of the wind so that it may do your bidding.¡± That catches Will off guard. ¡°You mean I get to learn magic?¡± he says incredulously. Ratra chuckles at the boy''s outburst. ¡°Yes. The power of Champions is more than simple raw strength; they are gifted the power to manipulate the elements to their will, as the ancients once did long ago. The wind shall be yours to guide.¡± A dumb smile appears on his face as he continues to study the blade before him. This whole Champion thing was sounding more and more intriguing by the second. ¡°Welp, this will be our farewell,¡± Ratra sighs. ¡°I¡¯m unsure if I¡¯ll see you again, but for now this will be goodbye. Your mission will be to head to the Fawn kingdom and recruit your first Champion. The road outside your village should take you straight to the gate out of here, though it¡¯ll likely be guarded. It¡¯ll be up to you how to get past. Other than that, I have nothing more to say and nothing more to give, other than my sincere farewell and my blessing. When you¡¯re ready, take the sword, and that will be all.¡± They stand in silence a moment more, before Elizabeth bends down, steadying herself on her knees, and wraps her arms around Ratra. The god looks startled, his glasses getting slightly crooked as she embraces him, before he accepts it and reciprocates. ¡°You take good care of that boy, alright?¡± he chuckles as the two come apart. Elizabeth grins and nods. ¡°Of course, who else will if he refuses?¡± The two of them have a laugh at Will¡¯s expense as he grows impatient. ¡°Alright I get it, we aughta get a move on.¡± And without another word, he grasps the handle of the blade. A shockwave of blue light ripples through his skin, his every hair standing on end, and his heart firing up to 11. Wind from seemingly nowhere begins to howl, his cloak flipping and snapping in the sudden gust. It swirls around him, picking up his clothes and sending his hair into a frenzy. Ratra smiles and nods solemnly, saying, ¡°Goodbye,¡± though his words are overtaken by the wind. As it picks up, moving faster and faster, the world slowly fades to pure white. ~~~ The door opens, and suddenly Will and Elizabeth find themselves looking into their home, back in the empty village. They look around, seeing no change other than the sun shining brightly above them. Just how long had they been gone? Will doesn¡¯t feel tired at all, despite not having slept since his little nap on the couch. On top of that, all the leaves, dirt, cuts in his clothes and skin, and bruises all seem to have vanished. He feels brand new. As for Elizabeth, she¡¯s just as incorporeal as ever. The two of them stroll through the entrance to what was once a home to them, now feeling like a grave. Light pours in from the kitchen window, catching the strewn pages of Charlotte Newbie¡¯s cookbook. The fire room shares a similar fate, with pages from Elizabeth¡¯s book scattered all over. Nothing has moved. No one¡¯s come home. Might as well get packing. --- As he¡¯s throwing things in his bag, Elizabeth waiting for him downstairs, he catches sight of something on the floor. A feather. He picks it up, settling onto his stiff bedsheets and strokes it, noticing its extreme softness, as well as how it always rights itself despite how many times he plays with it. Its baby blue color feels familiar, though he¡¯s not quite sure why. Something about it fascinates him. He doesn¡¯t have time for this. He casts it aside, throws himself to the floor on his belly, and starts rummaging beneath his bed for anything he may need. The feather flutters in the air a bit, before settling on his pillow. It does not move, nor will it. When he returns, it will be here waiting for him, whether he knows it or not. --- Will finally comes downstairs to find Elizabeth lying face-down on the fire room floor. ¡°Whatcha doin?¡± he calls, smirking. She startles, looking up at him through her tangled hair. ¡°Well, I was hoping to at least finish the chapter I was on, but as it turns out spirits can¡¯t exactly turn pages. But by the point I figured that out, I didn¡¯t feel like getting up.¡± Will reaches the bottom of the steps, chuckling to himself as he slings his bag over his shoulder. ¡°S¡¯pose I can relate. You comin¡¯?¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°Of course you already know the answer to that,¡± she says, tugging at her invisible leash, before grunting to her feet. The two step out into the ghostly street. Despite it being broad daylight, the moon till seems to shine over the dirt path leading to that accursed valley. This is their home, the only place they¡¯ve ever known. And now they¡¯ll be leaving, for the first time ever. Will listens to the door shut behind him, the sound of wood crashing into wood resembling the sound of a crypt sealed shut for the last time. But he knows it won¡¯t be the last time. He¡¯ll return, and he has every hope it¡¯ll be holding the hands of his mother and sister. Without a word, and without turning to see the mountains or that house that still shrieks, the two depart into the world unknown. 1.13 Crossing
Adventure Log 4-
Well, been a minute, hasn¡¯t it? To say a lot¡¯s happened would be an understatement¡­ I¡¯m apparently some kinda hero now. Don¡¯t exactly feel like it, tho. Turns out, magic is hard. I¡¯ve got all these new powers and stuff, but very little idea as to how exactly I¡¯m supposed to use it. Well, not exactly¡­ I have this feeling, deep inside, that just kinda¡­ comes out. Hard and fast. Right now the best I¡¯ve got is this big burst of wind, which kinda just throws me around a bit. I¡¯m working on it. As for my swordsmanship, hohoho that¡¯s fun! A lot like magic, I¡¯ve just got this innate feeling now, so I can do all kinds of fancy maneuvers with this little thing! I got this sword called Windbreaker from the rat god (long story.) It¡¯s certainly unconventional-there¡¯s only one edge, and it¡¯s really curvy-but I¡¯m making it work! The most I can cut up for now is trees and bushes for now though. But hey, this thing makes quite the hefty lawn mower! Elizabeth¡¯s fine, if a bit¡­ spooky. She doesn¡¯t sleep, eat, or drink, though she does look pretty jealous every time I do. She just keeps watch, not like there¡¯s much out here anyways. She says she¡¯s afraid that Demon guy¡¯ll come back. Guess I am, too. Still, something tells me he¡¯s long gone¡­ but I know that we haven¡¯t seen the last of him. And though I¡¯ve got some cool new moves, I know I don¡¯t stand a chance. I¡¯m not even sure I ever will. I¡¯m faster than him, sure, but I don¡¯t like how confidently he swings those swords. I guess that¡¯ll be all for now, whew, quite a hefty one lol. I¡¯ll probably just take a nap here, hard to keep traveling when the mud keeps making your boots all squishy.
The screen flickers off, the ball closes, and he slips it into his bag. Looking up at the cloud-stained sky, soaking the ground with sharp and cold tears, he lean back against the tree bark and closes his eyes, swallowing down his third meal of jerky this week. Three days¡­ Not much has happened. He¡¯s not surprised, he certainly learned his lesson from his trip into the mountains that adventure isn¡¯t always nonstop hardcore action. For now, he¡¯s content to nap to the sound of shattered raindrops and let his spirit drift away. Speaking of spirits, out in the midst of the mud soaked road, Elizabeth stands unwavering against the onslaught of falling water. Looking up, she watches it pass directly into her eyes, and yet she does not blink. She¡¯s long learned it won¡¯t harm her. This whole spirit thing has been nothing but a learning experience, mostly in just how it feels to be truly nobody. Looking back down, she runs her hand along the invisible chain, somehow able to hear its clinks and clanks as it keeps her prisoner. A chain, steadfast and unbreaking, yet it feels so vulnerable in its present state. It¡¯s all that¡¯s keeping her spirit from drifting off into some unknown abyss. She makes her way to the tree, sliding down its slick bark until she¡¯s right by her brother. She closes her eyes, dreaming she can dream, and waits for him to awaken.
Adventure Log 6-
I¡¯ve been practicing that floating trick, but so far it ain¡¯t going so well. It¡¯s still practically impossible to keep my wind under control, much less enough to keep my sword suspended. Still, it is cool to watch it just blast into the air lmao. I¡¯ll keep at it, just hopefully I¡¯ll figure it out before I cross into the rest of Oracle. Who knows what¡¯s out there.
