Life after death.
Many believed their souls were bound to reach the Inverted Tree’s core, buried deep beneath the earth. There, they would be judged by gods or the world itself. The good and wise fuse and become one with the universe, set to return to the Flow of Life. The wicked, thrown to The Devourer. Others believed their bodies would one day fuel the Great Roots and emerge as Essence, flowing all around the world like water in the ocean, observing the living and guiding future generations. While Kallen never seriously thought about his fate if he ever was to pass early, he was now sure that none of those common beliefs would apply to him. In this inferno, it was as if his soul itself was about to be burnt away, reduced to ashes so close to nothingness that even the greatest deities wouldn’t be able to salvage it.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
The pain.
This was a mental cry, the only way he could express the hellish torture he was put into as in less than a second, his voice and body were engulfed by the pure flames. The hellscape his mind turned into was his only outlet. Earlier, he was just lying on the ground, limp like a corpse, immobile and numb. Now, he felt his long agony in full as his executioner pressed his hand and the mysterious fiery artifact between his shoulder blades. His body was frantically wriggling, looking for an escape in vain, he was burning from outside and within. He couldn’t think, just pointlessly fight.
Fire was bursting out of his mouth and eyes like the Drakes up The Frontier. He couldn’t breathe, life should have escaped from his charred shell a while ago, but it was as if his soul and consciousness were chained to his body. Fighting the golden scorch with its own kindling, a much darker one.
However, even if death seemed to refuse to embrace him, the boy’s psyche surpassed its limits for far long. When this small consumed frame stopped struggling, his cognition snapped as well. Shattering like a broken vase, it was as if pieces of himself were torn apart, scattered in every direction by a primal force. Kallen was gone.
***
Even though he believed they melted away, Kal opened his eyes. The pain vanished but the shock remained, he could still feel it, smell it, taste it. Hell’s bitter savor. Even if his cheeks stayed dry, he sensed his eyes getting watery, there was no fire to dry them up anymore. The amount of pain unleashed upon him, he couldn't possibly harbor the darkness necessary to wish it upon even the worst fiend—yet. He was shaking, and his legs were about to give out.
As he tried to reach his face to wipe his nascent tears away, he stopped for a moment, horrified. His hand, he couldn’t see them. They were nothing but a blur as if he could only observe an idea of his palms but not the real thing, an approximation. As he looked down it was the same for the rest of his body.
Even if it didn’t last long, Kallen started cultivating the idea that maybe, just maybe, everything that had just happened was but a nightmare. But as he lifted his head up and finally took a look at the environment around him, he could only admire the scene with stupor.
“Wha-…What the..?”
He was in what looked like a bedroom, a large and luxurious one—the kind that was so far away from his reach that conceiving the appearance of such a space was beyond his abilities prior to this very instant. However, for some reason, its style, scent, and atmosphere all felt familiar.
Am I..?
In front of him, what he could only imagine to be some kind of bed was of such obscene proportion it easily exceeded the size of the home he just left. It was surrounded by an imposing circular frame as high as his chest, made of a mysterious kind of semi-reflective grey stone. Warriors and winged beasts were carved on it with precision, it was probably the most beautiful piece of decorative art his eyes ever laid their gaze upon. Around the oversized cradle, besides equally precious-looking small wooden ramps, heavy circular metal anchors were attached to the ground. Hooked to it, four large but light crimson drapes hung from the ceiling, spiraling down with elegance all over the snow-white spotless mattress.
As Kal turned around to finally scan the whole area, he saw how much he wasn’t fit for the place. This was clearly the realm of nobility. The stone walls and furniture were ornated with tapestry and patterns consistent with that thing he could only describe as a sleeping platform at this point. A series of three windows served as gentle lighting on his left. It was nighttime; he could feel the cold wind circulating around as he watched the night sky and its full moon.
A portrait hung right above the middle window caught his attention, just like his hands, he couldn’t see clearly who the painting was supposed to illustrate. The room's other source of light was a seemingly floating stone chandelier. While the design looked sophisticated, it only consisted of three thick discs of different sizes rotating in opposite directions. Whoever owned the room, could do and possess things that Kal couldn't possibly even hope for, kickstarting his maze-dweller instincts. The traumatizing experience he had just been liberated from made him fear Vessels like he never did before. If he ever was to be found in this place…
On the ground made of large stone tile with no cracks whatsoever, a long red carpet led his gaze towards the sole door of the room. Tall and made of dark wood he decided to finally make his first move toward it. But as he approached, light footsteps made themselves heard, and they were getting closer. He was trapped.
Oh crap…
He instantly bolted to the window, hoping to find salvation. Unfortunately, he could only contemplate his distress as an endless void crowned by a snowy valley was all that was in sight. For an instant, he panicked, but was pleasantly surprised to notice what looked like a balcony westward of his position. He ran full speed straight to the closest window, feeling that he might be able to reach it from there.
