Dust and sand, all hope taken
Piercing winds, life forsaken
Souls pulled in, resolve unshaken
Realm of the Damned, storms awaken
Translation from Effylscript found on the Vardheir Portal in Hyrfvar.
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They walked through a dark nothingness for a while, accompanied only by tendrils of translucent fog that danced around their legs. Looking down, Kollyn could only barely distinguish his own feet from the pitch-black ground they stepped on. Their surroundings seemed in stark contrast with the bright world one walked through when traversing an Axesem.
“Don’t wander,” Tirril whispered, her voice echoing in the distance despite her low tone.
They stayed shoulder to shoulder, not daring to take one step away from one another and lose sight in the dark. Kollyn lost track of time the longer they went on. Had it been five minutes? Or perhaps an hour had passed already...
“We’re not alone,” Tirril suddenly whispered, even quieter than before.
Kollyn strained his ears. For a moment he heard nothing, but then the sound of feet shuffling reached his ears. The echoes however made it impossible to locate the origin of the sound.
“Keep your guard up,” Kollyn whispered back. “There’s nothing we can do but anticipate.”
Tirril nodded and moved her hand to her sword’s hilt. The shuffling however disappeared moments later without anything happening. The darkness, Kollyn noticed, began to retract as well.
Then he blinked, and the darkness vanished. For the briefest of moment, it seemed as if they’d arrived back in the fields around Lunard. When Kollyn looked up however and saw that there was no sky all notion of home was shattered. An endless ceiling of rugged rock and stone spanned across the skies in all directions, seemingly unsupported. Small, flickering lights gave the impression of an ocean of stars.
“This should not be possible,” Tirril muttered as she gazed up. “A cave this immense should collapse on itself without support.”
“What is to say what is possible in a place like this,” Kollyn answered. He took in their surroundings and noticed they stood on a small incline in the landscape. Around them, plains of brown grass and rock stretched out for miles. Further beyond, jagged mountains rose up, yet none were high enough to reach the roof of Iodigar.
“Are those rivers?” Tirril asked and pointed the other way Kollyn was looking. Indeed, he could see several small tendrils emerging from a mountain range that eventually merged and formed into a single, wide line curving across the landscape.
“All things considered,” he said, “Iodigar looks more welcoming than the Elseworld.”
Tirril nodded. “No reason to let our guard down though. Any suggestions on which direction to go?”
Kollyn thought for a moment. “The problem that we’re here to solve is the souls not passing on into the afterlife. Perhaps it would be best to find a soul, follow it discretely and see if anything happens to it.”
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“A plan as good as any,” Tirril answered. “The Ylfru said the area where we arrive should be mostly free from souls. We should probably head down to the plains if we want to find some.”
They started down the incline and in a matter of minutes had made it onto the more even terrain of the plains. Curiously, Kollyn squatted and inspected a small tuft of brown grass. He was surprised to find signs of floral life from everything the Ligtyr had told of this place. He had expected a barren landscape, unwelcoming and void of life. As he stood up again and walked forward to inspect another plant, Tirril grabbed his shoulder and pushed him down.
She pointed to his right. “They were barely visible from above, but there are plenty of souls wandering here.”
Kollyn turned his head to where she was pointing and gasped softly. Dozens of translucent figures walked a mere two hundred feet from where they hid. Most of the figures were humanlike in appearance, but some stood larger and did not quite resemble anything Kollyn recognized. They looked more like giant beasts, walking on all fours and what seemed to be fur covering their entire body. Others were donned in more shell-like armour and crawled on just about too many legs to be considered natural.
“Whatever those are,” Tirril whispered, “I doubt they come from our world.”
“Best not to attract their attention,” Kollyn said. “They all seem to be going in the same direction. We can follow them from a safe distance and keep an eye out in case anything strange happens.”
“Stranger than the souls of the dead walking alongside one another?” Tirril grinned.
Kollyn gave a quick laugh. Only a few hours earlier he had been transcribing manuscripts in his study, trying to discover more about the workings of the Seven Realms. Now he had actually traversed into Iodigar, where none had ever been before and returned, and felt strangely at ease. Was this what he was meant to do? He’d learned more of the Realms in the few minutes he was inside it than all his studies could tell him.
“Let’s go,” he said and Tirril nodded.
It quickly became obvious that is was more than just a few dozen of souls. The line was endless and no matter how fast or how long Kollyn and Tirril ran, they came no closer to the end then when they had first set off.
They moved across the wide, open plains, switching between walking and running every other hour. With no idea on how long the journey would take, they decided it be best to not overexert themselves. Who knew what would await them over the next hill or river crossing? Kollyn was impressed by Tirril’s endurance when they were both still going steadily a decent amount of time later. He had no doubt she had spent months upon months in the field, much like he had.
Eventually though, a small time of rest was needed.
“They’re slow,” Tirril noted, sitting down and reaching for a flask. “No matter how big or how small, they all move in that same, slow cadence.”
She took a sip from the flask and handed it to Kollyn who accepted it gratefully. They had crossed several small rivers during the run, but their black taint and the absence of fish had withheld them from refilling.
“And their gaze,” he said. “Firmly pointed in the direction they’re walking.” He took out a piece of bread, tore it in two and tossed one to Tirril. She caught it swiftly and bit down on the food.
They ate in silence for a moment when Tirril spoke up.
“The Ligtyr,” she said, “why did he choose you?”
Kollyn chewed on the bread a bit longer than necessary, contemplating the answer. The Ligtyr knew of his power and Kollyn was aware that was the main reason he was chosen. Yet he liked to believe there was more to it.
“Of all the Keepers,” he answered after finally swallowing the last piece of bread, “I was the one with the most experience concerning the Vren. The Ligtyr recognized my abilities and decided I was the best option.”
Tirril nodded. “How long has it been since your Elevation?”
“Five months,” Kollyn said. “You?”
“Seven months,” Tirril responded. “Either we were the most expendable or they truly believe in our chances.”
“They believe,” Kollyn said, remembering the sincerity of the Ligtyr’s words. “So, what about you? Why were you chosen?”
Tirril moved her hand to her left cheek and trailed a finger across the scar that adorned it. “Same as you, I guess. Only one of the other Sisters had fought Vren before and she was well into her eighties. Believe it or not, her last kill was only two years ago.”
“Well, thank the Ylfru for sending you instead,” Kollyn laughed, “Because the running is far from over. You ready?”
Tirril laughed and nodded. In a matter of seconds, they had packed everything up again and had resumed their run.