I got it! Kinda¡­ I didn¡¯t really figure out any of the tricks I was actually trying to do, but I certainly learned how to run for my life! I was testing out throwing and catching my sword in midair without breaking my wrists¡­
I¡¯ll take it from here. It had taken some time, but Will had come to realize that the reason for his sudden uncontrollable bursts of wind were due to him putting his entire body into the cast. He realized that when he was using magic, whatever energy controls the actual cast was being channeled through his entire body. He also learned how to control that. So, ever since, he had been practicing casting short bursts of wind from different, smaller parts of his body. His fingers, his elbows, the tip of his nose, his hip, anywhere he felt he could channel this magical energy, he could cast some magic. It just so happened that, while strolling down the road and practicing catching his sword in midair, he was startled by the sight of a man pulling along what looked to be a large, wooden cart filled to the brim with cabbages. The man looked exhausted and sunburnt, but once he caught sight of the slowly approaching boy, his face suddenly brightened. ¡°Well met, youngin! What¡¯s a kid like you doing out here all alone like this, eh?¡± he called cheerily. Will froze. He had had a week full of constant danger and excitement. He was chased down by a maddened old lady, fought a wallcrawler to the death, launched himself from a collapsing floating boat, been stalked by the manifestation of his worst fears, and been hunted through the forest by a psychopath with red eyes and a habit of talking to themself. But, out of all of these encounters, nothing scared him more than social interaction. Elizabeth noticed this, of course. All of the normals tells of an uncomfortable situation were there, most notably his clenched, trembling right fist. This is important because that also happened to be the hand that was holding the deadly weapon. ¡°Will, just keep walking, he¡¯ll leave you alone, I¡¯m sure.¡± He silently nods and tucks on forward. He follows the road, despite every desire to veer off and run into the distance. He doesn¡¯t want to appear rude. So he walks onwards, Will on the left and the stranger on the right. He looks directly ahead, refusing to even acknowledge the presence of the other man. Wait, isn¡¯t that rude- never mind, just keep walking. Maybe a bit faster, try and outpace him. So, Will walks a bit faster. So does the man. So, he walks a bit faster. So does the man. Alright, a bit slower. So does the man. ¡°So, you all alone?¡± No answer. His heart pounds. ¡°It¡¯s awfully hot out here, not good for a kid like you, especially with that cloak.¡± No answer. He feels a cold sweat coat his body. ¡°Mighty strange blade you got there. Must be expensive.¡± No answer. His hand twitches again. ¡°I¡¯m just out here delivering for-¡± Before the man could finish his sentence, there was a thundering whoosh as the entire right side of Will¡¯s body expelled a torrent of wind, sending the man and his cart flying. Shards of shattered wood filled the air alongside a cartful of cabbages, making a loud splat as they burst across the street. As for the man, he lay on his back, staring into the sky with shock. He sat up, looked around, and tried to comprehend what just happened. The remains of his cart lay on its side in the ditch, while his cargo littered the ground nearby. Meanwhile Will just stood frozen, unable to grasp what he just did or how, while the man slowly struggled to understand the situation. A cold hand rested above Will¡¯s shoulder, alongside a hurried whisper, You might wanna get out of here. Like, now.¡± And so he does. He twisted his body back towards the road and bolted. The man, finally realizing just who was responsible for this gross waste, suddenly wasn¡¯t as cheery as before. ¡°What the hell- AY BOY! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE-¡± the man shouted as he struggled to his feet, before setting off after Will. And he was fast. Years of carrying that cart across this road toned his legs beyond belief, as well as giving him insane stamina. Some random, skinny brat that just blew up an entire year¡¯s work of effort was not going to outrun him. And so he was catching up.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Will glanced over his shoulder, seeing the enraged man kicking up dust behind him, and flashed back to the forest. Ms. Lingham, the Demon. His heart froze over. The only thing that terrifies him more than having to talk to another living mortal is talking to an angry other living mortal. This triggered something in him. Time slowed, his heart settled, and the world turned white. Out of nowhere, an unnatural peace fell over him. The magical energy, once volatile and unpredictable, seemed to obey his every whim in that moment. It surged through his entire body. But, instead of overtaking him and lashing out in an uncontrollable spiral, it curled around him, behind him, and pushed him forward. His legs hit the earth, left, then hit it again. Faster and faster. His blood pumped, the world returned into view, and he ran. He ran like he never had before. He had no idea how long it lasted, but it was a blur of nonstop running. He didn¡¯t think about where he was going, when he was gonna stop, or how much longer his body could keep up. It was nothing but pure energy and exhilaration. It was the best thing he¡¯s ever felt in his life. When he finally stopped, when his magic had run low and his body was falling at the hinges, he collapsed to the grass without another thought. Just ahead of him, his sister''s body drops from the air and hits the round without a sound. The two lie there, both desperately seeking breath, before looking up from the dirt and into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Maybe telling you to run¡­ wasn¡¯t the best idea¡­¡± Elizabeth gasps. The moment Will had really taken off, Elizabeth felt that tightening around her throat from before, and before she knew it she was being dragged through the air by their Chain of LoveTM. Will laughs despite his aching lungs. ¡°Ah haffa feelin¡¯... ya migh¡¯ be a bit too attached ta me¡­¡± he laughs, before rolling onto his back and gazing up at the sky. To his shock, the sky had turned a deep violet, and the moons had begun their crossing over the stars. Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, the world spinning and his body too heavy to lift, he fell asleep right there, not a care in the world.
Sooo¡­ I learned a few things yesterday. One of them being ¡°just grow up and leave an uncomfortable situation when you have the chance.¡± Both of us certainly left that situation worse for wear, and while he certainly could have just taken the hint and left me alone, I could have also just respectfully declined to speak and ran ahead when I had the chance. On the flipside of things, I have some kinda of super-run! I don¡¯t know how to use it just yet, but that¡¯s still really cool! Oh, also, turns out my sword can just vanish on a whim. At some point when I started running, it just disappeared into dust straight from my hand and I didn¡¯t notice. I¡¯ve somehow figured out how to summon and ¡°sheath¡± it on a whim, which is really useful since I don¡¯t have a real sheath to put this thing (I originally just wrapped it in my blanket and hung it from my bag). Y¡¯know, I¡¯m starting to get the feeling Ratra should have told me some of this stuff before sending me off on a super-dangerous mission across an entire continent¡­ too late now, I guess¡­
