Chapter 5 - Soulmancer

~ thousand of miles away the Dunes ~

At the top of a heavily fortified tower was a room with very little furnishings. Placed on the North, South, East, and West directions were four windows that perfectly displayed the outside at a high vantage point. Facing out the east window one could see thousands of soldiers resting in scattered camps, training in various areas, or suiting up for the next battle. There was six men who stood around a circular table with a map that seemed to be of the immediate area spread out for the others to see. A man in his early forties with a hideous scar that ran down from the bottom of his hairline and tucked under his chin was pointing at various plots of land on the map and seemed to be in the middle of explaining a battle strategy when the table started to shake. Confused he looked around only to see the other confused looks of his trusted generals. The tower began to quiver and tremble as if it wanted to break.

"M,my king! Behind you!" The general opposite to the man with the hideous scar suddenly spoke up and everyone's gaze concentrated to the south window. It was first a small line almost like a string however it appeared to be way off in the distance. It stretched from the ground and pierced way off into the sky. The only way that everyone could've even noticed it was that is gave off an impressive amount of light nearly blinding them. Then, it grew from the size of a string to enough to cover the width of their window, but it didn't stop there it kept spreading as if it desired to devour the entire sky. It only stopped after it had blanketed everyone's view of the south's horizon. Some soldiers sat down in defeat, some just gazed in amazement, others ran trying to escape and be anywhere just not there. The king stood at the window with a face that had relief plastered over it the multicolored light seemed to have stopped spreading the sheer size and that terrifying energy that is gave off screamed of danger.

"Quick, find the source of that light. An unknown variable is undesirable as of right now." The king was the first to act as the light slowly dimmed and vanished. The generals saluted and left the room until it was just the king standing in the room alone. When the king made sure that all of the generals had left, he sighed and turned to look out the south window. He was reminded of the message the oracle had sent: 'When the light of heaven falls, pray whatever it was meant for falls as well.'

~ The Crescent ~

A huge curved crater carved the ground as water from the surrounding ocean filled it in slowly. The edges of the crater were vertical almost as if the land was hand carved. This was the area people once called the Dunes. Those who were outside the radius of the curtain of light saw it clearly carve out the once barren portion of the continent. Some who believed the light to be a test of their god jumped into willingly, but after they were disintegrated on the spot no one else wanted to prove their faith. Many speculations were going around such as they saw a man in blue robes being chased by a group in white and they were the cause of this, they saw a godly weapon that struck down into the land and that was the aftermath of it's collision, or a monster of unprecedented strength went on a rampage and the continent ended up in it's current state.

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However the size of the crater left much to be undiscovered such as on the southernmost tip of the crescent a half destroyed white dome with a slightly red exterior.

~ P.O.V. Of Engil ~

It was dark and cold. Everywhere I looked all I could find was more darkness. It seemed endless, could this be what death is like. I wish I brought a candle.

"Speak only what I want to know and nothing else. Why was that here?!?!!" A voice boomed throughout my dark surroundings making it hard to trace where it had came from. The voice brought with it a terrifying presence that dared to rip me to shreds if I didn't answer what it wanted.

"I, I am sorry I don't know what your king of hell means I just died recently and have no idea what it is you could want." Although terrified Engil raised his statement in protest. I die and then am blamed for something I have no idea about, what horrible luck.

"Speak less nonsense! You clearly said that the strongest people in this continent were only at the aura condensation level! However! Those three spells couldn't be completed without thousands of gallons of heavenly hydra blood, and thousands of experts in at least the soul merging stage! Speak now or I will grind your soul into my next meal!" The voice once again thundered into Engil's ears with many words he didn't understand. The voice was low and hard to put it to a face he has heard before, but it felt oddly familiar.

"Roen?"

"Could you please answer my questions this is really not helping anybody at the moment." A slightly resigned voice echoed out and Engil understood some of what was going on.

"I already told you what I know, and honestly I don't even know about half of what you said." After his words a sigh of resignation flowed into the surroundings.

"Come out." At those words Engil felt an overpowering force and his eyes adjusted to find himself looking over a vast expanse of water. He felt like his body was flying and carried no mass. As he began to examine his body all he could see was a semi transparent amorphous azure glow.

'This?! I was right i am dead.'

"You're not dead, idiot."

'Reading my thoughts! That's unfair!'

"Anyways I'm honestly surprised as well. To think you would keep your consciousness as a soul although I believe that sword is the cause it's still worthy of praise." As Engil turned around he saw Roen or more like what was left of him. They were both inside a hemisphere of white lumpy material that carried a red sheen to it, but Roen was sprawled on the ground with his red eyes bloodshot, missing half his face and both his left arm and leg, there were several other holes in his torso and a gapping hole right through the center of his chest. Oddly enough blood didn't seem to want to come out of any of his wounds.

"Ahhh~ this is quite painful now be a good servant and get me some food."

"I don't know how to tell you this, but food might not help in your condition. Might I suggest a great coffin making shop they'll be perfect."

"I didn't ask for your comments. I probably should have told you this sooner, but now's a perfect time. I am a soulmancer What that means is get me some souls. Preferably without a consciousness, unlike yourself, and bring them to me."

"And if I leave you to die."

"Obviously I'll devour your consciousness and form a new body around it. Duh."

"As I was saying one fresh plate full of souls picked just you my master coming up!" At that Engil turned around and left to find a tasty treat for his hungry captor.