SVAN CHORYTH

The days went by quickly, and in their numbers, we’d already spent two weeks in Conton. There were no orders from Vayr yet, so we stayed put. Reinforcements from Azkhan arrived; soldiers and lieutenants alike. Five lieutenants and an additional three hundred men were assigned to Conton, to ensure things ran smoothly.

Feeling restless, I decided to explore the city. Since I arrived Conton, I had never left the premises of the council building; the mob incident being the only exception. So, a stroll around the city just to pass time wasn’t too bad an idea. I had initially planned to join the patrol soldiers since they were already familiar with the city, but on a second thought, I changed my mind. I didn’t think that route would flesh out the experience I intended.

I wore plain clothing—one I thought would blend well among common folk, before setting out for my little adventure. The sky was almost cloudless, with very few patches that looked like isolated islands in the ocean. It shone yellow, imposing an ambience that conveyed the wishes of the setting sun.

I walked about a hundred meters before reaching the gates which had two soldiers on guard. It was a simple gate that was made of columns of steel, not more than six feet tall, connecting a fencing of similar pattern. The gates and fencing didn’t match the architecture of the council building. Even though they served a purpose of demarcation rather than security, a concrete fence would have appeared a lot more better. Thankfully, the flower bushes that spawned the length of the fence made it look a bit visually appealing.

Someone called out my name from a distance, and the only person who would do that was Yukina. I turned around and I saw her standing on the balcony at the highest point in the building. She waved at me, and shouted,

“Try not to get your self in trouble.”

“Hopefully, I won’t,”I replied, mirroring her tone.

I walked through Whisperock; a long street that led me away from the premises of the council building. It had an interesting terrain, an undulating one. At the end of the street which led to the heart of the city, I stood at the same level with the council building while the street sloped downwards and upwards.

The street nestled on a rocky terrain, almost like it was carved out of a mountain. It gave off a dramatic appearance, as if the buildings and rocks came to an agreement of a mutual coexistence.

The sight was beautiful and vibrant. It was a bustling street lined with buildings that had a similar yet harmonious design. The buildings were multi-levelled, and most of them had terraces and balconies which gave off an appearance that contrasted the fact that a vast majority of them weren’t residential buildings as they rather served administrative purposes. Most people were gathered in clusters at the entrances of one building or another, others walked along the length of the street, and soldiers on patrol went along with their duties

I didn’t walk for long until I got to the city square. Its environment was a dull contrast from Whisperock, as it presented with a gradual shift in its atmosphere. There was a blend of buildings with similar architecture to that of Whisperock, and ones that looked exactly the same as the ones found downtown Stavren. They were arranged around a large square-like space which had a monument bearing the insignia of House Tulika at the center.

The city square opened to various routes that led to different parts of the city. I chose one route just because it had an interesting name, as the sign at its entrance read, “Dark Hollows”.

After walking for a while, the path felt surprisingly mundane, barely distinguishable from the city square. I thought I would get to see somewhere grim, or spooky as the name portrayed, but it seemed I guessed wrong, and its name didn’t translate into anything of significance.

“Well, don’t judge the book by its cover,” I thought to myself.

As darkness fell, I considered turning back, but curiosity urged me to continue a bit further. It didn’t take long until the expectation in my head became a reality. It turned out that my guess wasn’t wrong after all, and the route I walked all along was just a facade which led into the true Dark Hollows.

The area I entered was completely different. It gave off a sense of foreboding, and the air felt heavy, tingling with anticipation. It just looked like a place where every bad thing imaginable would go down.

The ground was paved with uneven cobblestones that glistened slightly as if damp from a recent rain. The structures were tall, and haphazardly built, with wooden beams and crooked roofs that jutted out at odd angles. Soft flickering lanterns hung from buildings, casting a warm glow that contrasted with the shadows lurking in the corners.

I stood contemplating if I should end my adventure and return the next day, or if I should go on a little further. In the end, the thought of finding something to eat provided me with an excuse to explore a bit further.

A lot of people walked past me, yet the only sounds I heard were the faint sounds of murmured conversations, and the clinking of metal. I wasn’t scared, but I felt deterred from walking up to anyone, and asking them for directions to any nearby tavern. It just felt as if there was an unwritten rule of secrecy that governed the area.

I walked further in, reading the signs in front of every building I walked past, in search of a tavern. Fortunately I found one that read, “Wild Meat House.” Relieved, I walked in.

I was expecting an almost empty dimly-lit tavern, but to my surprise, it was filled with people, and was brightly-lit.

“Another surprise,” I voiced inwardly.