--- The next two days were spent either walking, running, using his new wind dash, or just general practice with magic. Elizabeth learned to grip the chain between them any time Will began to outpace her, allowing her to hang behind him without pain. As for Will, it was just rest, eat, travel, sleep, repeat. Thanks to his enhanced stamina, he had no trouble crossing the kingdom in less than a week, and, before he knew it, he was right before the wall. Few plants grow before the shadow of this great monument, a constant reminder of a war untold, save for a thick clump of trees at the end of the main road, clearly purposefully planted. If Ratra was right, that¡¯s where they need to go. Will and Elizabeth remain completely silent as they creep through the trees, keeping extra care to not make any sudden movements, the both of them. Just ahead, several voices can be heard, alongside the rattling of metal. Crawling ever closer, the siblings come upon a guard post, directly at the base of the Guardian Wall. Yet, for some reason, the road just ends right there. No gate, no grand archway, nothing. Just flat wall. As Will attempts to think this over, he overhead some of the guards talking to each other. Lying on the ground is a man in sparse armor and blue robes, his sword carelessly cast aside as he stares up at the sky. In a somewhat worse for wear sentry station is a woman, head in her hand, and eyes looking blankly out into the trees. Another man hangs by his legs from a tree limb. The one on the ground is the first to break the silence. ¡°When d¡¯you think th¡¯ cabbage man¡¯s comin¡¯?¡± The woman doesn¡¯t move beyond the bobbing of her head when she speaks with her head in her hand. ¡°Dunno,¡± she says simply. The man from the tree speaks up rather indignantly, ¡°He can stay th¡¯ hell out there for all ah care, the pit in mah stummuch tastes better than all this cabbage slop they keep feedin¡¯ us!¡± Will¡¯s heart drops. The cabbage man likely won¡¯t be coming for a while. But the tree man isn¡¯t finished just yet. Pulling himself up (without use of his hands), he hops from the tree and stares off along the path into the distant kingdom. ¡°We¡¯re knights, fer godssake! Th¡¯ hell they feedin¡¯ us lumpy cow piss for?! All we getto dois stand around and wait fer somethin¡¯ ta happen, when nothin¡¯ ever will. Meanwhile, everyone out there,¡± he whirls around, angrily waving his finger at the flat wall ahead, ¡°are gettin¡¯ all the action!¡± Out of nowhere, a fourth voice suddenly comes from beyond the wall, calm and cool. ¡°Relax, Sam, the action¡¯s not much better out here.¡± As if she were a part of the wall itself, a woman emerges from within, a gentle smile on her face as she nonchalantly enters the scene as if she were a spirit herself. Sam immediately seems to cool down a bit, scowling at the ground, as if it were the source of the ¡°lumpy cow piss¡± he¡¯d been forced to consume. ¡°Look, we don¡¯t have many options here,¡± the woman continues. ¡°Unless, of course, you plan on deserting?¡± That lights him up. Sam manages to bring himself to look the woman in the eyes, his face turning bright red as he fills with a surprise fury. ¡°You know damn well I¡¯d never do such a thing, unlike a cowardly traitor like you! If you think for one second ah¡¯m gunna abandon my country jus¡¯ for some idiotic fantasy of runnin¡¯ away together, you got another thing comin¡¯!¡± The woman calmly absorbs his tirade, his angry words flowing around her like water. She¡¯s used to his rages, but she knows he¡¯ll never do anything about it. He talks tough, but he¡¯s never been able to act. ¡°We are the firs¡¯ line of defense, and when Sins come knockin¡¯ down that door we¡¯ll be the first to hold em-¡± His mad rant is eventually interrupted by a brown and blue blur kicking up dust directly between them. Sam and his indifferent lover react immediately, drawing their swords and charging in the direction of the sudden intrusion, outside. Soon after they¡¯ve passed through the gate, leaving the other two guards alone, Ground Guy finally speaks up again, ¡°Think we should go help ¡®em?¡± Sleepy Girl doesn¡¯t answer for a while, still staring dead ahead, but thoughts actually going through her head this time. Finally, she reaches a decision. She pulls her head out of her hand, a red palm print clear on her face, and steps away from her crumbling station. Grabbing Ground Guy by his collar, she drags him up, and pulls him along out of the trees. ¡°Screw this.¡± Meanwhile, outside, several other guards are already fanning out in search of the source of the commotion when Sam and his ¡°friend¡± make it outside. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be holding down your station?¡± the woman demands, but he¡¯s indifferent. ¡°Harry ¡®n Silv¡¯ can handle themselves. They may be worthless, but at least they ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere. ¡®Sides, that thing came from my side, so it¡¯s just as much my jurisdiction as yours.¡± She doesn¡¯t question his logic. Coming upon a man in red, she asks, ¡°What the hell was that thing?¡± The man turns to her, looking down his crooked nose at the two of them. ¡°Not quite, but at the very least, we were out here concerned for the safety of our kingdom while the two of you were having your little lovers spat, Delia.¡± A couple spit particles hit her face when he says ¡°spat.¡± Without another word, Sam and Delia move to join the search, heads down and lips sealed tight. Meanwhile, Will sits lounging in the pink leaves of a tree not far off from the gate, watching all of the guards scrambling to search for him. He¡¯s grinning from ear to ear as he watches them struggle, while Elizabeth fidgets restlessly in another branch. ¡°This is stupid, you¡¯re stupid, we¡¯re so dead-¡± Will waves his hand, gesturing at the soldiers below. The man in red speaks up, ¡°That will have to do for now. The moons are rising, shifts must move. If anyone sees one bloody thing out of place, you tell me. For now, rest.¡± Will looks to his sister, grinning smugly. ¡°What¡¯s th¡¯ greatest folly of mortalkind? They always forget to look up.¡± Once the guards disperse, heading back to their camp, Will hops from the tree, strolling nonchalantly into the dark forest of pink leaves, while Elizabeth scowls at his back for his recklessness. It¡¯s hard to get mad when it works. Sam stands at the gate, ready to pass through, when Delia grabs his arm, firmly holding him back. He doesn¡¯t look at her, though she looks pleadingly up at him. ¡°What¡¯s the point, Sam?¡± she begs. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being the ¡®first line of defense¡¯ if you aren¡¯t repaid? You said it yourself, we¡¯re knights, but do you think the people care? Do you think even one of them would be your first line of defense? Or would they strand you out in the middle of nowhere, with hardly any food, any water, any reinforcements, just- anything?! What are you fighting for?!¡± Tear sting at her eyes as she pulls on his arm. ¡°I hate it here¡­¡± she whimpers. ¡°And I know you do too.¡± Slowly, she loses her energy, her fingers slipping from around his arm. Without a word, he walks forward, leaving her in the night. She stands there a moment more, the weight of the sky on her heart, before she turns to her tent. Not much later that night, the flap to her tent opened, and there he stood, a bag in his hand. --- Despite the pitch back night, Will still manages to find his way up another tree without problem. He¡¯d always loved climbing trees, in a way it was the only thing keeping his sticks-for-arms from just falling off one day. There was something about the height that simultaneously excited and terrified him. Eventually, he finds the branch he wanted, and, leaning back, he stares out onto the horizon. Selene and Luna rise ever higher in the sky, illuminating the world below. A world he never thought he¡¯d see. At last, after 16 years of wishes and dreams, he is here. Outside. Oracle. 2.1 I have zero clue what Im doing!
Adventure Log 7-
It¡¯s so far beyond anything I expected. The outside, the world beyond the wall¡­ It¡¯s everything I¡¯ve ever dreamed. Towering mountains, mysterious and mystical forests, strange and inconceivable creatures! All of it, I¡¯ve only dared imagine¡­ Not to mention the random bits of floating land! It¡¯s all so insane, none of it makes sense, and I love it. Just now, there was this massive butterfly that flew overhead! You couldn¡¯t see that in Humania! And I just left this weird forest, its trees were all blue, and their leaves formed these big globes, pretty sure some of their leaves are still stuck on me somewhere¡­ Nvm. The only real problem so far is that I¡¯ve had to start hunting. It¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t done before of course, but I still feel bad, plus it gets blood everywhere. I have to take off Dad¡¯s cloak every time. It also doesn¡¯t help that all of the animals out here are so dadgum cute. Like, there¡¯s these little bunnies with all kinds of different fur colors, and they¡¯re really nice too. I''ve even started calling them "colorbuns." Shame they also taste pretty good. Just playing the game of survival, they¡¯d understand if their brains weren¡¯t the size of my thumb. Believe me, I¡¯ve seen em.
