“Never say never. I know you still question me, but I’ve done it. I’ve found a land far to the east called Gratia. It’s in the middle of a war and a princess has pledged herself to us. After all these years, a home. A home that I found, not my weakened sister. Join me, my kin. We have our differences but our goals are the same, are they not? And if you can convince my stubborn sister to abandon her pride and follow along, all the better. Look, I've even attached a map, assuming the messenger didn't lose it. Look at it, memorise it. For that will be our future.”
- Somewhere in the Frostwind Ranges, Letter Intercepted by Centurion Lyran
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“Visions and dreams you say?” The Direktor hummed thoughtfully.
“Nightmares, I said nightmares.” Sophie corrected, still weary from the punch.
“Semantics.” He scoffed, “But that is… interesting…” A distracted look overtook his face.
Sophie sighed quietly in relief at not having to talk as he pondered something beyond her comprehension. She had counted the seconds as they ticked by, estimating that she had been recounting her experiences for roughly six minutes. She was running out of talking points but had stumbled onto a surprising discovery that needed a little more wiggle room to happen.
Mana was, for all intents and purposes, in every living being even on minute levels. It was the binding force that held many things together though sometimes can appear almost nonexistent within most beings. Hence the difference between a potential mage brimming with mana within them, and the average peasant who would be lucky to even do a parlor trick. Artifacts and relics from past ages tended to also have a lot of imbued mana within them, generally a remnant from ancient days where mana was even more widely used. Mana, therefore, has existed in many forms and now proved to be her one shot at forcing her body to numb the pain enough for her to function. To do this, she needed a copious amount of mana due to her own form being that of essentially a mana void. It seemed almost absurd that the thing that had sent her to the depths of despair moments ago, would also be the thing that might grant her salvation.The crystal was, for all intents and purposes, an oversized wellspring of mana with some other enhancements imbued within it. Just need them to talk longer and not notice the mana fading.
“What is?” She asked.
“Hmm?” The Direktor snapped out of his trance.
“What’s interesting? I talked about my nightmares. So what?”
“So what? So what?!” He growled, making Sophie wilt a little.
“Sorry I asked.” She mumbled to herself.
“Simple minded peasant.” He spat, “Do you not understand? Dreams of monsters and Gods? Of demons and soldiers? They are visions! They are visions of a future or of a past. But how peculiar…” He dropped to a frown after his tirade against her, “I do not recall being told about a seeress…”
“Seeress? Me? You’re kidding. I’m just a simple knight.”
“Pardon? A knight? You? Now you’re the one taking the jest too far.” He snapped before sighing, “But no matter, your time of judgment comes, seer. Look to the flames, and behold, the majesty that awaits. The salvation for mankind.” He gestured at the pavilion.
Sophie’s mind finally started to process the sounds around her as the ritual reached a crescendo. A dreadful noise echoed from the side and she turned to find the trolls were now both by different corpse piles, simply grabbing a random body and pulverising them into the ground, bone and all. Blood then flowed freely from the mutilated corpses and she could only despair at the indignity the dead were treated with. She fought back the urge to vomit once again as brain, guts, bones, and flesh splattered all over the town square, leaving splotches of bloodied messes everywhere as the blood trench now reached where the pavilion was. However, instead of crawling upwards like the suspended blood trails, she saw the fire growing more fierce and stretching to envelop the entire structure whilst giving off a far darker crimson glow. What the… they… the fire’s starting to look blood coloured. What the hells are they doing?
She watched with morbid fascination as each corpse defiled meant a slight increase in the intensity of the flame. Dark magic for sure, blood magic even. The ground then shook with a great force all around her. She leaned against the crystal for dear life as even some of the cultists were thrown to the ground by the sudden shockwave. Though stunned and a little disorientated, she finally felt it. The power hidden within the corrupted crystal was there and her repeated attempts to siphon from it had opened up the smallest of breeches within its defenses. Behind that, a reservoir of mana about the size of a small lake awaited her, she could feel the curious tendrils within lash out at the sudden intrusion as more spots and swirls pock marked the interior of the crystal. Appearing and disappearing with increasing frequency. Be it from the ritual or her meddling she did not know, all she knew was that she had to be fast.