I stood at the entrance scanning for an empty table. Luckily, a group of people stood up and made their way towards my direction. The table they previously occupied sat at the corner of the tavern, so I quickly made my way over there to claim the spot.

A middle-aged woman came to clear the table, and I thought it was a good opportunity to place an order.

“Excuse me, I would like to have something,” I requested. But she paid me no heed, and just walked away after she cleared the table. I was surprised but I didn’t react. Maybe I was doing something wrong, so I decided to sit and observe how things were done. I didn’t sit for long, before someone walked into the tavern.

Her appearance was confusing. From her outfit, I couldn’t tell if she was a noble, an adventurer, or a skilled rouge. I thought it was highly unlikely that a noble would want to dine in some tavern in the Dark Hollows, so I thought she might be an adventurer or a skilled rouge. she wore a long, black coat with a hood, giving it a casual, yet sophisticated look. It had various straps and buckles but there were no weapons—at least none that I could see. Underneath the coat was a white shirt and black pants that complimented the outfit, with a scarf around her neck.

She lowered her hood as she walked in, and her face became a subject of revelation. She was blonde-haired, wore glasses, and had features that made her appearance leave an impression on anyone who looked at her.

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She walked directly to the counter to place her order.

“Oh, stupid me. What was I thinking?” I cursed.

I waited for her to finish so I could do the same. When she was done, she approached my table, as it was the only less-occupied table available. I stood, intending to walk to the counter, but she stopped me,

“Don’t bother. I’ve already placed an order for you,” she said smoothly.

I did my best to hide the surprise on my face as I sat back down. She sat opposite me,

“I am Valery, nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hands for a handshake.

I couldn’t understand how, or why she felt this comfortable around a stranger.

“Svan,” I replied, accepting her gesture.

“I know. Svan of House Choryth,” she said to me.

I was convinced that this wasn’t just any random meeting.

“Who are you?” I asked her.

There was a slight change in the tone of my voice, one that indicated seriousness.

She looked at me for a bit,

“Just someone who wants to meet you. You know, I followed you here. In fact, I’ve been following you all day, and I must say I was quite surprised that you didn’t seem to notice. You seem far too carefree for someone with a significant involvement in this war. Carefree or confident, whatever it may be, don’t you think you are overestimating yourself?”

“You didn’t answer my question yet,” I insisted.

“I did answer your question. I just said I am someone who wants to meet you. So, your next question should be why?”

“Okay, she is rude too,” I concluded to myself.

I decided to indulge her patiently, just enough to know her intentions.

Our meal arrived. It was a meat soup, and it’s aroma was inviting. She started eating immediately, and after a few scoops from her bowl, she said,

“This is so good. You should eat before it gets cold. It tastes better while it’s still hot,” gesturing to me to start eating.

I started eating too, and we both ate in silence until we were done.

“I really wanted to know; why is House Choryth fighting against the Imperium? What did the Azkhans offer?” She asked me.

“Oh, I see. You are a knight of the Order of Death,” I said to her.

“Wasn’t that obvious since the beginning?” She countered.

“No wonder you kept asking me who I was. You don’t strike me as a person who is slow, but maybe I am mistaken. Are you slow?….up here,” she said, gesturing by pointing at the side of her head.

“I didn’t know knights were talkative,” I replied.

“Well, congratulations, you’ve met me. So tell me, why is House Choryth fighting against the Imperium?”

“We didn’t have much of a choice did we? Why are you being curious all of a sudden. Since when did the Imperium care? When the Azkhans massacred the Houses of the South, what did the Imperium do about it? Nothing.”

She nodded slowly,

“I see. So, it’s purely survival driven. Well, just like you said, you had no choice. But I think you joined the wrong side. Did you think that they could possibly beat us?”

“If the Imperium is so confident in winning, why hasn’t it stepped up all this time. The Imperium lost the Southern Republic, now it has lost Duskenfell. How much longer will it wait until it stepped up? When everything is gone?”

She smiled,

“What do you know about the Imperium? Literally nothing….you know nothing. Just because your House and the Azkhans were able to take out some Third Order knights, and a few Second Order knights doesn’t mean you hold any position of advantage. You’ve not met First Order knights, you’ve not met Templars, and you will probably never meet the Holy Guards. We are well aware of the situation of this war and we haven’t responded efficiently because it’s difficult to fight two wars at the same time. There is a far more dangerous enemy that threatens our existence, they are the ones that have kept us occupied, and stretched our forces thin. So you see, we’ve been so busy trying to keep everyone alive, and prevent this continent from falling into utter destruction and chaos. You want to know why the Imperium hasn’t committed to this war which the Azkhans you’ve aligned with is bringing to it? Well, you have your answer. Even at this moment, we still can’t, but we can bring a different war to you people.”

