The ground rumbles, sending shivers through the girl's spine. She trembles, holding herself even tighter. Blood still leaks from her open wound along her feet. The deep cuts serve as a reminder of the terrible visions, but also keep her awake through her fear and exhaustion. Her eyes are shallow, drained to the point that she wouldn’t be able to cry if she wanted to. The void reeks of more pulsating feelings in her head. The shaking of the ground means only one thing to her, that the darkness has come to swallow more. That’s what always happened before. It would surround everything, make her nauseous, give her horrible memories of things she’d never seen and then finally it would manifest as a hunger, a hunger from the darkness, a void of nothingness determined to swallow all that was. The first time she could remember experiencing it, it would eat away her notebook and clothes, then the furniture, then the walls, and then…
She shakes her head. I don't want to think about it anymore. Why me? What have I done? I'm sorry… I'm sorry…
Then the void moves. She winces and shakes in absolute terror, her eyes widening, thinking it has finally come for her. But instead, the void shifts from side to side, as if it were being moved somehow. The non-physical being pushed, the massless being shaken. It acts almost like a room filled to the brim with thick smoke, being blown around somehow. Seeing the absence of everything acting like it was something hurt her eyes. Like an illusion, she sees herself in it. There's nothing there, and yet she’s sure she can see her face, a large projection of her. Her skull, her bones in the darkness, made of nothing but her own thoughts. There's a creaking in the floorboards across the room. How is that possible? E-everything within the void doesn’t exist anymore…
Then out of the void the images of herself tear themselves apart, a large projection of her face is left, its skin is torn off and her skull grows, the bones bend and the sounds of their crackling fills her head like the constant distorted strings, flowing water and birds screeching. The ringing that won’t stop gets one sound larger as the bones morph. She watches, unable to turn away, unable to move, think or speak. The skull of a demon. Her skull. It grows horns, its eye sockets void of anything. The manifestation lunges at her with its teeth wide open to devour. She recoils and screams, unable to hear herself over the noises in her head.
Owin wanders the lower floor, finding only bits and pieces of what remains in the house.
“For such a huge place, I'm disappointed by how little there is in here.”
He takes a closer look at the few pieces of furniture from before. Most of the stuff has been thrown around and beaten up, but upon closer inspection, there are holes and chunks taken out of the wood and stone, as if it's been bitten or eaten through. Something hits Owins head, a liquid, cold and thick. He turns around placing his hand on the hilt of his blade.
“Is someone here? What got through my barrier?” His hand reaches up to touch the drop of liquid. He looks at his finger to see a small smear of blood. Following its trajectory, the knight sees a small red trickle dripping from the floor above through the cracks in the wood. “Oh…”
Owin hurriedly scurries through the room to try and find a way up, coming to a flight of stairs, he quickly sprints up them, the wood creaking under his feet loudly somehow echoing through the void. Then a loud high pitched scream resonates from the second floor. Owin almost trips out of surprise. He braces himself as fast as he can, running through the hallway towards the sound, moving aside any darkness with his barrier. The darkness shakes more and more the further he runs. Did the sound I make in my barrier manage to travel through the darkness? Anything outside can effect the inside but anything from inside becomes mute.
He reasons, then pushes his thoughts aside and bursts through the next doorway he finds.
“Where are you?! Are you alright?!”
Owin runs into the room, lost in the darkness.
The girl breaks down as the demon skull's mouth gapes open. She closes her eyes but even then the skull is visible and moving towards her. She can’t move, she can barely even comprehend what's happening. All she can do is scream desperately, trying to at least hear her own voice for the last time, but the sounds in her head mute her.
Suddenly someone's voice yells through the void. A man asking something she didn’t catch, shocked at the possible presence of someone else. The demon also reacts, its head turns around toward the source and vanishes. The girl is stunned, paralysed by fear and surprise. She pulls herself together, realising this could be it, her wish for a saviour.
“HERE! I'M HERE! PLEASE!”
Owin hears the girl's pleas from the corner of the room. He runs toward her and finds her as his barrier encompasses her. As it does, the void and the darkness vanish in an instant. Owin, not noticing or caring for the change in the house, instead bends down and grabs the girls shoulders, staring into her eyes and then examining her for injury, finding the trickle of blood leaking from her feet.
“You’re hurt. Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be okay.”
The girl is in shock. She doesn’t move or say a word, just staring at the first person she’s seen in what feels like years in hell. Her eyes tear up and she begins to take winded and uncontrolled breaths. “Hey..hey.. It's okay… It's all okay. You’re safe.” the knight tries to comfort the girl as he reaches down to lightly hold her wounds, palm glowing green and slowly healing them. “I’ll fix you up no problem”
At first it stings immensely. But the noises, voices, visions, void are gone. There is peace. The pain in her legs is nothing compared to the relief of being able to hear own heartbeat again. She's alive. She’s alive and not alone.
