Darkness spilled out before Elurra like an upturned inkwell. She stepped closer to the edge of the stone balcony and looked over the flat expanse below her. The rolling desert was broken up by small, scraggly trees until it gave way to the edge of the city and its tightly packed buildings. She was in one of the tallest towers, a lonely pillar among the stars. A black mountain loomed out of the darkness in the distance, blotting out the horizon. Elurra couldn’t see either of the moons. The stars were the only sparse light the night could offer. A gentle wind blew around her, and she shivered, but it wasn’t because of the cold. Shouts of alarm gusted up from below, filling her with unease as children’s shrill cries were cut off sharply. Screeches and howls sounded in her ears, reminding her of Kai’s terrible screams. The land below her was shrouded in evil. Elurra’s skin crawled, and she stepped back from the balcony’s edge.
The sharp click of heels against the stone floor echoed behind her. She spun around to find a young girl who appeared approximately fifteen. Midnight black hair spilled down her shoulders, accentuating her olive complexion. Her deep cerulean eyes were clouded, like lambent crystals. Red silk wrapped around her chest and spilled down her legs, forming a dress from a single bolt of cloth. A thin band of silver circled her head. She walked past Elurra without a glance in her direction and rested her hands on the railing to look at the abyss below. Her troubled expression turned grave, and tears silently streaked her face. They splashed onto the stone railing as the wails intensified. Elurra looked away from the heartbreaking scene only to notice something odd. A strange luminescence appeared out of thin air in the distance, slowly growing stronger. The girl turned away from the darkness and noticed the light. A puzzled look came over her face, and she slowly approached the phenomenon.
The light intensified and started to form the rough shape of a male figure. At first it was indistinct, but as the light pooled together, his form became solid. He glimmered like the stars in the sky, creating his own golden light. His skin was pale, and his platinum blond hair stopped just past his pointed ears. His eyes were a brilliant shade of violet and seemed to peer into the very essence of her being. He hovered a few feet above the balcony, and the girl looked up at him with a mix of dread and awe. The being descended gracefully. She whimpered and backed away, raising her arms to ward him off.
“Stay away from me, Demon!” she commanded, her voice quivering.
His feet touched down silently, and he tilted his head to look the trembling girl in the eye.
“Princess Lira, please don’t be afraid. My name is Zavier, and I am here to help.”
“How can you do anything to help me?” she demanded.
“When we discovered the Cythraul had a new rift, we acted immediately. I was sent to assess the damage. Unfortunately, my transportation device, which allows me to get back through the rift, was damaged when I fought with a Cythraul. I can only use the connections on this side of the rift. After my run in with the beasts, I searched for someone in power who was uncorrupted and willing to help me stop them. Then I found you.”
Elurra was mesmerized by his strange accent. His words sounded like music. During his speech, Lira’s face creased in confusion. Elurra had no idea what he was saying either, although she remembered the crazy cave troll had mentioned Demons were called Cythraul. Elurra expected Lira to ask him about the strange things he mentioned, but she simply scowled at the glowing man.
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“My mother is dead. My people are slaughtered every night the moons do not appear. Our meager crops are withering because of the dark magic poisoning this kingdom. My father threatens to sacrifice me to the Demons every day. We are a doomed and broken people. I am a worthless girl with no hope of living to adulthood. Tell me, why have you finally decided I need your help when I have needed help for years?”
Elurra could plainly see she was bitter with anger. He looked at her for a few moments, sadness in his eyes.
“I am truly sorry. We acted as soon as we could, but time is not the same here as it is on the other side. On Yamoi, it took us only a few weeks to locate the rift they were using, but on this side of the rift, that is the equivalent of decades.”
She turned away from him and gazed into the night. “Why are you here? Why do you need my help to stop these beasts? You are a Guardian, are you not?”
Zavier paused and turned his gaze.
“I am stranded here. They will wait a few days before they come after me. That means I will be abandoned here for years without anyone to talk to or confide in. We are not supposed to engage with the local people. We are supposed to keep our cloaking devices on and slay the Cythraul. I have been watching you, though. You are planning something.”
“How do you know?” she asked suspiciously. He grinned.
“I was guessing actually. I have no idea what your intentions are, but I know it will be dangerous.” When she didn’t return his smile, he turned more serious and bowed his head. “I am in your service, so I hope you have plans. It will be a waste of my powers otherwise.”
“You can help me free my people?” she asked tentatively. Zavier gave her a beaming smile, which was almost impossible to see because of his brilliant glow. He quickly controlled his burst of happiness, so he didn’t blind the young princess.
“As this is my first assignment, I promise to do everything I can to help your people,” he said solemnly.
Elurra looked at the scene before her in confusion.
Who are they? Why are they in my dreams? she wondered, completely mystified.
The scene dissolved and was replaced by a large, empty room, shrouded in ebony. She blinked a few times, trying to peer through the murky darkness. She was standing in front of a man seated on a large throne. He had sharp features, dark skin, and wore a crown of gold on his head, richly studded in jewels. A Demon hovered before the king in the blackness.
“Small-minded human! I should kill you right now,” it screeched.
The king smiled, which was hard to see in the dim light.
“No matter how much you hate me; you cannot kill me. I am protected. As long as I possess the Kutsal Stones, touching me will result in your immediate expulsion through the void. The only way you can feast is to listen to my orders,” he said proudly, gesturing to the vast room around him as if the walls represented the rest of the country. “Besides, you owe me. I stole the stone from Reagn, killed the king, and created a rift between our worlds so you could come and go as you please.”
The Demon’s angry red eyes grew larger and filled with loathing. The king raised his hand, a glowing green gem in his palm.
“You would do best not to anger me. I am known as a destroyer of worlds and the king of the darkness on the battlefield. If you think you hold power over me, you are mistaken,” the monster growled.
“Relax. You know my daughter is yours on her eighteenth birthday. I have kept my end of the bargain, so keep yours.” He sighed in annoyance, like he was talking about a pesky insect instead of the fate of his child. “She is too much like her mother, anyway.”
The Demon chuckled. “Her mother was especially satisfying. We fed off her anguish for a year alone.”
Elurra gasped and covered her mouth, thoroughly rattled. How could anyone be so cruel?