--- After the brief excitement of last week, he¡¯s back to walking. Lots of it. He hasn¡¯t left the Guardian Wall much, both because he only plans on reaching the Eastern kingdom of Fawna and because he¡¯s a bit too scared to venture too far out into the world beyond. As enthusiastic he is, he¡¯s currently in the beginning stages of a little kid in a pool learning to swim and refusing to leave the edge. Baby steps. And lots of them, considering it¡¯s been at least a full week out here. He and Elizabeth hardly talk, considering there¡¯s not much to talk about other than his latest kill. Nothing happens, nothing changes. Adventure is boring. Right up until he encounters a gaping pit reaching deeper into the earth than he thought possible. The two of them peer over its edge, Will on his hands and knees. Just looking over the side, he feels as if the entire world could fall from beneath him at any moment. As for the pit itself, well, there¡¯s no telling how deep it could go. Elizabeth brushes her hand warningly over his back. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t get too close¡­¡± she worries. Will slowly clambers back to his feet, careful to stay as far from the brink as possible. Elizabeth continues to look into the void, unconcerned for her own safety seeing as how she has no body to break. ¡°Hey, Will,¡± she calls back. ¡°Didn¡¯t Ratra say something about pits-¡± She¡¯s quickly interrupted by a rock soaring directly through her chest. She twists around to see Will still in his throwing pose, as the stone knocks into the adjacent wall. He smirks awkwardly at his sister. ¡°Jus¡¯ checkin¡¯ how deep it goes.¡± The sounds of the rock bouncing from one side to another slowly drift more and more apart, becoming more and more quiet, but the sound never quite stops. It just slowly quiets until there just isn¡¯t a sound anymore. They never hear it hit the bottom. Will peers inside, eyebrow raised. ¡°Deep,¡± states Champion Obvious. Finally, they hear a sound; but not of the stone. No, it comes from deep inside, a chittering, a clacking, a hissing. The siblings glance at each other, before looking back in with wide eyes. Pits. The Sins came from pits. Will stumbles back, the image of thousands of horrifying, disfigured creatures erupting from the earth all at once flashing in his mind. That fear that he¡¯d almost come to forget returns in full force, setting his heart pumping and his legs moving. He tilts to his left, wind picking up around him, and blasts off, circling the rim of the pit and picking up speed. But he isn¡¯t able to get far. A long, black tendril slither from within the pit and, lightning quick, it lashes out, wrapping around his ankle and yanking. Will feels his foot fly from beneath him and, before he knows it, the ground is suddenly being very welcome to his face. He turns his head just before his nose can make contact, resulting in just an agonizing headache. ¡°Will!¡± Elizabeth calls out, watching helplessly at the scene before her. The tentacle tugs at his ankle, dragging him closer to the pit. She desperately swipes at the slimy appendage, but her hands make no contact. Will¡¯s on his own. Flipping over onto his back, he kicks and stomps at the tentacle, feeling it squish and squirm beneath his boot, before he finally gets it to loosen up enough to slip from its grasp. Scrambling back and stumbling to his feet, he unsheathes his blade, it appearing in a burst of blue dust in his hand. He watches the pit warily as the tentacle slips inside, waiting for any new developments. The chittering sounds increase in volume and magnitude. He can¡¯t run now, best he can do now is stand and fight. At last, the creature that attempted to claim him earlier reveals itself. It has no body, no face and no eyes. Instead it¡¯s just a wild, whirling mass of black, fleshy tentacles. Several of its hideous appendages latch onto the ground, acting as legs, and it cautiously approaches the boy. One limb limps broken to its side, not joining in the chaotic action within the rest of the beast. To its left, another creature ascends from within, its body being just a head with two burly arms attached to its sides, lacking all facial features except for a gaping maw taking up its entire frontward appearance, rows of serrated teeth filling its mouth. To the left, a small creature with no discernible features besides the whirling blades on top hovers. All of them are made of that same, disgusting black flesh, on top of that rancid stink he''s come to know well. More come from inside the pit, some similar, some so completely disfigured and unintelligible that they defy description. Some creatures are constantly moving, flesh within flesh, rotating into themselves, others stay completely and eerily still. And they all surround this one kid. He¡¯s not exactly looking forward to the proceeding event. There¡¯s a moment in which they just stand staring at each other, man and beast, as if they¡¯re taunting him. Then, all at once, all hell breaks loose. It starts when the drone suddenly zooms directly at his face, nearly giving the poor guy a surprise nose job and a buzzcut before he ducks, just in time. This is what sets the rest of them off. The tentacle creature charges next, six arms lashing out at the speed of light at Will, who¡¯s currently still in the process of reacting to the drone¡¯s attack. But, as if of its own volition, his sword swings upwards with sudden determination, cleaving straight through all of the tentacles, as if they were made of nothing at all. Carrying the momentum of the first strike, his other hand reaches up to grip the hilt, twisting it around and swinging his blade horizontally, effectively putting an end to the things time on Oracle. Black goo splatters everywhere, and Will feels a brief moment of euphoria as he realizes he can actually fight. This is quickly ended once he sees the pack descending on him all at once. His legs and arms tense, the veins in his hands bulge, and he charges, unleashing a guttural battlecry and swinging with purely violent intent. Meanwhile, Elizabeth watches from the sidelines as her brother throws himself full-tilt into complete pandemonium. Her eyes gape wide in awe as she sees a totally new side to him, wild and mad, ready to do absolutely anything to survive. Or maybe it''s something deeper; perhaps it¡¯s a deep-seated hatred for these creatures, the very embodiments of every cause of suffering in this world. She doesn¡¯t know, and, truthfully, neither does he. All he is is sheer determination. Sin after Sin falls by his righteous blade, their flesh and blood caking his clothes and skin. He¡¯s let his entire being go to the feeling of combat. A constant whirlwind surrounds him, acting as the one shield between him and his foes. He becomes acutely aware of every flexing muscle, every pumping vein, every beat of his heart and throb of his brain. His body, completely unused to this level of strain, is doing everything it can to hold up under the intense strain. Adrenaline is the only keeping his arms from crumbling into sawdust. He tries to suppress the distracting thoughts of, How in the ever-loving-God am I still alive right now?! God-given instinct can only go so far, unfortunately, and a new feeling has begun slowly overtaking the rush. He¡¯s dimly aware of a heavy feeling in his lungs, as if a rock had lodged itself within, and his breath has become much shorter. His throat tightens, and he stumbles to his knees, coughing and hacking, but nothing coming out. Just breathing is more of a chore than it¡¯s ever been.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He grips his sword, tabbing it into the ground pulling himself up. He can¡¯t quit fighting now. Elizabeth watches in terror as her brother struggles to do so much as breathe in the midst of a battlefield. The Head erupts from the crowd, opening its mouth wide, teeth gleaming in the sun, and launches itself at Will¡¯s exposed right arm. It sinks its teeth into his flesh, and he screams. He falls. It burns. God, it burns, God, please¡­ Please¡­ A new power erupts in him. His eyes turn into blind fury, as he balls his fist and punches the thing, over and over, before grabbing its sticky flesh and twisting and pulling, rage pain and fear all swirling into one horrible power. The whirlwind, having died down before, becomes an all-out storm. He rips and tears into the Head, screaming, crying, fighting till the end. He wakes up. His body is numb. He feels empty. He looks down. Oh crap. He scrambles to his bag, his arm limply dragging in the dirt. He fumbles with the clasp, desperately flipping it open, before yanking out the bandages. He sets to work bandaging his arm, the numbness quickly giving way to searing hot pain. Pain he¡¯d never felt before. ¡°Will?¡± He startles, forgetting his sister was even there. He looks up at her, realizing she¡¯d been crying again. Her bloodshot eyes look down at him, fear and worry and joy and sadness and anger and every other feeling clear is those red, teary eyes. He looks back down to his work, setting to bandaging himself up, smiling and reassuring, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± His arm now tightly bandaged, hopefully not irreparably damaged, he struggles to his feet, looking at the scene around him, and at himself. The surrounding battleground is a mix of red, black, and green, the earth stained by the products of intense combat. But the black isn¡¯t entirely still. A specific lump of Sin flesh trembles, before rising. Will unsheathes his blade once more, before dropping it, gripping his arm and grinding his teeth. The creature stands on four paws, padding to the center of the carnage, before sitting on its haunches and looking up at him. The beast resembles a wolf, but in place of fur is just more black flesh molded to resemble it. Its eyes are glittering red, not unlike the Demon he met before, but instead these resemble some kind of crystal, like rubies. It yawns, flashing its wide maw and pearly whites, and cocks its head. Will just stares, completely baffled at this thing¡¯s actions. He expected to have his throat torn out by now. It turns its head around, absorbing the sights around it, before its eyes catch on something. After a moment of staring, it abruptly gets to its feet and walks off, not looking back, not attacking, nothing. It just leaves. Will and Elizabeth stand dumbfounded at what just happened, before Will decides it¡¯s not worth thinking about. He returns to his bag, pulls out his sleeping bag, and sets off to find a less smelly place to sleep. But Elizabeth hangs back. She¡¯s still watching where the wolf left into the distance. Because she noticed something Will didn¡¯t. When the wolf wasn¡¯t looking at Will, it was looking at her. --- ¡°Oof, guess ah still got a lot ta learn about all this ¡°magic¡± stuff,¡± Will chuckles, lying on his back and watching moons pass over the night sky. Elizabeth scoffs, looking down at him incredulously. ¡°You almost died. That thing could have ripped your arm off, not to mention the whole pack watching it go down! If you hadn¡¯t found that last bit of strength for that ¡°Tornado Slash¡± as you insist on calling it, even killing that other thing you¡¯d be long dead!¡± According to Elizabeth¡¯s account, just before Will blacked out, a final whirlwind burst from him, picking up his sword and cutting up everything around him. He was then unconscious for six hours, while Elizabeth constantly teetered on the edge of a breakdown because she couldn¡¯t tell if he had a pulse or not. Of course, she didn¡¯t tell him that part, but he guessed as much anyways. Elizabeth gets down to her knees just by her brother¡¯s head, the two staring off into the sky, letting thoughts overtake them. He doesn¡¯t want to admit it, but he¡¯s scared out of his mind. Despite all of his blessings, his mangled arm still hurt like hell. He¡¯s unsure just how much he¡¯ll be able to use it in the coming days. This is on top of just yet another near death experience, proving just how pathetic he really is, with a concerning omen in the form of a wolf as the final layer of icing on the cake. This was the kind of thing he¡¯d much prefer to keep to books, the blood, the fear, the pain. It never happens to real people, just people in books. ¡°¡®Lizbith¡­¡± he mumbles, his tear-stung eyes drifting closed. She lets her legs out from under her, lying back in the same position as him. ¡°Yeah? ¡°Can you sing that song fer me again¡­?¡± She thinks for a moment, trying to figure out just what song he meant, until she remembers. She smiles, unseen in the dark of the night, before she begins. You, you gonna break my heart¡­ You gonna tear it apart¡­ No matter what you do¡­ I¡¯ll still be there for you. His eyes drift further closed, the thoughts of nightmarish monsters and certain slowly seeping into the earth as he feels the world below fall up into him. And when you call my name¡­ I won¡¯t be far away. No matter where you go¡­ You¡¯ll never be alone. He falls into the void, leaving his worries behind for rest. Hope comes in the morning. As for Elizabeth, she just keeps smiling, watching the rise and fall of her brother¡¯s chest, before returning to the universe above. She doesn¡¯t sleep, but she could certainly use a rest herself. ---
Adventure Log 10:
It¡¯s been a long couple of days. At the very least, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re getting close. The smell of the air has changed, though I couldn¡¯t quite describe it. It feels fresh, like new laundry, but for the air. My arm¡¯s been basically unusable this entire time, but I¡¯ve been getting by with what I¡¯m left with, though I fear my metabolism will soon catch up with me. I didn¡¯t get this skinny just from undereating, after all. My arm, my head, my stomach, my legs¡­ they all hurt. How much longer this will take, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll have to get back to you on that, something new is here. Of course.