A bright flash of light erupted from the flames and covered the cavern with an incandescent red glow for a brief moment. The flames now licked the top of the pavilion and Sophie recoiled at the light, her own eyes unprepared for the exposure and she found herself temporarily blinded. Staggering back slightly, she steadied herself with the crystal and could feel that very same reservoir being drained at a rapid pace. Without even being able to see, she forcefully willed herself to take in the mana no matter what. Focus.
The reservoir had broken and now flowed freely in two directions, towards the ritual and to her. Though the amount she could extract at any given time was far less than the ritual’s, for a single person, it was overwhelming. Like being dunked into a lake, she felt every single nerve within her body flood to the maximum with undiluted mana. Overwhelmed within the first few seconds, she struggled to hold on as her body spasmed and twisted with a multitude of sensations. Her whole being seemed to slip out of her own control and she dropped to the ground, caught in the throes of painful ecstasy. Her thoughts scrambled into mush as she opened her eyes once again, the blindness finally fading amidst her struggles, and within the pavilion now stood a small tear in reality. A portal…hnng, break… free… ugh.
Sophie finally managed to tear herself away from the crystal, simply crumpling onto her back as she could barely think. The cultists seemed concerned about her but they soon turned their attention to the portal. One final trickle of something flowed out of her and she bit down on her lip to stay silent, but between the ragged breathing and profuse sweating, she was finally able to regain something akin to control once more. Hnn… that… that felt incredible… but… I can’t stop shaking, I need to move or I’ll die. Goddess, that… I … I think I finally understand why… that was… that was intoxicating. I want more. I need… more.
Shaking herself out of her stupor, she forced her head to turn towards the pavilion. She squinted to make sure that what she was indeed real, and her eyes widened in horror. From within the portal, a singular figure clad head to toe in armour strode through the barrier between places. A single ominous metallic step clanked heavily against the ancient cobbles, then another as the figure slowly scanned the area in front of them
HIs armour was completely blackened, a few strange sigils and script carved all over it. Upon his head was a sleek but winged helm that shifted back and forth before stopping as their gaze landed on hers. Yellowed non inhumane like eyes gazed at her through the darkness of their helmet, and her entire being screamed for her to run as her eyes trailed down to the leathery scarf-like thing that was wrapped around their neck. It’s the… that’s the…
From behind it, she could vaguely make out what appeared to be shapes of a dozen more dark knights being buffeted by what seemed to be a blizzard. Between the snow, Sophie could make out their spiked armours similar to the winged knights, and that they were also covered with countless sigils, trinkets and trophies. With a gesture from the winged knight, the others marched on through one at a time in complete silence. Even the cultists seemed to not expect this as Sophie could see concern forming on the Direktor’s face. This could be bad, I can’t… can’t let them come through. I know their armour, it's from the nightmare. Her breath stilled, so what the hells are they doing here?
One of the knights, one without any markings on his armour besides the scratches and dents from battle, gave the Direktor a small nod, the old cultist hesitantly returning it.
“I didn’t expect such a crowd of illustrious guests.” The Direktor quietly quipped, “I would’ve thought the Tribune would frown on such… gatherings.” He chose his words carefully.
The unmarked knight seemed to ponder them for a moment before Sophie felt his aura turn from one of calm to one of malice. “There has been a change in plans.” His guttural, almost animalistic voice growled.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“O-oh.” Direktor Wallen let out a surprised gasp, “Right, of course. I also apologize for not preparing facilities for such a-”
“Appreciated but unnecessary. We received word, we march east once the legion assembles.” The knight cut him off.
“But the our orders-”
“Change in the chain of command. We're striking out on our own the Tribune is no longer in charge of us. We have found a greater purpose.” The knight declared coldly, almost reluctantly so.
