Rage
Clarity swept through his mind banishing his fear.
Fear…
Had he fallen so low? He, he who would not fear trembled at the sight of… his mind turned blank. No more memories came, only mist. Mist that lets you forget. The gift of the King.
An iron bolt jabbed into his chest and bounced off, doing no damage.
Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies! Enemies!
Those he knew quite well.
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
That he did quite well.
All!
Blood dripped from the knife he held, it cut quite well.
A good knife, just like the one he once had.
Yet the blade begun to burn. It wailed and hissed inside his grip. It howled and screamed in pain until it broke. Not even dust remained inside his palm and the dark smoke perished along the blade.
How useless, he hoped for a better knife.
No matter. His fists would do. This body could put some weight behind its punches, and it moved so fast. Almost as if time itself stopped whenever he made a step.
A mountain of a man came swinging down his hammer, its head sprouting blood stained spikes.
And it fell so slow… almost frozen against the backdrop of the cloud covered sky. He swat the hammer aside then stepped in and kicked the man. The giant fell along a wall his body pierced through, killing all that hid behind.
Irritants… All frozen it time.
With a blink of his eyes, the rain began to fall once again, cleansing his blood smeared frame. And they stopped. Froze among the falling rain. Stopped, questioning their faith.
Good.
A woman, a mage, hid behind a staff as if that piece of polished wood could save her life. She wore nothing but a dark robe. Her face, plain and marred with fear. Her lips trembling…
The jungle came back to his mind. What did they call him back then? Yêu quái? That might have been the word. So long ago it has been.
Without rush, his feet carried him toward the paralyzed girl. Her fear, he could almost taste it. These eyes, they showed him her fear. Such tempting color…
Someone ran in between them. Annoying. He sunk his nails in the boy’s chest, they started to run. All but the girl fled. Just like they should.
Her lips trembled in a silent prayer.
He lifted his arm and extended his nails. At this angle, they would cut no worse than steel… and yet, his arm froze, held by a band of blazing light.
An alien will restrain his limb. Another annoyance.
Leave, it ordered without a single word.
“Piss…”
Pain of melting marrow ripped through his bones, flattening him on the ground as if a giant squashed him under his foot.
“Have you no ears? I said, piss off!”
Rage muttered, pressed into the ground. More pain came. Suffocating, blinding pain of his entire being consumed by flames. Good. He knew how to handle pain. One ought to remove the source of pain.
He pushed himself up to his knees then worked his nails underneath the metal band, digging into flesh of his own wrist as the pain ate at his body. Good. Pain was good. It made him conscious. It made him aware. It made him free.
Earth and heaves broke in two halves when he pulled apart the burning band. It stretched, it shrieked, and it snapped breaking the world around him. For a moment, night and day, fire and ice, light and darkness, time and abyss became one and even his very own soul shredded and stitched itself over and over in half, until he tossed away that accursed metal band.
But it never touched the ground. As it left his palm, the metal formed itself into a staff and everything stopped. Time, space, life, his hearts. Everything came to a stop. Everything aside his consciousness. In that everlasting stillness, the staff floated towards him. His unmoving eyes registered it stopping an inch from his face.
You dare?
Whatever asked did not wait for his mind to fathom an answer. The Lantern lowered itself, just enough for its tip to touch the ground. Force as if the weight of entire universe smashed him into the muck, engulfing world in darkness as it pulled the light apart.
Leave.
Once more it ordered.
He might had seen the eyes of death but this… this… he dared not to fuck with that.
***
Galen Vesa
Now, I have had my share of unusual mornings, waking up in places I had no recollection of. Sans underwear, most of the time but this, this had to be a first, I give it that.
Last I remember, we were running away. I think I fainted while we were going splat. At least Cora did vent splat. If I were to guess, her blood was still dripping off my ass but… Where the heck is this and, why am I singing?
Not that I was allowed to ask. My left arm held a death grip over most likely culprit of all that. Burning brighter than sun, the lantern floated on my left side while my body sang.