“Don’t go…”
Just a meter away from his only chance to escape, a voice he recognized too well petrified him in an instant. Was it shock or confusion? He couldn’t tell the difference. It sounded too disturbing to be real, but his brain couldn't possibly win against his heart. He turned around as the door slowly creased open. He was on his guard, more tense than he had ever been. No, he was scared.
“How could you think about leaving me all alone again …you’re all I have left…”
He couldn’t believe his eyes, but they were wide open. She was draped in a black dress darker than any moonless night. With her flawless dark skin, flowy long onyx hair, fiery amber eyes, and striking features so typical of her homeland, she wore jewelry that could rival those princesses attending the Emperor’s court. There was standing the person he shed the most tears for.
“M-Mother…”
Every ounce of fear and worry disappeared as soon as this aura he was so familiar with spread into the room. It wasn’t like his body or the painting, his vision was crystal clear. The face he could recognize among thousands, the worried expression of a mother. Striga from The South.
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He ran. Without hesitation, a child who had to bury her earlier than he should have, rushed toward the one who raised and nurtured him. He couldn't even think about the many questions he had, how much sense this situation was making, or anything to say as a matter of fact. At this moment, he just needed her warmth.
He wasn’t certain if whatever he was seeing or feeling was real, but the moment his embrace reached her, this was as close as it could be. The scent, the touch, but over everything, the way she hugged him back. There was no mistaking, it was the same woman they all grieved a year ago.
“There…there…It’s okay…I understand…”
“It…I...It’s been so long…!” He had so much to say, things he wished he told her sooner, things he felt she was responsible for, but his trembling voice summed up his sentiments that were towering over the rest.
“My dear… I should have stayed too …Only now I understand how much I plunged our family into chaos. I was wrong all along, the only way to protect you all from this madness was to never leave your side. Please find in your heart the means to forgive your foolish mother…If only you knew how much I love you…”
I love you, forgive me. Those were the words he wasn’t aware he needed to hear. The day she left, a younger Kallen warned her. He had a bad feeling, she had the eyes of someone who wasn't sure they would come back. He screamed and scorned her as his sister watched in silence. From their point of view, she had a tendency to be extreme with her decisions.
They stayed in the same position without uttering a word. He needed this moment more than anything else. He was lost, afraid, and traumatized. All the stress and emotions he had accumulated until now were released in an instant. Only around her, he couldn’t feel shame if he ever cried. And he did. He finally found her, no, she found him. Whenever he was in distress, she was always there, whether it was convenient or not. Her absence forced him to grow up faster than he should have, but now he was more than happy to act like the child he is.
Until she uttered her next sentence.
“It’s been long…Really long since the last time you let yourself go, 🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌”
“...”
…What?
His name. He couldn’t hear his own name. She clearly said something, but his mind couldn't make sense of the sounds coming out of her mouth. This uncanny sensation somewhat shook him out of the silent trance he was immersed in.
“Mother…what did you just call me?” He said after he finally lifted his head from her shoulder.
“...🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌…Why..? Is everything okay my dear..?”
Her speech and accent fit the place but not the person. The woman he knew was Striga the Witch, the reserved but feared owner of the herb and elixir shop. Now that he carefully examined her delicate face, her wrinkles and marks left by time and hardship were gone, too; she not only looked younger but was also smaller.
In fact, it was the opposite. She had always been a tall woman. Last year, the top of his head was right under her shoulder height, but now he could clearly see over her hair. Having spent many days around the shop with Mikhal, he knew for sure he wasn't subject to any sudden growth spurts.
“Mother…where are we..? What is happeni—” Before even ending his own question, he stopped himself with his blurry hand.
“We are at home…🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌…Be honest with me…what did they do to you…?”
Kallen took a while to notice it himself. Until tonight, he had never called her “Mother,” not once. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. It was as if he was part of a play from the public theatre. He was familiar with the actors, but it was as if someone else was in command of the script. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, whether it was about him or her. He slowly stepped back, terrified by the idea that this whole time, the woman in front of him might be someone else toying with him.
“🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌🗌…! You promised you won’t hide anything from me anymore…Please… My heart can only break once…”
While he could understand the rest of her sentences besides his own name, they didn’t make much more sense. Even more lost than earlier, he couldn’t even trust the words coming out of his own mouth.
“You”
The resounding voice reaching his ears, was so deep, eerie, and inhuman that it instantly alarmed the boy as a ghastly chill went through his whole body. This couldn’t belong to a person. He stayed oriented towards the door in order to run away, but against his will, he slightly turned his head to see what was behind him, going against his deepest instincts. It was as if a mysterious force prompted him to do so. His eyes widened in terror.