The Direktor seemed dumbfounded and just nodded along, his hands nervously fidgeting behind his back. “So what would you have us do?” He bowed.
“Guide us to this place.” The knight commanded. He turned and snapped his armoured fingers, summoning another knight who presented a small frosted piece of paper.
The Direktor’s eyes looked through it and Sophie watched him frown as he pointed at it. “Gratia? I… I suppose that’s possible.”
The knight nodded, “Even for a hundred?”
“Of course." The Direktor agreed absently before doing a double take, "Wait, a hundred?! That’s quite a fair few to find ships for… Not to mention if you plan to somehow traverse using the land...”
Sophie zoned out and paled at the words being spoken. A hundred soldiers… they could devastate everything in the countryside if each is as well armed as these are. Almost every knight seemed to wield a pike of sorts, a squarish almost kite like shield, and some strange curved saber on their hips. Combined with their armour, Sophie doubted that any militia could stop them based on what she’d seen on her travels. Maybe the redcloaks, but even they’d struggle. No, I cannot allow this, whatever it is they planned, it has to stop here.
With renewed resolve, Sophie managed to throw off the jittering numbness that settled over her body and regained some control. Must, stop, plan. She wanted to chuckle at how ridiculous things have turned out, but time was of the essence. She slowly inched her way closer to the crystal, her body suddenly heating up as she felt the pangs of desire once more, the urge to bathe in another shower of mana. Slowly, gotta… move… slowly. She didn’t know why they all thought she had simply died or incapacitated by the sudden burst of light, but it worked to her advantage. She could feel the hum of the crystal somewhere next to her, almost within reach when she heard a sound that made her heart stop.
Someone shouted in a strange language but with the way it sounded aggressive and directed in her direction, she knew she had been made. Throwing caution to the wind, she leapt upwards and managed to grab ahold of the top of the crystal, hugging it desperately in the hopes that the height would buy her a few more seconds.
“Stop her!” The Direktor yelled from afar.
Sophie focused deep and reestablished her connection with the crystal. An instant jolt shook her body as the free flowing mana now had a target besides the portal, nearing sending Sophie over the edge once again as all her senses were pushed past their limits. Gritting her teeth, she focused just enough to try her second plan, to introduce a little bit of the void into the gem. She didn’t know how, but she clenched her eyes shut and tried to will every fiber of her being to intertwine itself with the flood of mana, to push through a little bit of her essence through the cascade.
Pain exploded from her leg, the single blow sending shudders throughout her entire being as her senses magnified the attack. Something had pierced her left leg and she cried out in pain. She almost lost her grip but clung on tightly, praying that her gambit would work. Perhaps, they were simply confirming something, but she could feel the vibrations in the air as someone reached up towards her, their hand exuding an unpleasant chill that indicated one of the knights. She tried to shrink away but couldn’t and she felt the icy cold gauntlets grip her arm. She fought back against the tug only to be suddenly ripped away from the crystal as the knight pulled. Her arm let out a sickening pop as pain shot through her once more, her face scraping against the ancient cobbles as the knight forcefully dragged her away.
“What’s going on?”
“Who is this?!”
“What did she do?”
Voices and words echoed all around her but pain was the only thing she could focus on. Determined to succeed, Sophie tried desperately to ignore her wounds and continue pushing energy into the crystal even from afar. Her concentration was broken when a sickening pop echoed from her now dislocated arm and the pain forced her eyes to open once more, only to find herself face to face with the winged knight. She could feel the fury and hatred radiating through the helmet from his eyes alone. But she also noticed how his skin seemed to be transitioning between normalcy and decay. What the?