I could just wait and watch as my voice called to life the song of dead while my own body ignored my presence. As if I stood beside someone else and watch some magnificent performance. It sounded so much better than when I sang that.
And so much more powerful.
The air around me felt ripe with mana while undescribed power pulsed inside the chamber I stood in. ripples in time and space spread from within my lantern and bounced off the stone walls to return with magnified strength and focus somewhere within the ginormous crystal globe that spun before me.
And it cracked.
Billions of razor-sharp shards rushed out of the exploding globe, pulverizing everything in their path, propelled by forces so powerful even the monstrous mana hiding within me shivered with terror. Had not the lantern chosen to shield me, I would perish along the room that suddenly vanished from my view.
When the dust settled and my song came to an end, I found myself gazing at a starry sky while puffs of golden dust danced before me. It took a moment, but the soul regained her form and with tears of joy tossed herself at me.
Warm… so warm.
Her arms cast around my neck spread odd warmth through my body while I felt her tears drip on my skin.
Thank you, thank you…
At last, she let go of me and composed herself.
“Lib…”
Her finger closed my lips as she shook her head.
Anaea.
My arm moved on its own, bringing the tip of my staff on the girl’s forehead. At once, glowing purple runes began to surface all over her body and one by one, sizzle away and fall off. Whatever their blasphemous meaning might been, whoever ruled over my gift of tongues, barred me from deciphering it.
Freed of the curse binding her to this place, the soul smiled, bowed before me and vanished in a cloud of golden dust. Well, something told me, she was not bowing before me but rather before someone worth such an honor. Perhaps someone standing behind me?
And that uncomfortable gaze…
I had many odd things happen to me but, right this moment it felt as if the lantern stared at me, judging. Whatever choice it made, it seemed I was deemed useful, at least for the time being since it shrunk again and returned to its usual place around my wrist.
My body returned to me with a woosh of vanishing power. Without that support, I collapsed upon myself as if all my bones were ground to dust and my muscles were beaten to mush.
“Bravo! Bravo! What a splendid performance!”
The one I despised stood above me, applauding me.
“Begone…”
“Now, now mister whabbit. Do not be so rash in your judgment. I just came to congratulate you upon your achievement before it will get crowded again.”
My eyelids seemed to be the only part of my body that felt like working at the moment, so I closed my eyes trying to ignore her. My water ring already spread its magic so perhaps in a few minutes I could move again.
“Oy, don’t ignore me. It’s no fun if I talk to myself.”
She sat beside me, poking my cheek with her finger.
“Oy…”
“What do you want?”
“Congratulate you, what else? As they say, a wrong man in a right place makes all the difference… or something like that. Anyway, since you got rid of that man, you may want to lay law for a while, practice that massage skills of yours... “
“What do you mean?”
“Ho hum, mister whabbit does not know? They did not tell you. Ho hum… Perhaps it would be wise to start asking questions, mister whabbit? About those weird holes in your memory... But what do I know, mister whabbit is mister whabbit. He does what he wants.”
“They?”
“Ah, look at the time…”
She vanished just when Fire rained down from the sky in a pillar of power and flames.
“Who did this?”
The queen of eternal flames trembled with rage. Unable to contain her emotions, her body flickered in and out of existence.
“Who did this!?”
A wave of power escaped her, vaporizing the tower and its nearest vicinity, leveling many of faraway buildings.
“Later…”
My body hung limp in her arms.
“There were people with me earlier. Did they managed to leave the island?”
“…Yes. ”
“Good. There is… evil underneath us.”
No other world could fit the revolting presence I felt underneath us.
“Burn it.”
Her eyes grew bigger, her anger gone in a puff.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Burn it. Cleanse it with your fire. As for the price…”
Her lips closed over mine, sucking my mana out. That works too.
She paused, he lips reluctantly parted from mine, greed mixed with concern in her eyes. She wished not to follow in wind’s footsteps.
“As long as you get rid of that, I don’t mind.”
Our bodies became one and we burned.
