Beware the Vren, creatures wrought
Their souls perverse, fate they fought
From Iodigar, soul was brought
To live again, all for naught
Translation from Effylscript found on the Fjoltheir Portal in Hyrfvar.
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It had taken Kollyn a surprisingly small amount of time to prepare everything for the journey. His weapons, travelling clothes and sacks all seemed to be lying there, ready to be picked up and carried away in a matter of seconds. Had he kept them like that on purpose in case the Ligtyr unexpectedly called on him to go out travelling again?
Tolis arrived, carrying rations and water that would last him for at least two weeks if he was careful. It would be heavy to carry, but there was no way of knowing how long he would spend in Iodigar. A day? A month?
Would he even return at all?
Best not to think of that, he reprimanded himself. He would not fail the Ligtyr.
“I added some paper, a quill and ink with the rest of the gear,” Tolis said hastily as he organized the contents of the backpack. “If you’d be so kind to write down everything you see, that would be much appreciated. And in detail, preferably.”
Kollyn snickered and when he saw Tolis annoyed reaction he began to laugh.
“My good Tolis,” he laughed, “I will remember all I see, but I very much doubt I will have the time to note it all down.”
Tolis sighed. “After all I’ve done for you...”
It only made Kollyn laugh harder and eventually, Tolis couldn’t help but grin as well.
“You’re a good man, Tolis,” Kollyn said. “And a good servant. I wouldn’t know what I would have done without you these past two months.”
“You’d have suffered four mental breakdowns from dealing with the librarian alone. I swear that man’s sole purpose in life is to ensure that looking for documents is at least as miserable an experience as trying to stop a Syrinian from drinking the entire contents of your wine cellar.”
“Aren’t you Syrinian? I thought you didn’t drink?”
Tolis huffed. “I, good sir, am a scholar. The lack of libraries and universities in Syrinia is the very reason I set out to find a place to learn. I don’t have time to drink. I must acquire the entirety of all knowledge known to mankind. Maybe then I can finally bring some civilization back to Syrinia and make it a liveable place.”
“A noble quest,” Kollyn laughed. “I will make certain to bring as much information back from Iodigar as possible. Perhaps you might use it to entice others to start learning from you.”
To his surprise, Tolis gave a slight bow, no hint of mockery or sarcasm in the movement. He placed the backpack on the centre table. “All packed. The sun is almost set.”
Kollyn nodded. The last rays of the evening sun were indeed creeping through the window and slowly climbing up towards the ceiling. They waited in silence, following the movement of the light. As the final thin line of light disappeared, the air in the centre of the study began to ripple and form into the familiar distortion of an Axesem.
Kollyn nodded briefly and decisively at Tolis, who returned the gesture. Without a word, he stepped through and into the Elseworld.
The place he arrived at was different than where the Woadan had taken place. Instead of giant pillars and an invisible ceiling, he stood on an open plain now. The Elseworld stretched out around him, barren fields of black rock and small, jagged mountains in the distance. The sky was dark, yet he could see as far and as clear as he would on a bright summer’s day.
He turned and laid eye upon the sole structures that stood on these plains. Six pitch-black rings, each double his height and triple his width, were placed in a circular pattern next to one another. In their centre stood the Ligtyr, accompanied by a woman Kollyn did not recognize. She wore robes like his, with differentiations in the patterns here and there, and looked equal in age to him.
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The Ylfru, he suspected.
Stepping towards them and passing underneath one of the large circles, he noticed they also were engraved with Effylscript. The text went around the ring in a spiralling pattern, making him feel dizzy as he tried to follow the lines. Reaching the Ligtyr though, he focused again and bowed as he reached them.
“He’s young,” the Ylfru stated with a clear, pristine voice.
“Astute observation,” the Ligtyr smiled. “This is Brother Kollyn.”
The Ylfru eyed him up and down with inspecting eyes. “I’ve heard quite some interesting things about you, Brother Kollyn. How well do you control your... gift?”
Kollyn glanced at the Ligtyr quickly, who gave a quick nod. “Not as well as I would like, Ylfru,” he answered.
The Ylfru gave an appreciative glance. “An honest answer.”