Owin finishes healing both her feet and holds her gently by the shoulders. “Can you speak? Is there any more pain?”
She snaps into complete consciousness, finally accepting the image before her. A man with curly white hair. A pretty face but with unusual skin, black and white scattered across. It didn’t matter. It was the face of a saviour. She lunges at him, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to his armour tightly. He accepts her, holding her firmly as she slowly and quietly begins to sob, face buried in his neck.
“You’re safe… You’ll be alright…” He consults. His hands slip open, the barrier disappearing, patting her on the head.
Nialuc slides down the apparent throat of the Worm. The smooth interior is a stark contrast to the hardened outside. It would be unbearably warm for a normal person, easily desert like heat in this beast. Yet it's very soothing to the lancer who’d just been incinerated for a second time. He struggles to see properly as his eyelids barely managed to protect his actual eyes. After slipping and sliding for a bit, he lans in a pool of dark green liquid, immediately starting to burn away at his skin and clothes. Again, still much nicer than the blazing fire. He stands up casually, tapping the side of the Worm's insides.
“This will be much easier from here” He looks down to see that the acid is slowly making progress on the skin around his shins. “Better hurry it up. This acid is just a little bit quicker than my passive regeneration”
With a flick of his wrist in the air, from further in the beast's stomach comes flying his spear straight to his hand. He clutches the weapon tightly with both hands, happy to see his prized possession again. “You should’ve stayed where you belong fucker. Time to send you to a new home in hell.” He jokes, patting the inside of the Worm again.
He points his spear at the ground, his palms clenched tightly around the back and the tip of his weapon. It begins to glow dark red, emanating a radiant, powerful aura.
“Gaia. Bulga”
He says, throwing the spear with both hands as hard as he can. The ancient artefact blares through the air, turning into something akin to a dark red lightning bolt. It vanishes into the distance of the beast’s intestines, targeting and aiming straight for its heart deeper within. Nialuc waits around casually for a second. The bolt travels to the centre of the Worm, then pierces through the beast's insides, shooting through its arteries and veins, cutting into and through its heart in a massive blast of energy that detonates and reverberates like a bomb. Part of the beasts back is blown out from the inside, scattering its impenetrable shell from the inside, making a big hole. The Vulcan Worm writhes in pain on the outside, wriggling and growling in suffering. It bends, struggles and tries to dig into the ground, unaware of what's going on. But without a heart, it only lasts a moment until it toppels on its side, groaning and wheezing, dying.
Inside, Nialuc is thrashed around a bit as it struggles, but by the end, gets up and retracts his weapon back to him again, casually walking back up its throat and out of its mouth, feeling the fresh release of cool clean air.
“Ahhhh… Phew, that was a good warm up” He chuckles to himself confidently, slowly walking toward the mansion, his skin patching itself up almost completely by the time he reaches the front door.
He walks in unimpeded, noticing the change in atmosphere very quickly. But more importantly, he senses something immediately. Something that causes his grip to tighten on his weapon. An aura, even stronger and more menacing.
Owin slowly walks down the stairs, the girl still clinging to him without any words. The Knight notices the lancer as they make it down to the bottom. “Nialuc! So it seems everything went well?” He smiles, but takes note of his burned and singed off clothing.
The girl glances up from the knights neck for a moment with teary eyes to see the tall powerful lancer.
“Who is she?”
He observes her carefully. The worn black robes. The long hair, just as dark as her clothes. Her tired and abused expression. Almost shallow brown eyes. A soft complexion and nice looking face hidden behind her uncontrolled dirty hair. Something rubbing Nialuc the wrong way.
“I found her upstairs. She was wounded and shivering. I don't know anything else, she's very shaken. We should get to the nearest city and-”
The lancer stops listening, instead closing his eyes and trying to focus. Dumbing out the noise, smell and sights. Focus fully on that aura that surrounds every inch of this mansion. It's lingering, almost passively waiting. Slowly he starts to feel the differences in intensity, the strength projecting onto one point.
A light robin chirping peacefully. At first that's all he senses. But then behind it there’s more, quieter, hidden behind the sounds of the robin. A string of a guitar, lute and harp, all uneven and in disharmony with each other. Not playing but vibrating, all at the same time perfectly but in terrible tones. Soft rain covers the sounds, making them damper. All coming from the girl.
“Nialuc? Are you liste-”
“Get away from her!” The lancer points his spear at the girl.