Burned until not even dust remained of that accursed place, burned until her flame consumed my consciousness.
***
Galen Vesa
“You’re late.”
Voice of darkness welcomed me with a subtle tone of irritation. Cannot say I remember making any appointments with darkness… on the other hand, my head still felt rather empty after what we did with Fire.
“Are you daft or something? How much longer do you plan on making me wait?”
What a bossy voice for a hallucination…
Something grabbed my ankle and hung me up in the air, bringing my face towards an intricate embroidery that covered the entire chest of a… man? Perhaps a beast would be more appropriate.
Clad in light green robe, adorned by golden embroidery of a tree with myriad leaves and branches, a monster stood with a lantern held on a chain in one hand and the other hand locked around my ankle.
The creature, the only thing I could see in this darkness, topped eight feet, nine if I would add the length of its ears twitching at the top of its animal head. It had…
“Despicable creature, I am not ~It~ and you are being disrespectful.”
With a flick of his wrist he swooshed my body like a whip and my face slammed into something hard enough to make my nose bleed.
“At all times you shall address me as master or preferably teacher. Did that reached your fractured mind, or should I help it sink in?”
“There is no need… master.”
If I could, I would cringe at my own voice. Cora would be so proud of my tone.
“It seems there is some capacity in that bird brain of yours. Perhaps it may not be such a fruitless chore as I expected however, I have vowed to take care of one and not of a whole legion…”
His hand left my ankle with such a speed that gravity had no chance to claim me before his grip once more captured my leg. Faster than even my eyes could follow, his palm slapped my chest.
I though my insides exploded out of my back given the recoil I felt but to my own surprise, instead of my guts, a crowd of unconscious people littered the darkness behind me. Like a cherry on top of a cake, Erta’s bum poked out of the heap of bodies, a pile stretching beyond what I could see.
“I shall be taking this one, as per our agreement.”
He waved my body like a piece of poultry.
So shall it be.
My bracelet flashed in agreement and detached itself from my wrist. Taking the shape of a staff, the lantern watched me intently. However illogical it seemed; I knew what I felt. A gaze full of regret.
Where have I seen that? I could swear someone looked at me with such eyes…
Darkness vanished in a blaze of light and my ears were filled once more with melody of life brought by a warm breeze. Familiar scents of moss and grass tickled my nose, where…
Rough walls cut in stone enclosed a familiar space. A ray of light fell on my face through a hole in the celling. No handholds were fashioned as of yet inside the wall and the entrance had no grate to bar it from the dead, but I knew this place. The stone, I have been here before. Why of all the places…
Earth hugged me with a thud of dropped sack of taters.
“Come.”
With a burning handprint wrapped around my ankle, I limped behind this… person. Out in the sunlight his frame looked even grander, nine burly feet of well tone muscles hidden underneath a silken robe, moving with a grace of a noble. I am no expert of proper manners or etiquette but what the wolf had beaten into my skull testified that this man would fit with ease in emperor’s chambers. Perhaps he was one?
“Do not group me with those turd eaters, birdbrain.”
“I apologize, master.”
He stopped, his unblinking eyes piercing through my bare flesh.
“I have changed my mind. You shall not address me at all, birdbrain. Your tone disgusts me.”
A line of runes flashed into existence around my throat and tightened itself around my neck to form a collar. With a twist of his finger, the man added a bow to it and a bell that spread a sinister purple glow, crowned this collar.
I tried to speak, yet instead of my voice only a feeble jingle came out of the bell.
“Useless… even that level of magic… must I suffer another failure?”
If I ever saw disappointment, his tired eyes were full of it.
“Yes… you are a disappointment. A disgrace. A worm. A result of meddling. A mindless pawn… and my punishment for I must do what I swore…”
His tail lashed out and swished in rage.
“…follow this road and we may find a use for you, birdbrain. Veer off this path and that collar shall take off your head. There is a river along the way. cleanse yourself in it. You reek. “
To that extent I saw him. After he uttered his words, wishing upon my rapid demise, he vanished into thin air.