The moment he seemed to realize that she was examining him as well, his own eyes widened and Sophie found herself soaring through the air as he simply launched her away from him. She slammed against a wall and almost had her brains simply splattered as more parts of her cracked under the impact, her head narrowly surviving as she felt blood trickle down the back of her head. Her ears rang loudly and she could barely hear the garbled words of the knights and cultists over the sound. Though her vision was blurry, she could make out the forms of the knights slowly approaching her and at least a dozen more still around the pavilion. Ah… damn. Dejected, she tried to stand up for one last fight only for her body to not respond. It took another few seconds before she realized she couldn’t move her body at all. No matter what she tried, her squishy form just laid there. Panicking, she tried to concentrate and guide the mana to repair what damage she had only to fail as the pounding in her head grew louder and louder. Not… yet… But as the edges of consciousness began to fade, she managed to steal one last glance at the knights only to find them illuminated by some strange blue light. Wait… I did it, I did it! Heh. Guess the void came through. She didn't know if she grinned or not, but a part of her felt quite satisfied when everything became engulfed in a bright blue explosion. As the light swallowed her whole, she felt a sense of nothingness before it all went dark.
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Thou hast done well
A familiar noise awoke her and she bolted back to reality only to instantly crumple with agony as her head smashed into something. Ow, ow. Confused, disorientated, and definitely should’ve been dead, she tried to move around only to find every little motion caused her muscles to swell with agony. Gah, shit… this hurts, everything hurts.
Calm, little one
There it is again, does that mean… Sophie’s eyes shot open only to find herself trapped by something in all directions. Her eyes settled on what looked to be a cracked stone when her mind pieced it together. I’m trapped. Whatever was behind me collapsed. I gotta get out of here.
Patience, learn to control it, to guide it
She found herself freezing up, the familiar sensation feeling almost strange as the words seemed to burrow themselves into her mind on their own accord.
Seek thine life, unburdened by the stars, the shackles you have set free
Shackles that I set free? Sophie was wildly confused but tried to think back, her mind returning to the crystal, the starstone. Of course! The mana! The moment the thought crossed her mind, she could once again feel that electrifying hum that made her body jitter. Closing her eyes once more she tried to push it towards her limbs. After a few moments however, she could feel nothing change and groaned as the aches weakened her once more.
Time flows undiluted, the process has already begun
The voice rumbled in her head. The process? Does that mean I'm already mending my wounds? But if it's at a natural rate that’ll take too long to heal! The moment she protested, she felt something reach deep into the recesses of her soul as if to admonish her.
The mind is an unending expanse, think beyond your mortal constraints
My mortal constraints?
Only now, surrounded by this abundant harvest, can you sever the bonds of reality, to bend the laws that stifle you
Sophie tried to think of what that would mean and still came up with nothing. She knew that it at least meant the mana, and that she needed to do something with it. Abundant harvest, that I get. Sever the bonds of reality, what would that be? She wracked her brain and only despaired when her understanding expanded no further. She felt a slight sense of shame in the same way that she used to experience when she was a maid. Those moments where she just didn’t know how to do something and was caught failing, the looks of disappointment from those around here etched forever into her mind.
Our time grows short, for soon the Gods will notice
She wondered if she had somehow disappointed it, that she had failed a test of sorts. Maybe it was only her mana addled brain doubting itself, but it was a feeling that she couldn’t easily shake off. Yet at the same time as she despaired, she found an odd sense of comfort in the emptiness within her. It was like a soothing pause to the chaotic melody of her life and she just let herself rest amidst the rubble.
Rest, for remember the adage
The adage? She tried to ask. There was a lapse in responses as silence reigned within her mind, the jitteriness she felt temporarily forgotten. Then, she felt it. Like something had uncoiled itself from within her, and despite being trapped between rubble, she felt almost as if she had been freed, opened up to the vast expanse of the stars.
Look to the stars and remember. In the nothingness…
The deep guttural rumbling in her mind seemed to pause, the words waiting for her to finish the phrase. She searched within her memory and recalled the words. Salvation.
At that, she felt what felt like her entire world shake before returning to normal. A great shadow had been lifted from her shoulders and left her with a lingering feeling, satisfaction. She had found her answer but still remained clueless on the process. So controlling the mana already kickstarted the healing process. But to utilize the rest of this excess to properly fix myself up enough… I wonder… Weary and tired, she closed her eyes and simply sighed before she embraced the darkness that followed. In the nothingness, salvation.