Both her and the knight are shocked by his sudden command. Seeing the weapon pointed at her, she buries her face in the knight's neck again.
“What? What are you doing?!”
“I said get away! Her aura filled this house, it’s almost infectious.”
“Huh?... No she’s a victim here, I found her-”
“You don’t know who she is. She might be playing you, tricking you. Someone with that kind of power and aura can’t be trusted!”
Owin feels the girl shivering in his arms as the words of the lancer strike her like knives.
“Like you? No, I don't think so. Stop acting insane, we can figure this out slowly and calmly”
Nialuc’s eyes concentrate on the girl, sure that this is a trick. That she’ll attack at any moment. Then again, if she hadn’t struck yet, or even more so when Owin was alone, there might be room for talk.
Nialuc slowly lowers the tip of his weapon, but not giving a second of doubt or pity.
“If she tries anything, I won’t hesitate”
“I think she gets it,” Owin growls under his breath as the girl shivers in his arms. He can feel her cheek pressing against his heavy collar and her forehead on his upper neck.
“Let’s get some air at least and give her a moment to recover.”
The knight walks with the girl past Nialuc who follows closely behind, keeping just enough distance for optimal spear stabbing. Owins' hand presses against the heavy doors, but they move aside without resistance, screeching a clear couple dozens of years of age. The outside surprises all three of them. The sky is bright and clear, sunlight finally cascading onto the withered plains which slowly but clearly start to revitalise with color. The black and gray tones on every surface start to be replaced with more lively views and diverse eye candy. Even the wind seems both calmer and yet more present, a cool air which gives a warm feeling on the inside. The girl can’t help but look around at the slow emergence of life and shed her last possible tears.
“Great to see the sad influence wash away. Must've looked just as bad for you before as it did for us when we got here right?”
The knight says joyfully to the girl. She doesn’t respond, but rather turns her face away, almost trying to hide it from him. Nialuc observes with increasing suspicion. His mind quickly turns to a different problem. The dark necrotic vibes from the house. His focus shifts and he turns around to walk back into the house. Owin notices his curiosity and decides to walk further from the house. “Better that he entertains himself. Let’s go sit down at that grass patch.” The two walk into the hilly side, noticing the massive Worm, dead, not too far away. Owin worries for the girl as he looks to her, about to cover her eyes to prevent her from seeing it, but is greeted with her eyes already trained on the giant beast with a completely blank expression. “Are.. you not surprised at that?”
The girl looks to him, more surprised at his confusion rather than the monster. Jeez, something really horrifying must have been in that house for he to be so calm. He thinks, cleverly biting his tongue,
Nialuc stands inside the mansion. So I am feeling it… the aura is fading away. I barely even noticed how fast it was disappearing. Moreover, I don't sense it coming from the girl anymore. This has to be a trick. The power was so intricate and deep, it can’t be the aura of an untrained innocent girl… it just can't. Whatever was in this house, it's going away and before now it was affecting this entire area. With its departure, the area is recovering itself. It's almost like nature itself was being drained or halted.
He paces a bit around the large room. After a minute or so, he decides it's better to stick with Owin and keep absolute focus on the girl. Outside, the two can be seen quite a way away from the mansion, sitting on a hill looking away at the landscape. The lancer approaches without their awareness.
Owin sits down in the grass with the girl leaning on his shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re healed properly?”
She nods.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Don’t hesitate to tell me if you need more. Can you speak? It's fine if you don't wish to.”
“No…no… it's okay. I can” She pipes up with a calm voice, almost whispering. Her voice relaxes Owins ears, feeling as though he were laying on a cold cushion. Soft and refreshing.
“For a second I thought you might’ve lost your voice. You were screaming quite loudly”
She shifts her arm over, glad and slightly scared that he could hear her when she couldn’t even hear herself.
“Thank you.. so much”
“We’re here to help. Don’t mention it. Oh and please don’t worry about the tall one, that’s Nialuc. He’s a bit paranoid. Odd that such a strong person can be so scared. Oh.. and my name's Owin by the way.”
The strong being scared. She thinks back to the lancers words, calling her aura infectious. Maybe it was her. The void follows her wherever she goes, no matter how far she tries to run from it. Maybe she’s just cursed. A danger to everyone else like she thought back in the village.
“Could you tell me how you got here? Or… if it's not too touchy, what was attacking you”
“I…” She gulps, shaking her head, instinctively trying to stop thinking about it. Yet the knight deserves an answer.
“I came here from… a village”
“A village? Which exactly?”
“I think it was called Watra…”
“Hm… I don't recognize it. Could you tell me where it is?”