Looking from behind his screen, Will catches sight of something ahead of him, a light shining at the top of a hill. ¡°Will, you seeing that?¡± Elizabeth says, coming up behind him. He squints, hardly able to make it out, but he can at least tell it¡¯s¡­ green? Blue? The sun makes it hard to tell. He stands, switching the device off. ¡°Hey, maybe you shouldn¡¯t just run off in the direction of random objects-¡± He¡¯s already moving. ¡°Never mind then,¡± she gives up, following begrudgingly, absentmindedly fiddling with the invisible link connecting them. As he approaches, he slowly recognizes the form of a little round ball just slightly hovering from the ground. His face breaks into a grin as he jogs his way up the hill, suddenly crying, ¡°Callum!¡± His excitement quickly falters once he realizes the spirit before him is not blue, and is in fact green. He purses his lips, looking down in mild disappointment, before shaking it off and dropping to one knee. ¡°Well, what¡¯re you doin¡¯ out here little dude?¡± The ball suddenly leaps up, curling around Will before hopping in front of Elizabeth, who stumbles back in slight shock at its sudden appearance. Despite its lack of face, she gets an image of it looking up at her with doey eyes, like a cat¡¯s silent plea to be fed for the fifth time that day. ¡°I dunno how,¡± she says, kneeling in front of it. ¡°But these things are kinda cute.¡± She pokes the top of its head with her finger, golden light rippling across it as it shudders, building up energy before it blasts off straight though Will. He stumbles, laughing as he watches it blast off. ¡°Hoo, thing¡¯s got energy!¡± The two of them chuckle as they jog off behind the spirit. After days of empty melancholy, not thinking, not feeling, only walking, this is a nice change of pace. It also means they¡¯re close. Fawna must be just around the corner! So off they run, Elizabeth actually managing to keep good pace with her brother, as they go up and over hill after hill. Freedom. Something they¡¯d never had before, living day by day in a village off the map, they finally feel free. They glance at each other, both grinning wildly, both understanding the same feeling. No matter how terrifying, dangerous or deadly the adventure gets, so long as they both make it out just fine, it will all be worth it for these moments. Will hoots and hollers, listening as they ricochet off of the hills and trees, soaring into Oracle at large. They jump and run and fly as they follow the little green spirit, letting go of fear and pain to just live in the moment. Eventually, the spirit comes to a halt, Will almost tripping over himself as he screeches to a stop. The spirit rests at the precipice of another hill, before suddenly dropping to the ground with a soft plonk. A dark feeling comes over Will, all of his previous, unbridled joy leaving at once. He remembers the last time a spirit behaved like this. He climbs to the top, running his hand over its now smooth, glassy surface, before looking over the valley below. Two figures, one standing out against the green field in their heavy black armor, and another, clearly kneeling in defeat. He unsheathes his sword. 2.2 Quite the Welcoming Committee Over and over her mother tells her, ¡°Don¡¯t go past the wall. It¡¯s dangerous, and you¡¯re not fit for it!¡± Well, yes, she does know it, which is precisely the reason she¡¯s even out here. Double pointed spear in hand, she wanders the hills outside Fawna every week the first chance she gets, looking for anything dark to sneak its way into the light. Olive brown skin wraps tight around thick muscle in her arms and legs, resulting in a slim but sturdy form. Wearing just baggy brown pants and a sweat stained green tank top in her bare feet, her emerald green eyes pierce the horizon as she searches for enemies. As a Wolfborne Fawn, she carries several characteristics typical of an average wolf. Most notably, two pointed ears poke out from her chocolate brown hair, pulled together in a long braid reaching down to the swishing tail behind her. She dashes across the field, leaping her way into a tree with ease, gripping a branch with her right and her spear with her left, she further scans for anything that stands out. Her eyes catch something dark moving between the hills. Bingo. Her legs tense, her muscles flex, and she grins, two pronounced canines gleaming. With as much strength as she can muster, she pounces from the tree with a wild cry, twirling her spear with both hands for effect, before bringing it stabbing down on the creature¡¯s head. The head promptly snaps off. For a moment, she stands there, staring blankly at the broken head of her spear, still in a combative stance, before looking up at her supposed prey. A figure cloaked in black armor looms over her, their eyes shining bright, bloody red from within their helmet. At their sides are two lookalike blades with serrated edges fashioned to resemble feathers or wings. She steps back hesitantly, unsure of what she¡¯s even seeing. What kind of freak walks out here with armor like that in broad daylight? And¡­ are those horns¡­? Ah crap¡­ The Demon looks down startled at the trembling girl. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t quite go how you expected it to, did it?¡± they chuckle, before one clawed hand thrusts out and grips the girl by the neck. She scratches at their metal grieves, legs thrashing around as she¡¯s lifted into the air with ease. The Demon snorts. ¡°Please, this is the Armor of Pride. One little girl isn¡¯t going to make a dent.¡± They easily toss her to the ground, her limp body rolling onto her back before she stares up at the great blue above, her chest working overtime to force as much oxygen as it can down her throat. The Demon eclipses the sun, and she scrambles to sit up, beginning an awkward crab walk before getting a swift boot to the side of the head. Her vision swims, her head pounds with the force of a sledgehammer, and she weakly claws at the ground, desperately attempting escape. There¡¯s no sound of sliding metal, just the Demon¡¯s hollow voice: ¡°Maybe next time, look before you leap.¡± She looks up through shaking eyes, catching a glimpse of the shining blade, before¡­ A high pitched whistle suddenly rings through the valley, before a glimmering blue blade suddenly lands full-force into the dirt between girl and death. The Demon stumbles back, surprised again, looking up to the hill above to see a sudden oncoming monsoon. In a whirlwind of brown and blue, a boy now takes up the space between the combatants. Will Newbie glares down at the Demon, wearing a grin that closely resembles a snarl and clutching his trusty blade in his left hand. ¡°So he was right. You are the Champion,¡± the Demon says nonchalantly, as if they completely expected him to show up in the middle of this random fight. Elizabeth crashes to the ground beside them, but neither budge, continuing their impromptu staring match. ¡°Still running scared from old ladies?¡± they say through an audible smirk. Will narrows his eyes, his smile thinning. ¡°Still whimperin¡¯ alone on the forest floor like a lost child?¡± he retorts. The Demon is taken mildly aback but shows no reaction, save for a slight, almost imperceptible twitch of the head. But he perceives it. The Demon steps back, turning around and waving offhandedly, hiding behind a guise of aloofness. ¡°Oh well, no use in crossing words or swords right now. I¡¯ve my own plans to worry about, and I don¡¯t need some caped crusader distracting me,¡± they call behind them as they walk off. ¡°Fighting you right now is unnecessary anyways, but the time will come soon.¡± AAnd with that ominous threat, they disappear into the hills. Elizabeth comes to Will¡¯s side, ignoring her previous collapse and simply accepting it as a part of life. ¡°You just gonna watch him walk off?¡± she asks as he stands there, unblinking. He nods defeatedly, coming to the unfortunate conclusion that he does indeed have absolutely no damn clue how to hold a sword, much less with his left hand. Besides, he¡¯s seen them move, and he doesn¡¯t plan on seeing it again anytime soon. So instead, he turns around, sheathing his sword and looking to the ground. ¡°Welp, with him gone, lessee how you¡¯re-¡± He intended to look down to the girl, but she isn¡¯t there. Looking up, he sees her sprawled face-first in the grass several feet away. Sighing, he jogs up the hill he just launched from to retrieve his bag. --- The girl opens her eyes to the sight of a night sky and the smell of cooking meat. She blinks, her train of thought chugging along honey-laden tracks, before suddenly coming upon the memory of her getting absolutely beat into the dirt. She bolts up, an unfamiliar blanket tossed from her shoulders, before suddenly receiving a bullet to the brain and heading right back down. Will looks up from the fire, skewered and roasted colorbun in hand, startled at her sudden awakening. He tilts his head, watching her groan as she cradles her aching skull. ¡°You up?