Outside the circle of rings, a figure appeared from thin air. After glancing around for a second, the figure took notice of them and started in their direction. She, it was a woman Kollyn could see now, stepped with determined pace, her backpack and sacks bobbing along with every footstep. Much like Kollyn, a sword adorned her hip.
“She’s young,” the Ligtyr said, a slight grin surfacing.
The Ylfru gave him a side-glance look, one that showed both amusement and annoyance. The woman had reached the rings by now and just as Kollyn had done she took a moment to gaze upon the Effylscript. When she turned again, he could finally see her clearly. The Ligtyr had spoken true, she was young. He guessed they were about of the same age. She had a strong and hardened face, a scar adorning her left cheek from mouth to eye.
As she reached the group, she bowed to both the Ylfru and the Ligtyr.
“This is Sister Tirril,” the Ylfru said. “Of all Sisters, she is most experienced in dealing with the Vren. Now that you and Brother Kollyn are both here, there are things you must know of Iodigar and the dangers it holds.
“It is possible to travel there without dying by using one of the portal rings here. However, there is no portal on the other side to travel back. Iodigar is the Last Passage, there is not supposed be a coming back.
“Unfortunately, it is also impossible for us to use Axesems once in Iodigar. Therefore, timing will be everything. Once a day, at the same exact time that you entered Iodigar, we will use this portal to open an Axesem to the place you arrived at for a total of five seconds. We cannot risk longer as it would allow others in Iodigar to use it as well and enter the Elseworld.”
Despite his earlier confidence, a sense of dread and anxiety began to overcome Kollyn. Whatever they would encounter in Iodigar, it did not seem like it would be anything pleasant.
Tirril gave voice to his thoughts. “You speak of others, Ylfru. What kinds of creatures reside in that place?” She talked softer than Kollyn had expected, her tone gentler than the steadfast expression that covered her face.
“Souls,” the Ylfru answered. “The souls of all living things that died across the four Realms of Existence. Stay clear of them and they should not bother you, yet with the current situation there is no telling how they will behave. If the Vren are anything to go by, they should be avoided at all cost.”
Kollyn swallowed, a thought occurring.
The Ligtyr noticed his discomfort and gave sign to speak.
“If these... souls target us,” he said, “how are we supposed to defend ourselves? Can they be cut?”
The Ylfru shook her head. “They will appear solid to you, true to the shape they held in life, but they cannot be harmed. They are already dead.”
“But then what of the Vren, Ylfru?” Tirril interjected. “We can harm those, can we not?”
The Ligtyr answered. “The souls of the dead cannot be harmed, this much is true. The Vren however have somehow found a way to travel back to the world of the living, gaining a body in the process. Releasing them from that shell sends them back to Iodigar, soul unharmed.”
Tirril muttered something under her breath too quiet for Kollyn to hear. He doubted it had been something positive.
“Whatever is causing this increase in Vren,” the Ligtyr continued, “it must be dealt with. Know that this task is now on your shoulders. Know that you have the skills to see it to completion and the faith of the Realmatic Keepers behind you.”
“If we had more to give, we would,” the Ylfru said as she motioned them to follow, “yet our knowledge of Iodigar is limited.” They stopped before one of the rings. “All that we know and have told you stems from the Effylscript we could transcribe on this ring, the portal to Iodigar. The moment you step into this realm, you are in uncharted territory. I ask you therefore one last time. Will you go?”
She looked both at Tirril and Kollyn intently and met their gazes. Kollyn did not blink nor avoided her eyes. He was resolute. Focused.
“They are ready.” She decided.
The Ligtyr stepped towards the base of the ring and placed his hands just before it. Instead of ripples though, black veins now crept outwards from where he touched the ring. The veins crawled along the ring, following the pattern of the Effylscript, accentuating it. When the veins reached the top and the ring was completely covered, the air in between started to shimmer. Tiny wisps of fog began to appear around it, rapidly expanding until eventually the entire inside of the ring was covered in a grey haze of fog.
“None have ever stepped through this and returned,” the Ligtyr said as he rose and stepped back. “Five seconds, once a day. That is all we can give you. We will remain here for months if we have to.”
Kollyn looked at Tirril, who stared back and gave a short, decisive nod. Together, they stepped through and into Iodigar.