Chapter Forty Nine: Turned Away From It All Like a Blind Man
Fourth Tower Year 4776, 4.6.2
The Ruined Continent of Sett
Cilis Enclave
“He went into the desert many years ago. No one has heard from him in all that time. You must know what that means, Rynan.”
The severe-looking, pale-skinned elf glowered at Rynan.
“Why have you come back? What do you hope to gain? There is nothing here for you, Rynan Riverwall, Witch of the Void, or whatever you call yourself now. You abandoned your teacher, and now he is gone. I don’t know why you have come this far, but there is nothing for you here.”
Marc was taken aback by the abrasive greeting from Machi, the head of the Path Monastery.
They had arrived in Cilis several days earlier, only to find a depressing and almost frightening place. They also had encountered a big problem.
Kira was not working.
From the moment he set foot on the white sands of Sett, Marc’s interface would not respond to him.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He could use his abilities and skills. The visual aspects of his ability still functioned and responded to his commands, but Kira was missing.
When they had a chance, Marc opened a portal, and, to his great relief, was able to enter the pocket dimension with no problem.
Enpii met him as soon as he came in with a concerned look.
“Aloysius is gone. He just disappeared a short while ago. We have called out for him, or Kira, but there is no response at all. What is happening?”
Marc shook his head.
“I don’t know. She won’t respond to me.”
“What? Since when? Are we safe inside here?”
“Since we landed. I’m making a guess that it might be something to do with the sand, or the land in general. She was with us on the island, but since we came ashore, I can’t reach her. For now, you should be okay. My abilities still work, although everything you asked Aloysius to do, you’ll need to ask me.”
He was concerned that there might be more problems, but for now, there wasn’t anywhere safe to unload the party.
“Stay here for now. I’ll try to find a place you can come out. In the meantime, do you need anything?”
“We’ll need food and water.”
Marc nodded. They had emergency rations and supplies for just this type of scenario. He pulled them out of his inventory and left them by the kitchen.
“I’ll check in on you regularly. Keep an eye out for anything strange.”
Enpii looked concerned, but it was obvious that he trusted Marc.
They spent just a couple of nights in Cilis. It was hardly a city at all. Marc learned that this entire area was once a large island off the shore of the mainland, similar to the outpost, but closer in to the land. It was supposedly the refuge where Li’Arr and the other slaves were hiding when the Cataclysm occurred.
Over the millennia, however, the sands of the continent, blown by the winds, spread the shoreline away from the mainland. With each year, the sands got closer until they merged and now overwhelmed the land. Already, it was nearly impossible to grow crops here, and the land, along with the people, was slowly dying out. Perhaps in another thousand years, there would be nothing left but the sand.
After questioning the locals, only one option remained. Since Rynan had last been here, most of the residents had already left for other countries. All that remained of the caravans that searched the desert, and the pilgrims and adherents of the teachings of the Path, were holed up in the old monastery.
The island that once occupied this place was a volcanic island. What remained was a gigantic cliff of granite, perhaps millions of years old, jutting up hundreds of meters out of the sand. At the base of the mountain was the old monastery. Founded by Li’Arr, it was where he started things after the Cataclysm and it had become the last refuge of the remnants of the original adherents and followers.
Marc, accompanied by Rynan and Lehdze, the only other member in the party to have set foot on Sett, walked up the old, cracked road to the monastery, in hopes of meeting someone who could lead them to the Great Li’Arr.
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“Machi, we are not here to talk about old times. We have come to speak to the Teacher. This is regarding the Perkana.”
Upon hearing that name, Machi paled. That was a difficult feat, considering her skin was already nearly translucent.
Machi was an Elf. She was of indeterminate age, and she was the caretaker and leader of the first, and last, monastery of the Path. She was also not a fan of Rynan, or anyone accompanying her.
“What do you know of the Perkana?”
“We have come here with the decedents of that family. We had hoped that Li’Arr… The Great Teacher, who had knowledge of that family, would be able to help us with a problem,” Marc spoke, trying to defuse the volatile situation.
It did not appear to have the effect he had hoped. Machi looked like she was about to explode.