*I don't.. know..*
“Huh?”
“I got lost when following the path”
Got lost? The paths aren’t that hard to follow and there certainly aren’t enough to get lost on. Moreover, if she strayed off the path, and if the wild is as dangerous as Nialuc says, she wouldn’t have made it here. Would she?
“I see. That's okay. I’m sure we can find out where it is and take you back”
“No!” She yells. Owin jerks his head back in surprise.
“I-I mean… no… I don't want to…”
“... excuse me, miss. But I need you to be honest with me. That or just tell me I don’t need to know. Either way, please answer me this at least, are you being chased or hunted by someone?”
The girl avoids eye contact. Chased? Maybe. Hunted? Definitely. Not by someone, but a monster, a demon, the unreal horror.
“...no”
Owin lightly strokes her hair, taking her hand into his.
*What were you hiding from?”
Was it that obvious? He can tell i'm hiding something… I don't want to be abandoned…
“Its… there’s this… darkness that follows me… the void” She trembles, struggling to get the words out.
“That’s what was in the house?”
“It eats everything… it hurts my head and shows me… things”
“Sounds like a curse or haunting. But what I know is its not you.”
“H-how come?”
“The bubble I had around me. The blue barrier. It protects me and anything inside it from magical influences and auras that try to affect you”
The girl huddles around him, sticking to the knight even more.
“please… please don't let it come back…”
“It's okay. I won’t leave you like this. As long as i'm near you, you can tell me when it comes back”
Nialuc listens in not too far away. He’s wrong. There’s no doubt the aura didn’t come from her. But… It could be a spirit or something haunting her soul. However, something so powerful would have no need to haunt or reside in a body like hers. Moreover, something so strong should be able to act and live on its own.
If it really is the case that her natural aura is just that powerful, she could gain control of it.
… And if Owin could fully embrace the power he holds with his Gem… If they could be trained… then… Hiterito… With them I’d match him.
“Ahem…” the lancer scoffs loudly, announcing his presence.
The pair turn at his intrusion.
“Sorry… I think there was a… misunderstanding.” Nialuc apologises awkwardly.
“I heard what you were talking about. That aura… It’s definitely attached to you, without a doubt. But on the good side, you could learn to take control of it.”
“What?” Owin asks before the girl can say so herself. The idea never occurring to either of them.
“You too Owin. You have no idea how to properly use your aura. If you two are willing, I could teach you”
Owin first looks at the girl, gauging her reaction. She seems to be processing the implications. “Take… control…?”
“I don't know what’s wrong with you and you clearly don’t want to say. But what I do know is that no being ever has zero control over themselves or their soul, lest divine powers be involved. Your soul is part of you, no one can take that away from you”
The knights hold on the girl loosens. “It’s worth a shot right? We definitely won’t be leaving you like this, and if you don’t trust us yet, you might as well learn a thing or two.”
Nialuc points to Owin.
“Correct. But also, shut it. You are by far the worst example of power without training I’ve ever seen”
“Excuse me?! I worked hard to get strong and learn magic!”
“Your use of your Gems power is so botched that it gives me literal headaches. The biggest waste of strength and potential I’ve ever had the displeasure of sensing”
“Nialuc!”
“Don't call me that, I'm your babysitter now.”
“Not in front of the girl!” Owin says, his face turning red from embarrassment as the girl chokes from surprise, with a hidden smile, at the lancers statement.
Now THIS is what I was hoping for. Nialuc laughs triumphantly in his head.
After a minute of the girl trying to keep in her laughter, trying not to choke to death, and a continued couple minutes of Nialuc and Owin yelling at each other. The three start to walk back toward the mansion to get back on track.
“By the way, a name to call you by would be nice.” Nialuc snarks at the girl as he walks in front with the two of them side by side behind him.
“You could be a little less of an ass while asking” Owin interrupts.
“Shush child, the adults are speaking”
Owin grumbles as the girl chuckles silently to herself.
“I.. don't really have a name I think. I don't remember mine if I do”
“What do people call you then?” Nialuc continues with his snarky tone.
“People don’t really talk to me.. But those that did called me many different names. Like Suka, Wdowa, or cichy”
“Aha…”
Nialucs tone softens at the revelation that the knight and girl clearly don't speak polish. The three words translating into bitch, widow and quiet.
“Lets pick a real name instead.”
“Are those not real names? I kind of liked Suka”
“Ooo… yeahh no. They’re more like… titles. Let’s make sure you have a real name”
“Wait so. Have you gone your whole life without a name?” Owin interjects.
“Um… I don't really remember much. My memory gets foggy. I only really remember the last 2 years.”