¡± he asks. She blinks again, only now noticing his presence, straining to look up at him without moving her head. Her train of thought, still sloughing through several metaphorical sticky fluids, now weighed down by a billion thoughts and questions, comes to a screeching halt at a station simply labeled: ¡°Mhm,¡± she mumbles. He chuckles, nodding as if it were a perfectly intelligent question and answer, before turning to his side and picking up a second skewer. He stretches his arm, offering it to her. She looks at it, recognizing it as several edible and inedible objects, before giving up and reaching a tired hand to take it. She takes a bite. Then a second bite. A third. When she goes for her fourth, she realizes there¡¯s none left. A sudden growling pierces the night, and her wolven ears perk up, fearing a predator, before she realizes it¡¯s coming from her. ¡°Wait, how long have I been out¡­?¡± she mutters. Will looks to the sky, thinking, before stating, ¡°Around six hours.¡± Elizabeth, standing across the fire from him, nods in agreement, boredom plain on her face. The girl thinks it over, remembering she had hardly eaten before going on the hunt. She groans, finally fighting the pain enough to sit up, before looking over to her new captor. Will chews his empty skewer absentmindedly, watching her rise, saying, ¡°Ya prolly shoun¡¯n¡¯ do ¡®at.¡± She just glares at him, before observing her surroundings. They haven¡¯t moved. Just an empty valley around a few miles away from the gate to Fawna. She looks back to him, her eyes drifting up and down, sizing him up. He watches her do this, and judging by her look, she comes to a conclusion he¡¯d expect.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Ya don¡¯ gotta look at me like that, ah still saved yer butt,¡± he says, tossing his skewer to into the fire, her quickly looking away. She wrinkles her nose, looking down at her lap where the blanket has gathered, asking, ¡°Whose blanket is this? It stinks.¡± Will rolls his eyes, remarking, ¡°Well, maybe next time you just shouldn¡¯t get saved by some rando traveler from the sticks.¡± She glares at him. ¡°Okay, enough. Just, what do you want from me?¡± she says dryly. He raises his eyebrows, mildly surprised at this. ¡°What do I want? Ah don¡¯ rilly wan¡¯ nutin. Just a way inta Fawna, I guess.¡± She narrows her eyes, suddenly looking up at him suspiciously. ¡°And just why would you want that?¡± He sees her reaction, laughing nervously, quickly realizing his mistake. ¡°Ohnononono, I don¡¯ mean anythin¡¯ bad, I jus¡¯-¡± He hesitates, unsure what he¡¯s supposed to do here. She watches him, taking note of his hesitation, watching for any signs of a threat. He gulps, realizing he doesn¡¯t have any choice. He clears his throat, holding his hand out to his left, and summoning Windbreaker in a flash of blue glitter. He holds it out in front of him, letting her stare at it as he explains. ¡°I¡¯m the Human Champion, and I¡¯m here to find someone to help me. We¡¯re gonna fight th¡¯ Demons, ah guess.¡± She looks at him hard for a good, long moment, thinking. His heart pounds as he finishes, hoping he was at least a little convincing. He doesn¡¯t have much confidence. Finally, she snorts. ¡°Riiiiigghhhtt,¡± she says, raising her brow. ¡°And I¡¯m Lita, the greatest fighter in Fawna.¡± Her voice is completely dripping with sarcasm, and his face drops. Of course she didn¡¯t believe him. She grunts, pulling herself to her feet, looking down at him with disdain. ¡°If you think some quick rescue and a fancy magic trick is gonna convince me to let you into my kingdom, you¡¯re dumber than you look.¡± He doesn¡¯t question what that¡¯s supposed to mean, instead watching her turn, flipping her braid behind her. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, my family¡¯s probably sent out the entire damn guard at this point looking for me, so I¡¯ll be going.¡± He watches her leave on wobbly legs, Elizabeth smirking from the side. ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite the talker, eh?¡± she chuckles. ¡°What happened to ¡®social interaction is the bane of my existence¡¯?¡± He shakes his head, muttering, ¡°Well, she was annoying,¡± and watching the stranger¡¯s tail swish off into the night. She walks. And walks. Stumbles a bit. Stops, regains her footing. Walks. Trips. Face first into the dirt. Will sighs, hoisting himself to his feet, snatching up his blanket and going to assist her. --- The girl opens her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me-¡± ¡°You fell again.¡± ¡°Damnit.¡± --- ¡°So, you said yer name was-hngh-Lita?¡± he grunts, stumbling along with the girl riding piggyback, ignoring the screaming pain in his torn arm. Her eyes widen, either from the realization of what she''d let slip, or from the sudden lack of ground beneath her feet. ¡°How about you just forget I said that, if my mom found out I gave some random Human my name-¡± ¡°Well what¡¯s me being Human got to do with it, huh?¡± he interrupts. She doesn¡¯t finish. He decides it would be better to leave it at that. They¡¯ve been trudging along like this for almost two hours now, the Wall slowly growing closer and closer, Lita clinging desperately to his neck as he holds her by the legs. Elizabeth follows by their side, watching her brother struggle with delighted schadenfreude on her face, though internally worrying about just how much longer he can carry on like this. ¡°Y¡¯know, this would be a lot easier if you just weren¡¯t so freakishly tall,¡± Lita complains. ¡°Though I have to say, you¡¯ve got some sturdy legs to have not fallen over just yet.¡± He rolls his eyes. ¡°Yeah, I got them nice n¡¯ trained from the existential pressure ah been carryin¡¯ this pas¡¯ month.¡± She doesn¡¯t seem to have a snarky retort for that. As they get closer and closer, Will ignoring the agony in his arms and legs, and Lita fighting what¡¯s probably a minor to severe concussion, her head starts to grow more and more fuzzy. Maybe it¡¯s the heat, maybe it¡¯s her talking, or maybe it¡¯s every stimulus in the world at once, but her vision has become increasingly blurry. As she slowly drifts to unconsciousness, Will starts to feel her grip slip, and her body grow heavy. He grits his teeth, hoisting her up his back, bending forward, but the sudden movement only sped up the process. Her eyes fall closed, and Will falls to the ground. Elizabeth falls to her knees, waving her hands around as she tries to think of something to do. ¡°Will, are you alright?!¡± she cries, as she hears him groan from beneath Lita¡¯s slumped form. He pushes himself up, Lita slipping from his back as he stumbles back onto his butt. He looks down at her, breathing heavy, considering a few things he¡¯d probably never do. Including likely the smart thing to do: leaving her here. Of course, his own heroic morals wouldn¡¯t let him, but considering just how miserable things keep getting, it maybe wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Instead, he climbs to his feet, stretches, pops his back, before bending down and snatching the concussed Wolfborne by the wrists. He yanks her up, wrapping her arm around his neck, and hoists her onto his shoulder. Elizabeth watches, unsure whether she should stop him or not. So far, the girl¡¯s been nothing but a brat, but she doesn¡¯t exactly want to leave her for the vultures either. Still, Will¡¯s in no condition to really help her¡­ Deaf to Elizabeth¡¯s thoughts, Will keeps on keepin¡¯ on, dragging Lita along with him. --- He looks up, and suddenly he¡¯s in front of the Wall, the past two hours completely gone from his memory. He brushes his hand over its surface, his fingertips sinking into the supposedly solid stone. He stumbles forward, walking into the wall, before finding himself in thick forest. Trees tower over the dirt road nearby, and there¡¯s the sound of some sort of commotion, shouting voices and clanking metal. But all he can see is dirt. Everything simultaneously feels as if it were lit on fire in an anthill while a thousand wasp stings cover every inch of skin, while being completely empty and numb. He hates it. He just wants it all to go away¡­ He was almost welcomed into the void, when he¡¯s suddenly yanked from the ground, the sky crashing down on his head as he stares into a new face, one he doesn¡¯t recognize. She looks angry, though he couldn¡¯t imagine why. What¡¯s there to be angry about? It¡¯s fine, everything¡¯s just fine, peachy, cool, swell, good enough. Just¡­ put him back down, please¡­ the ground was nice enough, nothing he wasn¡¯t used to¡­ There¡¯s too much noise up here¡­ Eventually she¡¯s kind enough to swiftly swipe at his neck, letting him wash in the void once more. He doesn¡¯t quite dream, exactly, he mostly just hears. Random, unrecognizable noises, voices ranging from angry to just loud, and other things he doesn¡¯t quite get. It¡¯s all a bit much, and, to be honest, he¡¯d prefer it if they¡¯d all just pipe down for a second and let him sleep. Do they have any idea how long it¡¯s been since he¡¯s had a decent bed? 2.3 A Rough Introduction to Fawna There¡¯s a loud crash, followed by a sudden, overwhelming, biting cold. Will opens his eyes, sputtering, gasping, his clothes suddenly soaked to the bone. He can¡¯t see beyond a single concentrated, blinding light in front of him, eclipsing his surroundings. He struggles to move, but finds his arms bound to a stone seat, cold and hard. He starts panicking, a million questions rushing through his head, when he hears a familiar whisper: ¡°Will, chill for a second, alright? You¡¯re okay, sort of. I think this is an interrogation, they think you kidnapped that girl.