It didn’t look that terrifying. After hearing all those scary stories about the Dark Area, Vreil was expecting something a little spookier. If he didn’t know he was standing right next to the edge of the Dark Area, he could have easily mistaken this place for any other place in the kingdom.

“Is this really the edge of the so-called Dark Area?” he asked.

“Do not judge by appearances, Vreil. Just because you cannot see anything now does not mean that it was always this peaceful. And to answer your question, yes, we can be sure that this is exactly the edge of it.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t always that peaceful?”

“No one can be sure, but the story says that once the entire Dark Area, not just its inner parts, was contaminated by great dangers, so great that if someone tried to cross it like we are doing, it would mean certain death. However, the people noticed that no matter what happened, a creature that lived inside the Dark Area would never pass this line. And not just creatures, even the fog would stay behind this line on the ground no matter what. This area has been cleared now but, even to this day, this line cannot be crossed by the ones that dwell behind it.”

“How come? And how was this area cleared?” Vreil looked behind him, where a thin crack on the ground stretched for as far as he could see. According to Ashter, it circled the entire Dark Area.

“You sure like to know everything, Vreil. Thirst for knowledge is a great virtue, but you must know when to draw the line, if I may pun like that. Hahaha.”

“Sorry Ashter, I didn’t want to annoy you with my questions. I will ask again some other time.”

“No, no. You are not annoying me, I was speaking generally. In fact, I like telling stories and transmitting the light of knowledge. So, about your questions, what were they again?”

“Why don’t they cross this line and what do you mean this area was cleared?”

“Let’s see. About your first question, I cannot answer it even though I know the answer. Perhaps someday you will discover this yourself. About your second question, back when all the kingdoms were united, there was a great expedition going on against the Dark Area. The tens of thousands of soldiers killed everything that was close to the edge and wanted to move inwards, but two things happened.

First, the different races began to fight amongst themselves and many soldiers were withdrawn. Second, after some point, the dark powers lurking inside the Dark Area got angry. The strongest creatures grouped up one night and slaughtered the whole army. Those that survived, furious at the loss of their comrades, swore an oath to not let the creatures reclaim the cleared areas. To this day, their descendants continue to defend these areas, and that is why we can cross it with little danger.”

“Wow, this Dark Area sounds like a giant thorn to the side of the Land of the Six Kingdoms”, commented Vreil.

“Well, that is one way to put it. The Madred cult worships the Dark Area and its creatures. They believe that those creatures and the Area itself are the creation of the will of God, who lives below the mountain Death, in the middle of the Dark Area.”

“That’s stupid, why would they worship something that wants to kill them? And besides, you’ve been to that mountain, haven’t you? Did you see any dark gods around?” Ashter looked at him and for the first time, there was not a single glimpse of light in his eyes.

“No. I did not see any gods. But between immortals and gods, there are many things.”

“But then-“

“Vreil”, Ashter interrupted him, his face serious. “I told you before; know when to draw the line. Never ask me about that mountain again.”

Vreil gulped. “Okay”. But I want to know, I really want to know.

They had spent the night just behind the crack, and now they had woken up and were almost ready to leave, but someone had a natural need.

“Aren’t you done yet, Heartilia?” shouted Vreil.

The girl was behind a big rock, emptying her bowels. “Leave me alone”, she yelled from behind the rock.

“Don’t tease her, Vreil, you are only slowing her down”, Sting tried to help.

A couple of minutes later, Heartilia appeared from behind the rock, her frilly dress impeccable.

“What took you so long back there?” asked Vreil.

“Oh, shut up”, was the response he got from a red-faced Heartilia.

“Don’t mess with my daughter, Vreil”, said Jeffrey.

“Just kidding”, the young man chuckled awkwardly in return.

“Vreil, it is not polite to pick on young ladies”, said Ashter.

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“Even you, Ashter?”

“Sorry kid, but he’s right. Women are fragile creatures, you wouldn’t want her to snap”, said Sir Arnold.

“You shut up as well”, snapped Heartilia.

“Show some respect, Heartilia”, said her father.

“He was the one who started it though”, complained Sting.

“Actually, Vreil started it”, commented Linda.

“Oh, leave me alone”, said Vreil and ran to his wagon. Everyone looked at each other and started laughing uncontrollably. Vreil and Heartilia tried to resist but, after all, laughter is contagious, so they soon began to laugh their mouths off. The guards who had left to fetch water returned and began to laugh as well, without even knowing why they were laughing. Only after tears had begun to appear did they finally manage to calm down.

“Okay, now everyone get in the wagons. We are losing precious time”, said Ashter.

