Chapter 6

“Take Flight”

To have wings was truly a wonder when it came to traveling the ever-changing land of Endle. By day, the birds ruled the skies, but by night, the skies belonged to wicked creatures fueled by darkness and bloodlust. Horrors of the night roamed the ground, waiting for whatever unfortunate creature to fall from the skies and find themselves at their mercy. On most nights, the skies were lit up with countless stars and a changing moon that lit the land with a soft white glow. However, on this night, clouds remained thick and swirling from the earlier storm that had ravaged the forests.

Trees had been bent, snapped, or torn down altogether from the wind while ditches flooded with rainwater. Branches and leaves scattered the forest floor and deceased songbirds littered the tall grasses as they were not strong enough to fight the winds. Pitch blackness swallowed dense brush whole and hid a multitude of creatures in their dens out of fear. Guardian’s storms were never gentle, and they bred a perfect environment for the evils of the land to thrive. With shelters destroyed and burrows flooded, the forests and fields echoed with the screams of prey being devoured alive.

It was easy for Entity to consider himself lucky that the shadows of the night fueled his magic to allow him to fly over the chaos and fight the wind. He could even see in the darkness rather clearly. Transparent black vulture wings outstretched from his shoulders from beneath a flap on his coat and held steady as he climbed the thermals of warm summer air a good distance over the canopies. His piercing red eyes scanned the land beneath him to see that the trees were slowly transitioning to bamboo thriving in the mist. Subtle rain pelted his face and chest which felt nice and calming. The mist began to grow thicker when the bamboo became more abundant. It wasn’t the cold rain or the wind that sent a chill up his spine when he was certain that he was in Sheirun Hau’s territory.

Fear haunted the man each day that passed by from what he had witnessed in prior visits to the exotic forests of Sheirun Hau. Though his magic was powerful, he felt weak in the heart from anxious thoughts and chilling whispering voices in his head. He did well to hide the fear and anxiety behind a pompous mask, but there would always be a dark side to his magic that made all his efforts of facing such fears pointless and even painful. Dark magic gave him powers to manipulate shadows and corpses and use them however he wished, but they clouded his memories and fogged his judgment. Over time, one would lose their sense of self and succumb to the magic to be nothing but a mere vessel to house it and all its dark intentions.

His mind drifted to reflect on himself – which he’d not done in a very long time. Something about the way Quartz had spoken to him had slightly snapped him out of his mundane day-to-day lifestyle of wandering, drinking, sleeping, and vomiting. He had become so accustomed to living in the shadows and using his magic for pointless tasks that he hadn’t really taken the time to look at himself or consider where he was mentally. He’d stopped caring a long time ago but a quick glance at his hands shocked him. He didn’t remember being so dark in complexion. His magic had saturated him so severely that he was practically becoming a shadow himself. He couldn’t remember what color his skin used to be, or what his hair color originally was.

Suddenly something pure white swooped down in front of him and took the wind with it to cause Entity’s wings to wobble. Though his wings were large and feathered, they were still shadows and easy to manipulate. The feathery tips clouded and wisped in swirls as they slowly formed back into their original shape. Entity grunted as his eyes followed the white figure and saw that it was Quartz riding a wave of wind to take the lead.

She looked far different in her true form which resembled a flying monstrous beast like a giant white bat that dwelled in a cave deep underground. Quartz sported two large fleshy white wings thick with dark purple veins and clawed fingers at the joint. Her chest had expanded with pronounced ribs and muscles tightly attached to an enlarged breastbone to support each wing. Her claws had grown long and thin with a black-purple shimmer and had bulging veins running up her hands.

Her cloak had been strapped down on the side of her belt and battered in the wind with her dress and hair. Her hair was silken and long and it shimmered in the moonlight like a mirror. From what Entity could see, Quartz was as devoid of color as her name suggested which made her one of the most unique-looking Ensanguined he had ever seen. Ensanguined were usually pale in color but still retained their human attributes with seemingly normal hair, but not Quartz. He couldn’t help but admire the beauty of her colorless form. He wondered to himself if she was so pale and scrawny from lack of nutrition – which would be very odd for an Ensanguined Herald considering it was a high status.

Though she was flying with him, she had hardly given him a glance while she twirled and fell precisely and skillfully. She was fast and lightweight, and the wind beneath her wings carried her further with less flapping which made her as silent as a snow owl. He couldn’t say the same for himself, as his wings – though made of shadows – created a raspy breath-like whipping against the wind.

“Quite the obnoxious flyer, aren’t ya?!” Entity called out through the wind.

Quartz glanced behind her and leveled herself out. “Many Ensanguined are shot out of the sky; It would help to hone some skills with agility when you’re in a safe area!” She added. Her tone was not of playfulness; it sounded driven and serious.