Obsidian scales sharper than any blades he had ever seen, glowing crimson red eyes with vertical pupils, and a set of black straight horns standing above it. Curled over the bed he left earlier and beyond, a gigantic snake, large enough to take almost half of the room in size appeared out of thin air. Its head extended right behind Kallen, it was immobile. The light coming out of the reptile's eyes had movement, like a fire was burning within, but with none of the purity of the flames that sent the boy into this unknown place.
No...
“M-Mother!” As he instinctively turned back, running in her direction, he was stupefied to find out that he was now the only human being in the room. She was gone.
After half a second of confusion, he raced full speed to the door. But just a word, like earlier, was enough to thwart his attempt.
“Enough”
In an instant, he found himself just standing, enable to muster the strength to put one foot in front of the other or even speak. The colossal beast approached slowly. Slithering its massive body around Kal, all escape routes were now blocked, making the prisoner even more defenseless than he already was.
Once again captive of a force way above him, the boy was surprised to see his helplessness diminish in intensity, even if once again, his fate was on the line. As he watched his captor making more circles around him, the scales’ color started to match its eyes. Flames as dark as blood erupted from some of them, drastically changing the temperature.
Stuck at the bottom of this serpentine pit, Kal was surrounded like firewood in a chimney. But unlike earlier, to his great shock, it wasn’t burning; rather, it was warm. Soothing even. The beast's movements stopped, but he was still petrified under its spell. From the reflection on the lustrious scales, it could be seen that its head was right above him. They stared at each other for a moment. Like with Aren’s master, he felt read through, this piercing gaze was so intense that he could melt.
The fiery breath coming out of its nose showered him with heat much more harmful than the fire from earlier. He couldn’t move but wasn't feeling any sense of danger anymore; he was back in a trance. His heart probably pounded so hard that the monster could hear it, too. Kal couldn't understand his own feelings. All his fear and hostility completely wore off. The moment it came closer, his pupils started to expand.
…You are…
“Run”
“..........Run..?” The instant a word finally came out of his vocal cords, he realized he was free once again.
He suddenly turned around to see the snake with its gaping mouth wide open. The spell was gone, but he found himself frozen once again. It wasn’t only because any attempts to flee were in vain; he intimately wasn’t threatened by the prospect of becoming the serpent’s next meal. As the creature’s mouth fluids slowly dripped on his almost spectral body, he opened his arms wide open in the middle of this furnace of scales. Whatever was about to happen to him, it was meant to be; That was his role and he would welcome it, embrace it.
“I am ready.”
As he pronounced these last words, he was showered with a rain of dark flames in his organic cell, fully submerging Kallen as an uncharacteristic grin appeared on his face.
***
Screams. Accompanied by a high-pitched ring, loud cries violently intruded Kal’s ears as he emerged from what looked like a journey far, far away. It wasn’t his voice; it was much older and experienced. As he opened his eyes, he was still standing in the fire, but this time, he was home.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
The ascetic. As the boy turned around, a scene he could have never imagined unfolded before his very eyes. Sage Alvan, the terrifying Black Swan, was writhing on the ground, consumed by stygian flames. Still disoriented and unsure of his surroundings, he observed the once-dominant figure now reduced to a pitiful state. What promised his end was now the very thing tearing apart his captor. For a moment, he felt a strange mix of relief and confusion, wondering if this was truly happening or just another twist in his surreal ordeal.
He quickly diverted his attention to the rest of the room. Aren was standing there, his trembling sword pointed at him, for the first time in his life, among many things, he could read fear in the Swan’s eyes. At his feet, Kara and Alm lay asleep on the ground.
“Kallen…Are you still there? ….Can you hear me…?” Aren’s shaken voice came cutting through his master's cries.
Kal looked at him for a moment, confused, his head was still ringing. He heard what the man said but the noise muffled every kind of surrounding sound. After a moment, he understood what he meant.
Right behind the only other able person in the room, was their old family mirror, and through it, he saw. His clothes were ruined, only the remains of his pants prevented him from being completely naked. His arms were on fire, but he wasn’t burning. They erupted from obsidian scales growing on his hand, ending around his back and shoulder. His eyes harbored the usual amber shade but had the same vertical pupils as the colossal beast. Above the right one, a singular dark horn was protruding from his forehead. This was the curse every commoner from the Bay and beyond feared the most, Beastification.
“…I know it can be difficult to hear this right now, but you have to listen to me Kal...The mark is taking over...You will end up hurting someone if this continues…You need to calm down!”.
'Calm down,' 'listen to me.' These words coming from the man who betrayed their trust and vouched for his execution lit something inside him.
Veins strained his face as he finally made a step forward. He had gone through Hell—twice. This time, he wanted to hurt. He knew all too well that in this world, you only get betrayed once; there is no such thing as a second time. His corrupted flames burst from his hands as he slowly approached.
“You.”
End of Chapter