Her words sounded genuine, but I couldn’t tell her intentions, why she went this length to meet with me. It didn’t seem like she was here to deliver a message to me, or make any request, so I struggled to understand her intentions.

Everything has been going in a positive direction for the Azkhans, every move seemed to be the right one, and every battle has been won so far. I had thought about the situation a few times because the progress of the war had been too good to be true. I’d been skeptical, but it wasn’t my place to raise concerns.

I didn’t see any reason to doubt the situation she explained. What was even weirder was the famed Order of Death, taking loss after loss. At least, I’ve been brought to the clarity that we’ve only gone up against Third Order knights, and a few Second Order knights. I could easily tell that the Second Order knights were the ones we faced at the end of the battle at Forlon plains; the difference in strength spoke for itself.

I got a bit excited upon learning that other ranks still existed—the First Order knights, the Templars, and the Holy Guards. Their names alone was enough representation of their strength. I remembered the knight I killed at the port city telling me that I could have joined the ranks of the Templars if only I was in service of the Imperium. To think that there were people stronger than I was, among the Order of Death, sparked excitement and anticipation within me.

More importantly, she mentioned another enemy of the Imperium, one that seems to pose a lot more threat to them than the Azkhans did. It was my first time hearing about this enemy, and I was yet to encounter them firsthand. They had to be a very powerful force if they were the ones that kept higher ranked knights occupied. I couldn’t help but wonder where this war was waged. It had to be true, but where was it?

“I just have two questions. First, why are you here? I don’t still understand why you came to me. Secondly, this enemy you speak of, who are they? How is it that no one but the Imperium is aware of their existence?”

“I told you. I just wanted to see you. You are a bit famous, you know. Not just you, your family in general. It’s funny, even after aligning with the Azkhans, the Imperator Dominus, doesn’t consider you, and your House traitors—something I don’t quite understand. It’s true, you are very strong, same as your mother, and sisters. An ability as unique as yours, would have guaranteed you a place among Templars. Your mother and sisters, though I haven’t seen them fight, reports have it that they were able to kill Second Order knights. So, they obviously scale above them. But if the Imperator Dominus placed a death decree on you and your family, trust me, you all would have been dead.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked firmly.

“No, it’s not. It’s a fact. You and your family might be special, I mean, achieving feats like you people have already done without any formal training from the Order is impressive, but there are a lot of ‘specials’ among the Order too.”

She loosened her gait, and relaxed on her seat.

“I was just curious to see what you looked like, that’s all. And maybe have a little chat with you, just like we are doing now. For your second question, well, I think it is best you encounter them firsthand. The experience will give you a glimpse of the things we do in the shadows. It’s unfortunate that we would have to sacrifice Duskenfell, but this is war, and we can’t let them win.”

“Why does it feel like you are trying to convince me to switch my allegiance to the Imperium?” I asked.

She chuckled,

“No I’m not,” she said, before pausing for a bit.

“Oh, I see. It could be a reason why he doesn’t want you people dead,” she voiced, her expression shifting as if she had just realized something.

“What are you talking about,”I asked.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just a matter of time before you join our ranks,” she replied.

She stood, and before she left, she said to me,

“We’ve opened a gateway for the dark ones here at Duskenfell. I hope you stay alive till we meet again.

She snapped her fingers, and to my surprise, everything around me was suspended, like they were frozen in time. I was able to impose my Feel, and thankfully, I was able to move, though painfully slow. She leaned forward,

“I told you, the Order has specials, just like you.”

I watched her leave, and I tried to go after her, but it was a struggle. Though I was able to impose my Feel, I felt a powerful force that restrained me so much. It was a weird feeling, because it felt like something that was present and absent at the same time. The best I was able to do was to stand from my seat, and when I did, she was gone.

The last time I felt this helpless was at Ausbane forest. She could have killed me if she wanted to. For the first time in a long while, I felt true fear. And, that singular action of hers confirmed everything she said to be true.

Everyone returned back to normal, and no one even had the slighted idea of what just happened.

I left the tavern hurriedly, as I tried to connect with Darya. Darya came alive in my head, and I said to her,

“You have a lot of explaining to do, and don’t even think of lying to me, because it seems I have been lied to this whole time.”

A lot of thoughts spiralled in my head, none settling. I went back to the council building using Realm Slip, too rattled to walk back. Just as I arrived the gate, sounds akin to that of a thunderstorm rumbled, but I didn’t see any lightning flashes. I looked up, and red cracks appeared in the sky. The cracks got bigger and bigger, and it didn’t take long until something crashed in a distance.

“No way,” I said in disbelief.