Act I
Chapter III
2nd Millennia of Pera Dunamis, Continent of Richten - 42nd of Highsun
As I stare into Aiden’s lifeless eyes, the inferno inside my head intensifies. My vision blurs, and the other figures around me multiply in a haze of confusion. Serena's blood-curdling wails flood my ears, creating a relentless, piercing buzz. My clarity and consciousness fade against my will, as if I’m locked in a desperate tug-of-war with a powerful bear.
Before succumbing to the affliction, visions of Aiden’s last moments race through my mind. I can't bear to see my best friend's head roll onto the ground again. Desperately, my hand reaches out to Trent as flames erupt from the hooded figure, who then collapses like a rag-doll. Images of Aiden standing there, untouched by the chaos, flood my thoughts. My mind races to a vision of a mysterious knight lifting the burning assassin and tossing him aside effortlessly. Darkness consumes me as confusion overwhelms me, leaving my comprehension in turmoil.
Reality becomes subjective.
It feels like I’m inside a world of darkness. My eyes still burn, yet the writhing pain is gone. No matter how much I try to speak, my voice fails to produce words. A thin, pervasive veil wraps around me as my breathing becomes heavy and labored.
Where am I?
“Pride.” I hear a strange voice in the distance. “Ego.” The voice repeats the words in a steady rhythm, like a metronome. “Greed.” The next word comes offbeat. “Wrath.” Another word, the tempo quickens. As the offbeat mix of words continues, the voice grows louder, as if closing in on me. After a few seconds, the voice reaches a blaring peak and then falls silent.
Suddenly, soft lips brush against my left ear. "Your ego is the burden of virtue," she whispers. Gentle fingers lift my chin, and then her lips meet mine. Waves of calm rush through my body, as if I’m evaporating, replaced by a profound sense of peace that settles in my chest.
A bright light pierces the darkness. The sensational burn in my eyes encapsulates my body, then converging into my palm. Involuntarily, my hand reaches out to the light, yearning to escape from this dark world. Instead, I grab the light and feel a smooth surface rubbing against my thumb. Looking carefully into the light, I see that it’s actually a piece of glass. Playing through that glass is the moment that we find the mysterious body outside.
Except a different outcome occurs. Gold lights illuminate the area, projecting a commanding veil. A mysterious figure in clad armor saves Aiden from his demise, stopping the hooded assassin from harming anyone. I need to be there.
The burning sensation disappears as the light snuffs itself. I open my eyes to the start of both realities I experienced. The rain still peppers my drench hair, bombarding the grass bordering my feet. I take a deep breath of wet earthiness to reassure that I wasn’t dreaming.
I gaze upon Trent and Aiden to find them in one piece.
“Trent, we need to wrap this up.” Recognizing what will happen, I implore him. I’m uncertain about what I witnessed, but I know that it’s not a predetermined result. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
My older brother then looks at me, nods, and wends his way to the mysterious body on the ground. I ask Aiden to take Serena back into the safety of the vehicle. I follow my concerned brother as he crouches within arm’s reach of the body. Upon closer observation, we stare at a gigantic unit of a man, cumbered by his clad armor. The suit creeps as it lets out a deep groan.
Trent gets close enough to see the man’s face. “Hey, are you alri-?” He hesitates briefly before letting out a long sigh. The mystery-man pushes himself up on all fours then turns his head towards Trent. The man then puts his palm on Trent’s shoulders. He inches his hand towards Trent’s neck and clenches his throat.
My eyes widen, shaken by trauma, as I stand there watching the giant rise to his feet while lifting Trent off the ground. The man growls as he tightens his grip. “Le-on.” Trent gasps as he squirms. My mind sobers as Trent’s constricted voice passes through my ears. Seeing that the man’s back facing me, I grit my teeth and charge at him. As my body makes contact in an attempt to tackle him, nothing budged, like crashing into an immovable brick wall.
I step back a few paces, realizing that my actions hurt me more than it hurt him. The man turns to me as we stare at each other in a one-sided showdown. I can see gold lights shimmer off the whites of his eyes. He gives off an expression of surprise.
“Margrave.” He utters, releasing my brother from his inescapable grip. The hulking man scowls disparagingly at Trent, then returns his attention to me. “This is one is but a pup. Where is Victor?” His deep raspy tone is lighter, as though close to solving a puzzle.
“More importantly, who are you?” My voice trembles in sight of the man, unaware of his true nature. The wet grass squelches and rustles as I take steps back. The man becomes a blur as my sight focuses past him onto the nearby terrain. I whirl around, only to overwhelm my bewildering mind. Towering trees, lush shrubbery, and thick green grass with a dirt road as its centerpiece.
“My name is Khaz. I see you are confused, young Margrave. Your brother has not prepared you properly. We will need to reach the safety of the town ahead if I am to explain.”
“Trent?” I stand, gaping at my brother, unsure of Khaz’s words.
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“Leon, trust Khaz. We need to head in before nightfall.” Trent recovers his breathing, yet avoids eye contact with me.
As Trent arranges our travel with the giant, I return to our truck, only to step into a storm of words. Aiden and the twins bombard me with overlapping concerns. Despite the uncertainty, I reassure them that everything will be fine. Of all things, hearing Aiden’s complaints brings me relief.
Through the windshield, I see Trent conversing with Khaz, who lets out a deep, booming laugh. Their relaxed posture suggests that they are old friends, sharing an easy camaraderie. As the zephyr passes between them, I glimpse the light reflecting off the outline of another figure. The assassin?! The more I squint to see it clearer, the more it fades away.
As the back of the truck dips, it disrupts my concentration. I look behind to see Khaz climbing onto the bed, and Trent shifting our gear to make room for him. I’m still unsure whether to trust Khaz, but having him travel with us gives me a sense of safety. Many unknown factors require careful thought. It’s almost overwhelming.