¡± His eyes widen. ¡°What?!¡± he shouts, panicking even more. A voice cuts through the light, ¡°Would you quit that?!¡± The light recedes slightly, revealing a hidden face within: a woman¡¯s, the same angry-faced woman he recalls from during his half-dreams earlier. Everything about her screams warrior: Her darkly tanned skin, thick, muscled arms, heavy armor bearing intricate vine patterns, and two deer antlers on her head. Well, one, with the left one broken off at the nub. This woman bears an intimidating presence almost rivaling that of the creature from the Forest of Dread. The biggest difference is that that thing was beaten through courage alone, while this woman resembles raw power. All of that to say, he gets the sense she could beat him into a pulp and contort his remains like Play-Doh. Not someone he wants to be glowering menacingly across a table from him. Pulling together what little wit he has left, he halts his struggling and attempts to meet her gaze, though his knee still bobs without input. She doesn¡¯t blink, crossing her arms, staring him down. When he doesn¡¯t seem to budge, she just snorts and turns away, Will only just now realizing that was supposed to be some sort of test. He¡¯s not sure if he passed or not, or whether passing is even a good thing. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of explaining to do, kid,¡± she growls, her voice just as rough and menacing as her looks. ¡°Mind explaining what the hell you were doing out there with m- with the princess?¡± Will notes her momentary hesitation, but finds the second thing she said to be much more interesting: ¡°Princess?!¡± he blurts out, the shock plain in his voice. ¡°Lita didn¡¯t tell me that!¡± The soldier¡¯s gaze suddenly turns icy cold, despite the burning malice burning inside her as well. She slams her hands on the table, shoving her face into his as he shrinks back in fear for his nose, being in the way of her gnashing teeth. ¡°How in the hell do you know that name?! She would never, never give it out to someone she didn¡¯t know- not willingly.¡± This isn¡¯t going well. He¡¯s never been interrogated before, he doesn¡¯t have a clue what he¡¯s supposed to do! ¡°Look, I-I- this¡¯s all a bi-i-ig misunderstanding, alright¡­?¡± he stammers, desperately trying to think of a way out of this. ¡°Look, there- there was this Demon, alright? And- I saved her! I carried her all th¡¯ way here on my back!¡± His words rush forth, frantically trying to convince her he isn¡¯t some psychotic lunatic. She narrows her eyes, frowning as she pulls back a bit. ¡°A Demon, you say? There hasn¡¯t been a Demon in these parts in centuries, even you would know that.¡± The thinly veiled insults seem to be Fawn genetics. Still, she also seems concerned, which gives him an idea. ¡°I-I¡¯ll prove it to you! Look-¡± He opens the palm of his hand, unsheathing Windbreaker. It didn¡¯t work last time, but why not. She raises her eyebrow, stepping around the table to get a closer look. She holds her hand out. He hesitates for a moment, gripping it tighter, but is easily convinced by a single glare from the soldier. He drops it, hitting the ground with a surprisingly sharp ringing tone. She bends over to pick it up, before crossing back in front of the light where he can¡¯t see her. She runs her hand up and down the blade¡¯s surface, studying the material closely. ¡°It¡¯s certainly similar¡­¡± she mutters to herself, efore side-eyeing Will. She sizes him up again, before returning to the blade. At last, the uncertain silence is broken by a knock at the door. The soldier startles as the door is pushed open, another soldier stumbling his way into the room, bending to catch his breath. ¡°Sir!¡± she shouts incredulously. ¡°Now is not the time, I¡¯m in the midst-¡± The new guy raises his hand, still panting but finally able to speak. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s Heir Lita¡­¡± he breathes. She looks down at him, before glancing at Will, who gives a little wave, contemplating what to do. Finally, she grabs the other soldier by the collar and drags him outside, slamming the door behind her. Elizabeth finally creeps from the corner, Will watching curiously as she peeks her head through the wall. She quickly yanks it back, grinning, saying, ¡°Lita¡¯s awake, she¡¯s trying to clear you!¡± Will smiles, sighing heavily. Maybe a real bed could be coming soon¡­ Eventually, the woman returns, her face losing its earlier menace. She maintains an a ir of neutral professionalism, but she¡¯s clearly embarrassed. ¡°It would seem that there has been a¡­ misunderstanding.¡± No kidding. She approaches Will¡¯s chair, lifting the straps holding him down. ¡°Princess Lita, heir to the Fawna throne, has corroborated your story and insisted you be set free.¡± As Will flexes his wrists, feeling the blood returning to his arms and sighing in relief. He grins, looking up at his would-be captor reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯s alrigh¡¯, can¡¯ really blame you considerin¡¯ me draggin¡¯ the princess in here all beat up. No hard feelins.¡± The woman nods as he stands. ¡°One last thing,¡± she adds. ¡°The Queen has requested your audience.¡± He freezes, still in the process of leaving his seat. He looks up at the woman. ¡°Oh.¡± --- Two soldiers march on either side, the woman taking the lead, and Will caught in the middle. Despite his cleared reputation, he still somehow feels like a criminal, and the people certainly have the same impression, whispering amongst themselves as he walks past. He swears he hears one say something about an ¡°execution.¡± Well, he sure hopes not. Truth be told, Fawna is one of the most beautiful places he¡¯s ever seen. Trees soar off into the heavens, mysterious lights drift aimlessly about, and all kinds of strange and interesting people line the road. People with goat horns, rabbit ears, cheetah spots, lion manes, horse hooves, and many, many more. As for their architecture, by whatever means, magical or mechanical, they¡¯ve managed to manipulate the trees themselves to form homes. They sit on the ground, in the air, hanging from branches, anywhere they can. He¡¯s heard of similar things, but only ever in books. He¡¯s begun to realize just how much his reality influences fiction. At the head of the grass path is another tree, but not a tree like any he¡¯s seen. It¡¯s absolutely massive, taller than all of the already-massive trees, towering high above all the punt mortals below. A large banner bearing the crest of a buck head hangs in its middle, and the very base has been manipulated into a massive doorway. Embedded into its trunk is a door seemingly made of thick, white stained glass, with patterns of tangled vines and leaves crawling along its surface. The leader steps up to the door, raising armored knuckles to pound away, making him somewhat nervous about just how solid a glass door could be. The door opens, seemingly by itself, and the four of them walk inside.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The inside bears no similarities to that of a tree. A massive crystal chandelier hangs from an impossibly high ceiling, the walls made of pure white marble, and a long green carpet leads from the entrance to the base of a tall, pointed throne. As they walk along the carpet, there¡¯s a quiet whir and a quick click, when suddenly a pair of translucent screens appear hovering on either side, displaying the crest on the outside. His jaw drops, realizing these screens are just like the one from his own device. One of the soldiers notices Will¡¯s surprise and smirks. ¡°So, never seen a light-page, eh? Restored ancient technology, it is. Our Queen prides herself on appearances.