Then, as quickly as her temper had ignited, it vanished. Her calm and controlled demeanor returned, but was laced with an icy edge that made Marc shiver.
“I have been here, taking care of this place, for over a century. While the teacher scoured the desert, he left me here to watch over the students who gathered in this place. When he returned, I kept those who remained here safe and healthy, even as the sands swept every village into the sea. Now, only a handful of us remain. Soon, there will be none.”
Marc could hardly breathe; the tension hidden deep in her words cut like a knife.
“One day, the Teacher announced that he was going into the desert. He foretold that he would not return. He apologized, and then he was gone.”
Rynan nodded. She knew that this was the truth. That behavior was well within the character of the teacher she had both revered and abandoned.
“As he walked out, he said one thing to me. Do you know what it was? After everything I did. After all these years of following him. Do you know what his last words to me were?”
Marc felt compelled to say something, but he feared what her reaction would be.
“Thank you?”
Everyone knows the saying, “If looks could kill,” At that moment, Marc learned a new skill. There was no pop-up message or announcement. But he was certain that he now understood perfectly how to instantly end the life of another person, just by looking at them. Machi taught him that look.
“Sorry, Machi. If Perkana comes, Take him to the Reliquary, would you?”
Each word was a bullet to the center of his skull.
“Sorry, Machi. If Perkana comes, Take him to the Reliquary, would you? That was his last request; those were his last words to me. His final wisdom. Sorry, Machi. If Perkana comes, Take him to the Reliquary, would you?”
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The reliquary was a series of rooms, cut directly into the granite mountain. They took a path up from the village, climbing to the base of the sheer cliff face. A large archway was carved into the stone, and at the center was a doorway, three meters high, and nearly as wide. The was no door blocking the entrance, but it was clear of sand. This place must be regularly maintained to keep it from disappearing under the white sands that surrounded everything.
“Each year, it gets harder. The sand continues to rise. Maybe in another thousand years, this place will finally join the rest of the continent. As will this monastery, and Sett will remain a lifeless scar until the next age, and maybe the next.”
Inside the doorway was a tunnel. Cut with perfectly smooth walls, the tunnel was constructed with sharp turns every few meters. Marc realized that these were baffles to keep out the sand. This place was built after the sand had encroached on the island then. Then, they knew that time for this place was limited. Marc wondered what the plan was when this place could no longer be maintained.
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Finally, they entered a large circular room. In the center of the room was the statue of a person.
“Li’Arr,” Rynan whispered. “He really is gone then.”
“Why do you say that?” Marc asked.
“He would never have allowed that statue while he was still alive.”
They both looked to Machi. Was there an explanation for this image of the great teacher?
“In fact, Rynan, it was the Great teacher himself who commissioned this statue.”
“Preposterous. He would never…” Rynan stated at the statue for a moment in silence. Looking into the face of her own estranged teacher.
“Machi, Why? Why was this statue made?”
“We don’t know. We all asked him many times. He would never tell us. He only answered with the same phrase every time. Whether it was a riddle, or a prophecy, or madness, no one could ever decipher it.”
“What di-“
“So that he will recognize and understand.”
“What?” Rynan said, looking confused.
“What kind of riddle is that?” Ledhze grumbled.
“So that he will recognize and understand,” Machi repeated. “That’s what he said, word for word, every time.”
It was strange, but they were not here for this statue.
“Where are the relics?” Marc demanded.
“I have brought you here, but before I continue, I must have proof.”
“Proof? Of what?” Rynan snapped.
Marc was getting concerned by her impatience and antagonistic attitude toward Machi.
“Proof that this is the time, and that you are the one. Rynan, I am not the judge of this moment, so I cannot deny you entry. But I cannot grant it to you either.”
“A test!” Lehdze piped up. “There is a test.”
“Nothing so grand. I am just doing as I was instructed. I was told to bring any of the House Perkana here, to this room.”
“Where are the relics?” Lehdze was shuffling around the room.
Marc looked around, but he saw no tables, and no displays. The curved walls of the room were perfectly smooth.
“There are none.”
“How can you have a reliquary with no relics?” Marc asked incredulously. He needed to ask Kira. She could scan the area. Maybe it was hidden, like Isabella’s hidden library.