Trent hops into the driver’s seat and speeds off without a word, as if avoiding me. The engine’s muffled roars echo through the cabin as silence steals our voices. The others seemed lost in thought, like me. My mind races through a labyrinth of questions. Where are we? Why are we here? Why us? What was it I saw? My eyes burned through the floor, as I cannot make sense of this.
“Look, what’s that?” Serena’s cheerful voice breaks the empty veil. I dig my eyes from the floor and look out the passenger window, only to feel a surge of wonder rush down my spine.
Reaching the end of the dense forest, the trees part to reveal a breathtaking sight. Before me lies a serene, crystal-clear blue lake surrounded by lush trees that seem to stretch in every direction. A majestic snow-capped mountain towers over the lake, arching as if you can dive from its peak into the water. Surprisingly, it casts no shadow over the lake with the blazing sun hanging high in the sky.
Abnormally large winged-creatures dot the skies, leaving streaks of clouds they fly through. In the distance, a mysterious beam shoots up from the ground with its peak lost to the clouds attached. The ethereal, almost otherworldly aura fills the atmosphere with tranquility and awe.
We crest over a small hill, full of lush shrubbery, to discover cobblestone walls of great height, outlining a border of some sort at the base of the mountain. An extensive line of bizarre convoys leads to an enormous gate accompanied by guards manning the towers over it. Slowing down to the tail end of caravans, the rear of the truck lightens immensely. I peek at the side-view mirror to see Khaz marching down my side.
“Margrave. Come with me.” He peers into my soul with his deep green eyes, lacking the intimidation it had before, instead replaced with a warm expression of concern.
A wave of refreshing cool air greets me as I exit the vehicle. “Why do you call me that?”
The inquiry Khaz him in his tracks, letting out a deep sigh. “Walk with me.” Ignoring my question, he strolls his way down to the first caravan at the end of the line. Wanting answers, I follow him.
At the end of the long convoy, I approach a curious structure. Its shape resembles a small house on wheels with a roof that curves upward on both ends, embellished with iridescent tiles catching the sunlight. The caravan, which is pulled by a four-horned ox-looking animal, is decorated with suspending lanterns and trinkets, and has a sign above the entrance reading “Yara.” On the main platform, accessed by a wooden staircase, one can see a meticulous display of goods. I notice the shelves stocked with shimmering potions and mysterious artifacts, surrounded by an aromatic allure of herbs and spices.
Being its centerpiece, the proprietor, a grizzled cat-like figure with a long, braided beard, sits with a welcoming smile as Khaz walks up to it. “Welcome, old friend. Yara has surely missed her best customer.” The cat-thing spoke in an unusual accent, one that sounds faintly similar to my middle-eastern friends. It leers at me, then bows, head tilted up. “Yara notices Khaz brought human boy. Yara, finest merchant in all Dunamis Realm. Yara will be your friendly interworld Skragling.”
“It is good to see you, Yara. The boy and I would like to browse your wears.” Khaz pulls out a lustrous red coin from underneath his breastplate. He flicks it over to Yara. “From your private inventory, of course.” The cat-thing takes a moment to examine it, biting and eying the precious metal before tossing the coin back to Khaz. He stands only a few feet tall, then passes through a thin veil hanging behind him.
In the corner of my eye, I catch the ox-thing beginning to relieve itself of pulling the wagon as it stands to its hind legs, towering over even Khaz. Yara pops his head outside and quickly whistles to the animal. “Don’t mind. Gark stands guard. Gark new.” The snarling creature stands there, glaring at me, as if observing my movements.
Khaz and I stroll through the light fabric, serving as an entrance to an unlit corridor. “Yara is a Skragling.” Khaz abruptly breaks the silence, wending our way forward. “Her species yield many feline creatures. Gark, on the other hand, is a Gellox, a warrior Minotaur race. Judging from his four horns, he hails from a noble family. Lest you call him cattle. They are a prideful beastmen. You can trust Yara and her allies.”
I realize now that the hall is unusually long as we reach the end of it to discover a massive room of shelves stretching past my vision’s reach. An opulent lobby of assorted couches with a tailor platform in the center.
“Yara receive Khaz and boy with arms open.” Suddenly, the Skragling materializes above the posh set-up, sitting atop a floating plush pillow, legs crossed, and with an unusual staff wrapped in her tail, hanging beneath him. He swirls a glass of neon blue liquid and offers it to us.
A bellowing laugh echoes from the giant’s lungs. “You’re hospitable, old cat. The boy and I accept.”
“My name is Leon.” My annoyance casts an obvious expression towards Khaz as he chuckles. Yara’s whiskers wink as he summons two glasses of the mysterious concoction. “What is this?”
Khaz takes his share in one gulp before taking his seat. “It’s Skragling liquor. Drink. Do not upset our host.”
I cautiously observe the lambent liquid, then sip a bit. To my surprise, it’s sweet, unlike the liquors I’m accustomed to. I resign my reluctance and chug it with no regrets. “That’s better than I thought.” Yara smiles cheerfully before motioning me to the center platform. “What exactly are we doing?”
“Your attire is unsuitable for these lands.” Khaz points to my cotton button-down, floral swim trunks, and socks in sandals, exhibiting a repulsed expression. “We will fit you with a new outfit and armor. You and your companions will not return home soon.”
His words implant anxiety in my chest, leaving me speechless. Immediately, Trent’s request for me to trust Khaz flashes through my mind. My brother has always been a good judge of character. Although I’m now unsure of who he really is, I can at least trust who he has always been to me; my older brother. In a world of unknowns, mythical creatures, insane magic, and a group of nearly mentally deranged adults, I need to make one thing certain.
If I want to protect those I love, I need to reign supreme.