¡± Suddenly remembering he¡¯s supposed to be meeting actual royalty, he returns his attention to the throne ahead, his eyes are greeted with the shiniest woman he¡¯s ever seen. Everything about her seems to glow, from her clothes to even her skin. Massive, white furs cloak her body, with a massive pointed crown on top of her head. Everything is just pure white, white robes, white hair, white (white as in zero sun for several years) skin, all except for her painted red lips, which contrast wildly against her pasty self. Her pale flesh, almost sickly looking, seems to have been painted over with mild glitter to enhance her ¡°shiny¡± effect. The only part of her that could be considered bland in any way is the large pair of antlers crowing her head, but even then they carry an air of majesty or opulence. In all, he¡¯s not quite sure what she was going for, nor is he sure if it¡¯s good or not. For the most part he just feels he needs a pair of sunglasses. The Queen doesn¡¯t speak until they¡¯re at the foot of her looming throne, and the soldier woman kneels before her. Will hears a throat clear, glancing to his right, and Elizabeth¡¯s looking at him, nodding her head down to the woman, and bowing at the waist. ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± he stumbles over his words, finally just tilting at the waist. He doesn¡¯t get that far, but hopefully it¡¯s enough. ¡°My Queen,¡± the woman speaks from the ground. ¡°I brought the boy who claims to be a Champion.¡± The Queen lowers from her seat, placing her hand on the back of the soldier¡¯s head, putting on a bright smile. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve done well, Thalia. Leave us now, I wish to have a word with the boy.¡± The woman, now known to Will as Thalia, nods her head and turns to leave, not making a bit of eye contact with the Queen. The other two soldiers leave with her, not a word said. Their trained movements are almost robotic. With the hall now empty, Will is left with Elizabeth and the Queen, smiling at him from the front of her throne. In its presence, she looks almost comically small. ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Will stumbles. ¡°You wanted me¡­ yer majesty..?¡± The Queen lets out a quick, shar laugh, piercing his ears, before looking him unfortunately in the eyes. ¡°Please, you are a Champion, a godsend! You may refer to me as Queen Kalis.¡± Something about her throws him off, and Elizabeth can see it. She briefly wonders just what a wrong word could carry with this woman, though she isn¡¯t all that concerned. Kalis approaches him, lifting his hand in her own and bowing her head. ¡°You have saved the life of my daughter, my dear Lita. For that alone, you deserve the highest honors.¡± Hearing her say that, he can feel the genuine concern in her voice, and it somewhat moves him. ¡°I, uh, di¡¯n¡¯ really do much, the guy just ran off once I got involved¡­¡± he mumbles, unsure how to take the sudden praise. She chuckles, letting his hand go. ¡°Well, that may be, but still, you being here means so much more!¡± Suddenly her giddy smile doesn¡¯t look as fake as before. ¡°You, the first Champion, here to discover the one meant to accompany you on your journey! This is the kind of things legends will be written of, and now I¡¯ll be fortunate enough to feature in them! It¡¯s a very big deal, so cast aside the humility for at least a little bit and pride yourself in the title of Champion.¡± Elizabeth leans over to Will, mumbling out the corner of her mouth, ¡°She¡¯s right, y¡¯know.¡± Will rolls his eyes. ¡°Though it appears our Champion has already had his fair share of conflict,¡± Kalis continues, eyeing his bandaged arm warily. ¡°Oh, I do hope Thalia didn¡¯t cause you too much trouble. She does get a bit¡­ overzealous¡­ in matters to do with her sister.¡± Will does a double take. Another plot twist? ¡°Sister?¡± he asks. Kalis laughs again at his surprise. ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all quite an odd family, hm? I suppose that deserves some explanation. ¡°The only child I¡¯ve borne myself was Thalia, twenty three long years ago. Almost six years after to the day, Lita was discovered, alone, in the midst of a wrecked carriage. Her parents were never found. As I¡¯d lost my hu-¡± She stops a moment, her eyes seeing something invisible for a moment, before shaking out of it. ¡°I¡¯d lost my husband recently, and I¡¯d hoped a new child would help fill that void. Turns out, that isn¡¯t how love really works; instead of filling a void, she simply created a new place in my heart. Dangerous, but, in my opinion, well worth the risk. I love her just as I do Thalia, though the girl still sees her big sister as some sort of rival. ¡°She believes that, if she can prove she¡¯s stronger than Thalia, she can take her place as leader of the guard. It may give her quite the will, but it usually ends in some kind of disaster, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve come to discover,¡± she finishes, sighing as she returns to her throne. ¡°I love them both very much, but they can be quite the handful.¡± After all of that, oddly enough, Will feels much more at ease. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± he responds, grinning. ¡°My momma said plenty th¡¯ same back home.¡± Kalis tilts her head in interest. ¡°Your mother? I¡¯m sure she must be very proud, having a son as a Champion and all.¡± Will¡¯s face suddenly falls, and she realizes her mistake. ¡°Oh, my, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯re pretty sure she¡¯s alive,¡± he interrupts, his voice a cross between reassuring and broken hearted. ¡°She was taken by a Demon.¡± Kalis nods her head sympathetically. ¡°I understand, dear. I¡¯m terribly sorry. But,¡± she changes the subject, hoping to shift the mood a bit. ¡°I believe we should be concerned with your arm there.¡± He nods, unconsciously scratching at the bandages keeping his arm together. After getting hit by that water--which still hasn¡¯t dried, by the way--he¡¯s worried about infection. ¡°Yeah, got in a bit of nastiness with some Sins, one nearly tore my arm clean off.¡± Kalis furrows her brows, slightly perplexed at his casual attitude. ¡°Well, our healers are incredibly efficient, so we¡¯ll send some in to get that fixed up right away.¡± She slides open a panel on the arm of her throne, pressing a pink button, and at once two men in white robes march into the throne room, approaching Will. ¡°Take the Champion--oh my, how rude of me, what is your name? Yes, okay, take Will Nooby to the infirmary, please. Treat him well.¡± The man on his left lightly grabs his shoulder, directing him from the throne, and Elizabeth, having been aimlessly wandering about while her brother and the queen were talking, notices he¡¯s leaving and hurries after him before the chain can catch up to her. --- ¡°Welp, you shouldn¡¯t have an arm right now,¡± Elizabeth remarks, the medics having just left. Will¡¯s currently recovering from the sight of the inside of his arm in one of those tree-houses, the walls being solid tree, but the floor fitted with marble. He¡¯s in a white bed, thin sheets, and his arm rests on a tray next to it with fresh bandages. After seeing everything that Sin had done to him, he realized just how much more he had God to thank for. ¡°It¡¯s almost disappointing,¡± she continues. ¡°Maybe if it had taken your arm, you¡¯d¡¯ve learned not to toss rocks into random bottomless pits!¡± Will shakes his head. ¡°Well, how in the hell was I s¡¯posed to know a buncha monsters were jus¡¯ waiting fer some idiot to hit ¡®em with a rock to finally wake up?!¡± Their argument is interrupted by the opening of the door, causing them both to freeze in place. It¡¯s Thalia, no longer in her armor, but instead in a plain grey tank top and heavy looking plants with too many pockets. She looks at Will apologetically, saying, ¡°Sorry about the whole¡­ interrogation¡­ it was entirely against protocol, I was just convinced you¡¯d done something to Lita¡­¡± He just waves his obther hand, laughing it off. ¡°Nah, don¡¯ worry about it. If my sister found out someone did somethin¡¯ ta me, she¡¯da done plenty worse.¡± She chuckles too, clearly relieved he¡¯s okay, before looking impressedly at his bandaged arm. ¡°Still, a Champion¡­ I¡¯d have never thought¡­¡± she muses. Will chuckles. ¡°Oh yeah, wild. Just imagine getting stuck with the role, suddenly after all these years now I¡¯m cool.¡± Thalia chuckles with him, tilting her head at him. ¡°Are you always in such a joking mood?¡± He just shrugs. ¡°I find it hard to take things seriously. Once ya get hunted by a giant old lady with spider legs, talk with a rat, and nearly get devoured by a mouth with arms, everything just gets a lot funnier.¡± She nods as if what he said was some great wisdom. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t come here to say sorry,¡± she says, switching the subject. Will sits up, giving her his complete attention, despite looking everywhere but her eyes. ¡°Tomorrow there¡¯s gonna be a big ceremony, and you¡¯re expected to be there. The Spear of Solstice is going to select its Champion.¡±