But she was still frozen in the pocket…
“You were told to bring the Perkana here?”
Machi nodded.
Marc gave a look to Rynan, who nodded her agreement.
He opened the portal right beside the statue. Then stepped through as Machi watched with a shocked expression.
A moment later, he emerged again, but this time he was accompanied by Enpii, Hee-ssu, and finally, Mumay, holding a sleeping Beth in her arms.
At first, nothing happened. Then, gradually, a section of the wall opposite the entrance just evaporated.
“It’s true…” a stunned Machi whispered.
Enpii, have you ever seen that Juujin before?
Enpii, still confused as to what was happening, walked over to examine the statue closely.
Turning to Marc, he shook his head.
“No, I’ve never seen him before. Who is he?”
“That is the Great Li’Arr, the founder of the Path philosophy, and apparently a big fan of one of your ancestors.”
Enpii just gave Marc a look as though that story could not possibly be true.
“It would seem that he made this place just for you. That being the case, I guess you should have the honor.”
Marc gestured to the newly opened doorway.
Enpii looked around. Rynan nodded her agreement, while Machi just stood there with a look of disbelief on her face.
“If you don’t go, I’ll do it.” Lehdze volunteered.
Mumay stood beside Enpii and nudged him toward the doorway, then followed him through.
The entire group followed behind, Machi came through last, still shocked by the sudden appearance of an entire party, including a small child.
Whatever was powering the lights in the statue room, was also illuminating this room, which was just as large. This time, instead of a statue in the center, there was a granite stone table. The table was round, just like the room they were in.
On the table were three items: a sword, a large jewel, and a book.
Enpii just stood there, standing in front of the table. Mumay, however, walked over to the look at the items from close up.
With practiced ease, she picked up the book with one hand, while still holding the sleeping child, cradled on her shoulder.
Thumbing through a few pages, she put it down disappointedly.
“It’s in a language I can’t read.” She told Enpii apologetically.
“Mistress, if I may?” Lehdze was staring greedily at the book.
Mumay looked at Enpii, then Marc. Neither of them seemed to know what to do, so she nodded at the old librarian.
“Fascinating. What a treasure!” The old man exclaimed after examining the book for a few minutes,
Minutes passed as they all watched as Ledhze continued to read on, occasionally mumbling or even cackling in glee.
Finally, Marc had enough.
“Lehdze! What is it?”
Hearing his own name seemed to jolt the old man out of his world.
He set the book down gently.
“It’s remarkable. This record… I have never even heard of its existence. It is a family legacy. The House Perkana. That book was carried by the family through the generations. It appears to tell the story of the origin of the line, as well as the secrets that the family held. It dates back to before the time of the Altairan Empire. Back when the Perkana were simply low-level nobility.”
“Does it say anything about the Travelers? Anything about an illness?”
Picking the book back up again, the scholar scanned through the book until he found a section that he was looking for.
“Yes! Indeed. They claim to have a lineage that started with a Traveler. The Abdicator. They wrote that their ancestor indeed forsook the power of his race… He became a mortal and… passed away.”
“Is that all? Is there anything written about the legacy?”
Lehdze seemed annoyed to be ordered around, but was so excited by what he was reading that he shrugged it off.
“Yes. The illness appears in those who share a great affinity with the progenitor of the family. I assume, that means they still retain some connection to his Traveler origin… At first, they lost several children in each generation, and considered it a curse… Then…”
Enpii put with arm around his wife and held her and his daughter close.
“They were given a device. It doesn’t say by whom. Just that it was a gift from a benefactor, the device could be used to treat children who were encumbered… In fact, those who were treated gained great esteem within the family. They became the leaders due to having strong minds, and great affinity with magic.”
Quickly scanning the following pages, Lehdze finally looked up. He looked at Mumay, and gave her a warm smile. It was the most sincere look Marc had seen from the man in all the time he had known him.
“It’s all here. The instructions on how to use it. The treatment. It’s clearly spelled out. The little one… She will be fine. No, She will be fantastic.”
Mumay started bawling like a child. Enpii was burying his own face in his family’s embrace, as the tension in the room turned into a warm feeling of relief.