“Looks more like showin’ off to me!” Entity retorted and watched as Quartz tilted her wings upwards and out to catch the wind – slowing her down and lifting herself to Entity’s side in mere seconds. Entity had to blink at the agility and speed to make sure she was truly by his side. She had indeed practiced.

They both slowed down to a gentle glide and let the wind carry them casually over the treetops. Entity couldn’t tell if it was he who started to slow down to enjoy the flight or if he was simply matching Quartz. The same could be said for the woman who watched the sorcerer’s shimmering black wings graze against her white wing tips. She couldn’t even feel that his wings were there.

“So, ‘Great Sorcerer’, I’m curious. How did you come to master shadow magic? The scripts I’ve read about you don’t really tell those details.” Quartz asked without having to speak over the wind.

“Not sure I wanna tell my secrets to an ass-kisser of Ceresei.” Entity scoffed.

“I’m anything but an ass-kisser. It’s called respect.”

“Respect for a parasitic harlot. Either way, princess, I ain’t spillin’ my guts no matter how pretty they are.” Entity patted his stomach.

“I’m serious! Not everyone gets to speak with the great Entity of Shadows – let alone fly with him. I’m curious how you can control so much dark magic and still be a person – not some goblin huddled under a rock. How did you do it?”

“Can’t remember. Just sorta came to it I reckon. Dark magic affects everyone differently dependin’ on who’s usin’ it.” Entity answered as he looked ahead to see faint orange lights of oil lanterns lining a dark pathway beneath the bamboo leaves. He could tell they were getting close. “Can’t remember much of anything else really, at least not the good memories. It’s easier to remember the bad ones.”

“I’ve read you’re particularly skilled in necromancy. It’s rare to see them. The only other necromancer I know is Nacre.”

Entity winced at her name and hurled a clump of spit from his mouth in response. “The hell does it matter to ya anyways?” Entity asked with a scowl.

“Have you ever thought of resurrecting Virgoth?” She asked with soft eyes.

“Fuck no, and even if I wanted to, necromancy don’t work that way. If ya read all those books, you’d know that.” Entity rolled his eyes and looked to see that the woman had a look of pain on her face which he found odd. “He’s dead, princess. Let it go.”

“I know. Hope is just something that’s very hard to let go of.”

“No it ain’t. Trust me. Besides, it’s better to be alone in the end.”

“I find it odd that you prefer to be alone rather than use that power to own a village or something more useful than cigarettes and liquor. Most sorcerers have tried but ended up a hollow shell. Not you though. You actually have the capability and yet you waste it.”

“Well, maybe I just ain’t interested in tellin’ people how to live their lives. I can barely live mine.” He sighed and Quartz studied him thoughtfully.

“That’s very noble of you to think that way.” She complimented.

“Careful, Ceresei will be jealous if she sees ya kissin’ my ass too.”

“I’m not! I told you once before, we don’t have many good people left in this world.”

“Maybe if your king didn’t pick the worst queens to become immortals that eat all the do-gooders, we’d have more. Ever think of that?”

Quartz went silent and let a few feet of distance gather between them before saying calmly, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The comment threw him off and his scowl faded when a sudden rush of horrid memories flooded his mind. His mind instantly began to create chaos from his own past mistakes and his head snapped to the side to look away. He clamped his eyes shut amidst the pain. His wings twitched and his flight became uneasy as he faltered. Screams and cries filled his ears and fire swept across his vision. He quickly reached for his sword and gripped the pommel tightly which immediately soothed his struggles and he took in a deep breath. Quartz saw Entity grab his sword and a look of concern washed over her face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Peachy.” He replied as he unknowingly descended closer to the canopy.

“It doesn’t look like–… Hey, you’re too low!” Quartz called down to him.

“Huh?” He felt something cold and hard hit him with intense force right in his torso while wet leaves slapped him mercilessly in his face and neck. The wind was knocked out of him, and his wings shattered and dissipated into thin air at the shock, and he felt whatever hit him begin to bend and snap.

“Fuck!” The sorcerer yelped. He had hit a large patch of bamboo canopy whilst not paying attention and was now tumbling toward the ground with bamboo in tow. He inhaled as best as he could which resulted in several leaves entering his mouth. He hit the wet ground and rolled across a flat stone path that was soft with mud and grass, but the landing was anything but soft.

He rolled to his back and groaned before hearing something land next to him with the wind whipping past his ears. Quartz had transformed in the air and landed beside him with the wind from her wings softening her dismount. As her wings folded inwards towards her back, the bones in her chest cracked and shrank to leave her in her small human form. She was sighing as she looked down at Entity pounding his own chest with his fist to force out the leaves that had been caught in his throat. She fixed her bangs and shook her head to whip out the tangles in her hair.