Just what on earth…
Erta?
Nothing but wind swooshing through the moors would answer my call. My mind felt empty and devoid of all chatter. Did that really happen? Did he have the strength to banish all the voices?
How?
Even the shit stick had abandoned me. Did I hallucinate or had it spoken when it detached itself from me?
I tugged at the bell and pain made my hand jerk away in fear. Sure enough, there was blood coming off all around this collar. I dared not to move until my water ring fixed whatever was causing me pain.
Rule number one, no touching. Got it.
Accompanied by chirping life of the moors, I hugged my pillows and limped on. The prospect of running water becoming more and more tempting as sun roasted the gore covering my body.
My body?
Yeah, well. That is kind of questionable as of late…
Hello? Anybody?
Not a single voice to keep me company. How can people stand it? This emptiness, this… vast lonesome void. Nothing but my own thoughts. For some reason even the ever-present bugs avoided me and gathered a distance away.
Just what happened for me to end up here? Why here of all places? Is there a meaning to this place? Why do I keep on coming here over and over? And, just when is this?
Yes, the most troubling question that roamed my mind. When?
My legs hauled me over the now familiar hill from the top of which walls of Everooth should welcome me. Only… hmm, well, that ain’t Kansas. Nor Everooth. Not even a city.
The island shape felt familiar and I recognized the sandy spot where this road would cross over the whispering river but, since when did a forest grew around Everooth?
Not that I could spot the city itself. Not even the bridge. Nothing apart this sandy road that lead me towards the riverbank testified that there might be a settlement among those trees.
One thing at a time.
It took me well past noon to limp over to the end of my road on this side of the river and after taking few steps into water, I let myself gracefully fall in. Ah, the blissful embrace of cold, crystal clear stream. Well it took a moment for the water to clear around me but when it did, I just rolled myself on my back and gazed upon the sky, filtered by a foot or two of water.
I had no idea I was this tired.
Day turned into night without me noticing and twinkling stars replaced the azure of the havens. And it felt so peaceful in her kingdom. Might make one forgetful of his very own human nature. And humans were not meant to sleep with the fishes. That thought forced me back up to the surface, much to the displeasure of a shoal of small goldfish that mistook my floating hair for some water weed.
While water did cleanse my body, I did give myself an obligatory scrub.
“I see you have wakened.”
Voice of whispering streams spoke behind my back as I tried to subdue my dripping mane. Queen of waters came out of the parting waves, followed by her entourage.
“How peculiar… Should I know you child? One who bears my name. I do not recall binding myself to anyone. Who are you child?”
Instead of my lips, my ring answered with a muffled chime.
“Is that his doing?”
Water looked upon my collar then gazed deep into the woods as if already knowing the answer.
“Come, let us pay him a visit.”
I felt her power wash over me and fabric tightening over my skin. Her maids made a place among their ranks and soon I found myself following my queen in a procession among the trees, dressed as one of her maids and holding the spirit flames as we marched through the darkness.
First time in my life, I did not seem out of place.
On second thought, I might prefer something less breezy. The spirit robes as beautiful and comfortable as they were, felt as if wearing the wind itself. A maid walking to my left giggled and sent me a playful wink. Perhaps that was the idea behind this dress? Eh. And here I thought I might belong somewhere… Definitely not the thoughts I should be having. I might be losing more marbles with each step. Eh.
And the forest swayed.
So dark, so beautiful. People fear dark abandoned places like this, but I could not deny its beauty. Moss covered trees with entwined branches made way for the Queen and shining blue grass spread its carpet underneath her feet. Fireflies dancing among the trees hummed a song praising her charms. High above us, sister moon opened her eye while songbirds of the night joined the chorus.
Water walked, flowing over the glimmering path, stealing glances at me every few steps. Her name burned within me with a longing I could not understand and yet, I could not call her.
To the sounds of tambourines, drums and castanets we went dancing through the night, dancing our way before the Queen.