Hee-ssu, who had been silent so far, spoke up from the back.
“What about the device? Do we need to find it?”
Lehdze pointed at the jewel on the table.
“From the description in the book. It must be that crystal. I can’t be sure, yet, but I can’t imagine it is anything else.”
Hee-ssu moved to the table to examine the large jewel. Cautious not to touch it, she leaned in closely to examine it.
Marc looked at Rynan, who was smiling. This was far easier than they had expected it to be. Frankly, they almost lost hope when they found out that the Founder was gone.
Marc couldn’t help but smile as well. Things had turned out as he had hoped. They all had arrived safely, and found a treatment for Beth. He couldn’t wait to get out of range of the sand or whatever was causing interference with Kira. She would be able to analyze the device and instructions to confirm the information in the book. Hopefully, before long, Beth would be as good as new, or even better. Perhaps the legacy meant that Beth was destined for greatness in this world, just as her ancestors.
Then Marc’s eye caught on the last object on the table. It was a strange thing to be grouped with the other two, and didn’t appear to be related. He wondered what it was, and what purpose it served being here.
He reached down to pick up the sword to examine it just as Rynan yelled out a warning.
“Marc, wait! Don-“
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The white space he found himself in was familiar. By now, he had experienced many forms of pocket dimensions. The lack of direction and substance no longer caused him any disorientation or discomfort, it was as familiar as it was disturbing.
This was not the same as his own pocket dimension, however. He had no sense of control.
“Kira?“
He knew instinctively that there was no answer forthcoming. This place was not his to command. He was alone, and nothing here would respond to his desires.
Reaching out with his hand, he tried to open a portal to his own pocket dimension.
Nothing.
He tried to reach into his inventory.
Nothing.
He tried to fill his hand with water; then, he tried to warm his body.
Nothing.
It occurred to him that this would be a very good time to panic. He was trapped in a different dimension. He had no access to any of his abilities. He was simply floating alone in an endless void.
He didn’t panic, however, though he wasn’t sure why that was. He was greatly concerned. He was able to understand the situation, and the depth of the nightmare that it implied.
Still,, he didn’t panic. He felt detached, as though he was only observing the situation. He analyzed his predicament and sorted his resources (NONE), his understanding of his environment (NONE), and his options (NONE).
He could stand, or sit. Walk or run. Remain silent or scream at the limit of his lungs, but he could not interact with anything else, including his powers.
Then he realized why he was not panicking, why there he wasn’t losing control, in spite of his understanding of the dire nature of his situation.
It was more of a hunch, but after he contemplated it, he knew with absolute surety that it was true.
There was no time here at all.
That concept threatened to crack his connection to his sanity. He had no idea how that even would work, let alone how he could recognize it. Yet he was absolutely certain it was true.
He wondered idly if this was what it was like inside his inventory.
He wondered if it was even possible to escape from here.
He wondered what that sword really was.
He wondered what that shape in the distance was.
There was a shape, far ahead of him.
Was there actually distance in this place? But there was a shape. A figure.
It was closer. How could it get closer if there was no distance?
It was definitely a figure. Was it a person?
It appeared to be; Yes. A hooded figure. Taller than he was. An adult?
Perspective was strange when he had no concept of distance. How could he tell the person was taller than he? How could he tell that the person was now standing right in front of him?
The figure removed his hood, and Marc studied the face. It was a familiar-looking face. It looked old and tired, but not unfriendly.
Where had he seen this face before? It was recently. Or maybe it was millennia ago.
This was no statue. This was a real living being. It… He looked very tired and very old. It was the eyes. The eyes were not human. Golden iris’s with vertical pupils. The grey skin looked dried out and hard, and the bald head and tiny, recessed ears gave the being a distinctly alien appearance. But the face… was so familiar. Where had he seen it before?
Then the being spoke. His voice was like sand, a whisper pouring out over the ground. He could barely hear it, yet Marc could comprehend every word.
“Greetings… I am Li’Arr… You are…”
The face was indeed the exact same as the one on the stone statue in the reliquary. The person paused for a moment, and just as Marc was about to introduce himself, he finished his thought.
“I see. I have been waiting for you for a very long time. I think that maybe, you are late.”