“We’re gonna need to have a talisman or enchanter take a look at you” Nialuc determines. “But for now, how about… Elena? You sound like an Elena”
“... Sure, I’ll take it. I don't really have a preference.”
Good. Elena. If you are the necromancer I take you for, you will do your deed as soon as you gain my trust. Too bad for you, I don't trust anyone.
The three round the mansion and continue heading towards Abkbir to make sure nothing else might be impeding travel. The sun moves across the sky slowly as the knight and lancer are forced to walk much slower, matching Elenas steady pace.
“So about this teaching-”
“Yes yes, I’m looking for the right spot. There was a little pond somewhere around here…” Nilauc cuts Owin off while scanning the forest around them as the path has taken them back into the denser vegetation. They walk along casually, Nialucs mind on the pond and Owins thinking about the remaining length they must walk. Elena is the only one to notice the short man in the distance, walking down the path towards them, dressed in a red and white robe and fox mask, blacked out eyes and ominous vibe.
“Um…” She taps Owins shoulder, who stops daydreaming.
“Oh.. uh that shouldn’t be an issue. Right Nialuc?”
“Hm?” the lancer gives a lazy look over, “Nope. Listen, if I don’t sense anything then there’s probably no danger around.” He doubles down, dismissing the oddly dressed man.
Elena clearly thinks otherwise as she slowly gets closer to Owin, taking his arm.
“Don’t worry about it. Nialuc is usually right about stuff, unlike me. Do you have trouble meeting people on the road?”
“She’s right to fear strangers in the woods. It's dangerous out here. Like I told you, if you have already forgotten”
“I haven’t and I’m sure she knows that! But I’m here and moreover, so are you”
Nialuc smirks. “At least you got that right”
The two exchange a couple more words as they get ever closer to the man, who eventually stops walking forward, positioning himself in the middle of the narrow path. Staring at them.
Nialuc stops looking around and becomes slightly more focused but mainly intrigued.
The three stop as they get within speaking distance.
Owin, not wanting Nialuc to say something stupid like a threat, steps in front of the group, “Hello there foxy stranger. We mean no harm to you and would just like to pass. If you could move aside a bit we’d greatly ap-”
The fox masked man stretches out one arm. Owin and Nialucs pupils widen and go yellow as a sparking feeling jets down their throats, through their backs to their toes. Both drop to the ground, unconscious. Elena gasps and kneels down to Owin, turning his face over to look at him. “O-Owin?... Owin!”
The masked shorty then starts walking toward her slowly. His voice echoes from his mask.
“How did you get out of the house?... no matter. I’m here to take you home. Don’t be scared”
She tries to shake Owin awake but it does nothing. “H-home? I don't have a home!”
“Don’t fight. Don’t resist. Please. I’m here to collect you”
“N-no! Wake them back up, I’m not going anywhere!”
“Pity”
He steps over Nialuc as Elena backs further and further away.
“Seems your head was mangled much more than I thought”
Slowly he raises his hand, clearly about to perform whatever he did again. But he freezes as something feels off. Nialucs eyes shoot open. In a single action, he lifts himself up, grabbing his spear and swinging it at the man, who reacts just in time, jumping out of the way up high onto one of the branches of a tree. The lancer gets to his feet, a little drowsy but not worse for wear. “Mng… you hide your aura well. But you must not understand who you’re dealig with”
The short mans robe flutters in the air, he unsheathes two hidden short blades from behind his waist. Both white with red zig zags on them. The man observes, still but clearly observing the lancer carefully through the black eye holes in the mask.
“Tricks like that won’t work. I don't really need any of the sleep you offer. I am curious though. Was that a ritual, voodoo, a spell or maybe a secret technique?”
“You have divine power in you”
“Hm? So you CAN tell. At least you’re quick to think just like you’re quick on your feet.”
“Who… who are you?” Elena asks, slowly moving towards and standing next to Nialuc.
The man ignores her question, Still on the branch with blades drawn. “I apologise, godly warrior, but I come only for the girl. I mean no harm nor plan anything deceitful. I am simply here to take her home.”
“Hm… that would solve me a lot of issues and time.” Nialuc thinks out loud to Elenas shock and fear. Though the lancer steps in front of her, shielding her from the fox man's view.
“But Owin would despise me for it. Shouldn’t have knocked him out, you coulda reasoned with him then”
“... A shame…”
“Indeed. So are you gonna come down and fight me for her? Or are you smarter than that”
The man stares, almost frozen, for a good couple pondering seconds before putting away his blades and jumping down. He takes a bow at the lancer and walks back the way he came. Nialuc doesn’t move until he’s out of view.