Swayed by the enchanted music, our bodies drifted along with the tune. I had never danced in my entire life and yet, this body knew. My hips matched those of the other maids, our legs and arms moved in unison. We danced as if there was no tomorrow.
“How did I sin to earn this fickle honor of having you here, Queen of the meddlesome?”
Tired and almost annoyed voice shattered the song and we froze among the grass covering a small clearing where someone cut down the trees and cobbled up a house. The owner of said house sat on a bench overlooking a herb garden, a pipe in his palm and smoke rushing from his beastly nostrils.
“Never the gentleman, Rooth. Last of his kin. I see time and change had all but forsaken you?”
“May you dry up along all your wretched children. ”
“Ah yes, your legendary hospitality. Tell me o humble one, why do you meddle with what is mine?”
“Ha, if you think so then you must have gone senile ahead of me…”
Water stepped aside exposing me.
“Then explain to me why this child bears my name while I know nothing of her.”
“Bogus!”
“Then see for yourself o wise one.”
All the gathered maids chittered as one to a joke that eluded me. Although I did see the crimson fog gather about him.
“I see nothing but a birdbrain!”
“Calm yourself my dear, anger does not serve your heart.”
A woman’s body appeared. Taking shape from golden mist, she placed her palm on the giant’s shoulder. For some unknown reason, all the spirits, including their Queen, bend their knees and kowtowed before the one that arrived.
She spoke in their tongue, addressing each by their name, true name. Whatever she spoke was barred before me. My gift had disobeyed me again. The spirits vanished the moment she spoke her last word.
“Rooth, be so kind and make us some tea.”
Grumbling, he put out his pipe and trudged into his house while the being of golden light remained by my side. Whatever her true shapes were, my eyes would not focus upon her.
“Forgive me Karin, I am being impolite.”
Her body collapsed into a reflection of mine and she sat on the empty bench then pat the open spot next to her.
“Do not be afraid, I will you no harm.”
Afraid? No, I was not. Perhaps puzzled. She looked as if I were gazing into a mirror. I really need to find a way to fortify my mind. Having random people and entities read it as an open book can become troublesome in the long run.
I took her upon her invitation and sat, she used it to join her arm with mine, our fingers entwined.
“I do not need to read your mind to know your name since I had given you it ahead of time. Nor do I need to read it to know what troubles your heart. ”
Her fingers dug a little bit into my palm, her face put on a mask of worry. So that how I would look like…
“Again, I must apologize. So much blame we are to shoulder… So much went astray…”
Well, I certainly did not want to be spirited away into this madness, but gods be my witness if she’s going to tell me I am a chosen one…
“No. You are not the one. You never been and you will never become the one. Your fate…”
Oh, yea, I’m going to die a horrible death or something like that. On the other hand, no daemon king slaying and no world saving quests. Yay, me.
Hey, don’t stare at me like that I’m just a broken guy not some isekai diehard. And haven’t you said you won’t read my mind?
My bell jingled to confirm that.
“Ooops.”
She smiled. Such a warm smile. I wonder, would I ever be able to smile like that?
Rooth came back with a silver tray that held two porcelain teacups.
“Thank you.”
She sipped; I followed her example. The tea turned out fine. Exquisite even. Stars twinkled over our heads.
“Magnificent is this world, is it not?”
Maybe? I had not seen enough of the good side to call it that.
“You may not be the chosen one, but your power is still a considerable... unknown. There are those that may wish to use that and there are those that do not approve of that. There are also those that would try to remove you for what you are, had they known where you are. ”
And you what you are? A god? A devil?
“That you shall know in your due time but that is not now. For now I shall leave you in your tutor’s arms.”
A tutor. That’s a name I had not heard in a while. Still, why would I need a tutor? Especially right now when all I want is to be left alone.
Now I think is a good time to sigh. Well, my fake, lame ass sighs would fool no one so instead I stared into her eyes and asked.
What’s the real point here?
I flicked the bell with my finger, sending jingles through the night.