And then they entered the Dark Area. They didn’t know that not all of them would come back alive.

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As Vreil had noted earlier, it wasn’t anything special. Stepping over the line that marked the beginning of the Dark Area was just like all the other steps they had taken in the rest of their lives. They were now traveling on a quiet road, with a few trees at their sides and a forest on the horizon. The weather was cool enough to keep them refreshed and warm enough to make them comfortable.

“Gyahh”, Heartilia’s voice sounded from her wagon.

“What, what?” Sting hurried there.

“There was a huge cockroach here but I killed it, don’t worry.”

Sting went back to his position at the front of the convoy, mumbling something.

“What, even the insects are bigger here?” Vreil raised a brow, taking a look out of curiosity.

“No, that was a normal cockroach which just happened to be big,” replied Ashter, “but the insects here can carry dangerous diseases. So be careful.”

“Will do, boss.”

When Ashter met them in Northguard, Vreil had asked him to be the leader; he was the head of the envoy after all. Like Sir Arnold before him, Ashter declined gracefully but, now that everyone was on their guard, Vreil could feel the weight of leadership on his shoulders and he was actively trying to transfer it to the much more experienced wizard.

“Who knew we would go through this much trouble just to meet some elves?” he wondered aloud.

“It is not just some elves, boy. It is the Queen, the royal family, and a couple of other high-ranked elves.”

“Really? How come the Queen herself will come to greet us?”

“Elves have a clearer head than humans. In this situation, for example, there is a chance that the elves will actually change their mind. They have spent a lot of resources, prestige, and time on taking over the humans, but if we can convince them that it is not in their interests to oppose us, then they will not consider what they have done as a loss. What is done is done, is how the elves think, so every moment is like starting from zero to them. It is complex, but you will understand once we get there.”

“Speaking of that, how many days are left until we arrive?”

“I would say about a month or so, if everything goes perfectly. But that never happens, so assume it will take us a month and a half.”

“That long huh? So when will you teach me that magic you were talking about in Northguard?” Vreil smirked excitedly.

“Oh yes”, exclaimed Ashter. “When do you want to begin?”

“Eh, now, I guess.”

“Okay then”, said the wizard. “Sting, you want to hear as well, do you not?” he shouted at Sting who was at the front. When Sting got there, he began to teach them.

“I told you before that this is a way to show others the colors of your soul. But it is a little more complicated. Actually, in order to protect themselves, humans put up walls to hide their souls. What this kind of magic does is forcefully bring down the outer layers of these walls and strongly show what you are feeling at that time. For example, if you feel invincible and you use this magic, others will be able to tell that you feel invincible. If this feeling is strong enough, it can make others feel the same thing about you. Do you understand so far?”

“No, but go on. We will catch up at some point.”

“But be careful, for there are traps hidden in this spell. If your feelings begin to waver, then the magic will collapse and, for a moment, all the walls will fall, and your soul will be bare for anyone to see. Your deepest thoughts, your deepest secrets, all those will be clearly visible to everyone. In some cases, this can make you go insane. That is why you are forbidden from using this until you have mastered your feelings and thoughts. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Excellent. Then we can begin”. As Ashter had said, this magic was a really simple trick, so it only took them a couple of hours to learn the basics. That was the easy part.

Then they had to learn how to empty their minds and practice thinking only one thing for many minutes in a row, which is not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn't even sound easy. Afterward, they learned how to open their heart and fill it with one specific emotion. After that, Ashter allowed them to try and use it for brief moments, and then for a little longer. But they were both quick learners, so a week after the beginning of the lessons Ashter told them that it was okay for them to use it in emergencies, but for no more than ten seconds.

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“This is the Forest of Dreams”, Ashter explained as they entered a lush forest, filled with towering trees and the buzzing of insects. “This forest is not a pleasant place to go through, but it bears little danger.”

“Why, is it full of mosquitoes?” asked Sting.

“No. But it is inhabited by the creatures known as memory wolves. They are friendly to humans and let us pass through, as long as we give them something to eat.”

“Like what?” asked Vreil.

“Memories. These wolves are fed when they see our memories. They experience them using the same principle as the magic I taught you before, but theirs is a little more violent. They drag the memories out of you if you agree to feed them.”

“And if you don’t?”

“You die.”

Vreil gulped. “And why is it unpleasant?”

“You do not choose what memories you show them, they do. It is not pleasant to have your darkest memories viewed by a pack of wolves, even though they never reveal what they saw to outsiders. Do not worry, this will be quick.”

What a strange world we live in, Vreil mused in wonder. No idea did he have about the monumental events about to be set in motion.