“What happened?” She asked and held out a hand for him, but he stood up on his own and fixed his hood.

“Eh, got a little distracted.” He smirked and dusted himself off.

“I’m just going to warn you now, this isn’t a place where you want to be distracted, okay? We’ll walk from here.” She stated as she began to walk down the stone path lit dimly with orange lanterns. Some had candles while others burned oil. Water dripped from the protective glass encasing the lights while the soft sounds of frogs echoed in the dark shadowy thickets.

“Great,” he coughed and wiped away the water from his face, “sounds like a good idea.”

Quartz didn’t bother to wear her cloak now that she had the cover of night and instead opted to wear her hair down freely. Entity stared at her from behind and despite her thin stature, she had elegant curves and a very feminine frame that could only be described as youthful and lovely. She walked in a way that seemed to glide her across the stones, even uphill. There was humbleness and pride in her posture – something common in Ensanguined females – that Entity found himself admiring. Despite his hatred for the creatures, he couldn’t deny that there was something enchanting about their beauty.

“So, what’s the plan here, sweet-teeth? I don’t intend on stayin’ here longer than I need to. We coulda’ just bypassed here and headed straight for Faemira honestly.”

“That would be the long way around.”

“It’s a straightforward path if we cut through the mountains and head northwest.” He argued.

“Empress Ceresei will explain, it isn’t my place. Since we’ve arrived earlier than expected, I assume she will request that you join us for dinner.”

“I ain’t eatin’ someone unless it’s consensual if ya catch my drift.”

“Contrary to popular belief, we do enjoy human food, not just blood. Blood is the main source of our powers, but food is comforting, like a luxury.” Quartz corrected and ignored the perverse comment.

“I know ya eat real food, it ain’t my first time bein’ here. I know what all they put on that table and I ain’t too keen on indulgin’ in it unless they got like a steak or somethin’.” Entity felt his mouth watering at the thought. He hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks, and traveling had left him famished and parched.

“We will have what Empress Ceresei decrees,” Quartz replied before pausing, “but yes…I do hope there is steak. Or roasted goat.” She added as she put a hand to her chest at the memory of such a flavor.

“Goat? Well, I’ve eaten worse. Had to eat my own horse once.” Entity shrugged as he came to her side and took off his hood to feel the cool mist coat his rugged face. His hair was long and black that shined in the candlelight, and it had been tied into a tight bun atop his crown. A few strands had fallen free in front of his face from the rough landing. Quartz was able to get a better view of his features now that he was up close and could see how deeply the black magic had penetrated his flesh. It shimmered a bit in his face and flashed iridescent in his pink irises. Despite the deformities, the overall look the sorcerer had was quite handsome through the grime. She wondered what he had looked like before the touch of black magic corrupted his appearance.

“You’re a bit too close, Entity. I do like my space.” Quartz said as she adverted her eyes forward. Entity grinned and did the opposite – walking a few inches closer to the woman.

“What’s a’matter, sweet-teeth? Am I makin’ ya’ uncomfortable?” He teased with half-lidded eyes.

“No, your smell is just offensive. Forgive me for asking, but when was the last time you bathed?” Quartz turned her head away from him. Entity lifted an eyebrow and quickly lifted his arm slightly to give himself a sniff.

“Last month maybe? But prim and proper ladies like you love it secretly. Sweaty men, real men that make em’ feel just as dirty. C’mon, I know what your type likes. I see it in those pretty little eyes.” Entity tempted as he nudged her arm and received a scoff from the woman.

“My, I have never heard anything more outlandish and pompous. You’re getting a little too comfortable.” Quartz rolled her eyes, astonished at the sheer arrogance the sorcerer had, and how straightforward he was.

“You’d love me but you’re too uptight. Feel like you’re above me, too good for me.” He lowered his tone as he took a long look at her hair. “I mean, I wouldn’t have a problem with ya bein’ above me.”

“I warn you, sorcerer, watch how you speak to me. Just because I’m curious to learn more about you doesn’t mean I want you in my bed.” Quartz hissed as her pupils began to divide in agitation. Entity grinned wider at how easy it was to push her buttons.

“Well, can ya blame a man for tryin’? It’s been weeks.” Entity chuckled and took a few steps away from her and put his hands in his pockets with a shrug. “Your loss.”

Before he could push further or receive a well-deserved strike to the face, the two heard a heavy whoosh of air from the flapping of powerful wings from above. Entity took a step in front of Quartz out of reflex and saw a dark figure land on the stone path in front of them. Broad black wings torn at the tips were outstretched to form a creature who was tall and lean. It was male and had skin that was dark gray and blotchy. His black hair was tied neatly in a low ponytail and he wore a tight body suit made of black and green silk with golden trim and floral patterns. His collar was straightened up and he wore a belt with a sheathed katana at his waist.