I've been detained and locked up enough times to recognize a prison for what it is and this thing feels pretty much like handcuffs to me. Please, I’d like to hear the truth for once. If that’s beyond you, whoever you are, you can dispose of me whichever way you want but know I will resist however I can. I have grown weary of being played for a fool.
“The truth… “
Oh gods, I should have been taking notes when she sighed. I had no idea my body could do that.
“The truth is you have slain a lord along with several of his high ranked lieutenants. Then you had a spirit, obliterate an entire island, killing whoever else remained. While we are at it, the said spirit sunk nine ships, killing more than a thousand people in your name…”
I don’t think I heard anything else after that. My mind locked itself around what she just told me, replaying her words over and over…
“Karin?”
Our eyes met. I… I had seen and done things I’d rather forget but… not even in my most drugged out, overmedicated state had I harmed anyone aside myself. Never.
“Is this truth not to your liking? Or perhaps you would like to see for yourself?”
Something like a screen appeared before my eyes, there a tragedy unfolded. I saw myself standing in the rain. I saw my own bloody eyes. I saw…
I did not kill that mam. I've butchered him.
No man should die like that.
What I saw… I saw… Rage. Yes, he could move like that. Did he? How did I know that?
My arm hurt. It burned. Burned where my knife cut. Burned where they poked me with needles…
They? Me? I should run, run from the mist…
Then everything vanished when she cupped my hand in her palms.
“Karin, look at me. While I am detaining you here for now, I am not your enemy. The one from beyond the gate will seek you out. By others scheming, your own free will or by a twist of fate, you did thwart their plans trice and trice you did slip through their snares. The one from beyond will not forget that.”
“Pitiful day it would be for all of us, would you fail to protect yourself. What you carry within you, what blooms within your soul, must be kept secret at all cost.”
“Yet, you are too weak to protect yourself. Part of you understood you would not live the night.”
So, they sent Rage…
“Yes.”
Gods… it fit. I did not need Logic to tell me. It fit so well.
I want to speak with him.
“That is ill advised.”
You present yourself as my benefactor. Help me believe your story. Take me to him.
And the world once more became one of darkness. In that darkness a solitary table stood amid nowhere. Behind that table sat a man, drinking poison from a tinted glass.
Among all the voices, Rage never stood out.
“Piss off.”
Perhaps his attitude could be blamed for that. Nevertheless, I took the empty chair at his table.
“You’ve been out.”
His hand paused for a moment before he emptied his glass in one single quaff.
“Piss off.”
His face swollen, his nose crooked and bashed. As if it stopped a bowling ball.
“Piss… off…”
He seethed through his teeth, blood dripping from his mauled lip. Some of his fingers were bent at odd angles while his entire left arm hanged lifeless.
“You know your charms don’t work on me.”
He shut up and took another swig.
“I know you’ve been out. Tell me, this was not the first time?”
“No.”
“When?”
“A while ago. On a ship. They stabbed our heart; I took out sixty-nine before they found a chain strong enough. They got scared of something they found and tossed us out.”
Took out… as if…
“When else? After the fire at the guild house?”
He nudged his head and drank.
“The village?”
“No. Some bandits jumped us. We lost our pants, they…”
He shrugged his arms.
“…they were trash.”
“Before we came here…”
“An alley on the way home, nine targets. Before that, behind a bar, four. Before that…”
“…A rapist was found dead inside a park his head was twisted all the way back.”
Rage lift his glass in a salute.
“A good one, he got in one punch. We waited a whole night.”
“Before that?”
“Many. There were many targets before that.”
“…How? I do not remember any of that.”
“You are not the first and won’t be the last.”
“What do you mean?”
He glared at me, pity burning in his eyes. Emptying his glass, he set it before me and reached for his bottle. At this moment very moment the one using my reflection appeared and covered my glass with her palm.
“No. You had heard enough.”
Rage looked her in the eyes and tilted his bottle, spilling the vile liquor all over her palm.
“Piss off, both of you.”