He wore beads of jade around his neck with a golden pendant etched with Sheirun Hau’s symbol. His narrow-heeled boots dug into the mud as he landed, and his back was hunched while his wings folded in with bone-chilling pops and cracks. His presence was dark and cold, and his posture was intimidating with confidence and aggression. His teeth were borne to reveal fangs much larger than Quartz’s with piercing green eyes that stared the sorcerer down like prey. A hiss escaped his black mouth as he exhaled which prompted Quartz to gently fall to one knee. Entity did no such thing and instead took another stride in front of Quartz – placing himself between the Ensanguined man and her.

“Karuka, buddy! How long has it been? Eight years?” Entity opened his arms as if he were insane enough to hug the beast in front of him.

“Shiehn da kala mey’ah, sorcerer.”

A shame that you live, sorcerer.

Entity playfully put his hand to his chest and looked offended and said, “Rude, but impressive. Your naga-tongue is better than it was last time I was here. Finally got your mama’s tit outta your mouth and learned to talk?”

“Entity!” Quartz whispered fiercely.

“You should bow before the Prince of Sheirun Hau if you wish to keep your head.” Karuka snapped and clenched his fist angrily. He looked prepared to deliver a fatal punch if he were any closer to the smirking sorcerer.

“But I don’t wanna get my good pants dirty.” Entity mocked. Karuka glanced down at Entity’s muddied pants and squinted with disgust and offense.

“You delusional little ingrate. Have you not learned from our previous encounter to respect authority when you meet it?!” The beastly man thundered. Entity crossed his arms and laughed.

“I respect anything on its knees.”

“I would never bow to you.” Karuka sneered.

Entity inhaled through his teeth. “Well that went right over your head, didn’t it?.”

“Karuka, please.” Quartz spoke up as she stood to her feet and approached the man. Karuka’s hateful glare at the sorcerer softened when Quartz took his attention and his wings relaxed from their uptight position.

“I told you it was a terrible idea to go alone to find this mongrel. Has the derelict disgraced you?” He asked as his eyes scanned over the woman who gently put her hand up.

“I have it under control.”

“Trust me, you’d know if I disgraced her. She wouldn’t be walkin’ right.” Entity shrugged casually, which had pulled yet another glare from Karuka who had suddenly grabbed the sorcerer’s coat and lifted the man high. Entity happily let it happen despite his look of surprise when he could no longer touch the ground.

“And nor will you ever. She is intended to me. You will not dare look upon her with lust or I will have you castrated.” Karuka corrected with a violent hiss.

“So ya do like women, I never would’ve guessed.” Entity gave the Ensanguined man a smile and could feel Karuka’s glare burn holes right through him.

“Karuka, we don’t have time to fight. Our Empress will be furious if we bring her the sorcerer in a less-than-whole state. We shouldn’t disappoint her.” She reasoned. Karuka stared hard at Entity for a moment as he weighed the options in his head as to what he should do with the sorcerer. Ultimately, he chose to heed Quartz’s reason and dropped Entity back to his feet. Entity huffed and brushed off his coat while Karuka turned away.

“Ya done fucked up my good coat.” Entity smirked as he straightened his coat.

“For your sake, sorcerer, I would advise you to seal your foul screamer for the remainder of your travels while in my presence.” Karuka warned as his body began to shrink and reform into a more human-like appearance. Cracking bones in Karuka’s chest gave Entity shivers and he couldn’t help but to cringe.

“Y’know, I get the distinct impression that ya don’t like me all that much. I thought we were pals.” Entity put his hands in his pockets and kicked a stray stone on the path.

Quartz grinned a bit at the comment and quietly giggled at how Karuka let out a very audible growl. There was more arrogance to the sorcerer than she thought, and it was beginning to sound comical. There was plenty of reason to be offended but instead, she found him more amusing. Perhaps it was because she felt like he didn’t mean half of the blasphemy that dribbled from his mouth. It seemed more like an attempt to get a rise and reaction from those around him – albeit immature and childish – it was nonetheless funny. She admired how he stood up to the prince of Sheirun Hau without an ounce of fear – something no one but his own mother could do.

Though it was hard to have a normal conversation with Entity, she understood the points he made. In just a few short hours, he had said out loud what had always lingered in her mind and she found it relatable. Though they didn’t agree on every subject in terms of respecting authority, Entity seemed to have very valid reasons why he didn’t. Quartz had been raised differently and spent her childhood with the most respectable man who instilled great morals within her, it was difficult for her to diverge from those morals. It would however be very interesting to see how Entity would act and learn from the consequences he could face. Everything was a learning experience to prepare her for a very long immortal life.

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