Daniel sat in silent contemplation, staring into the fire he had been warming himself with. After his separation from Avria and the surviving villagers of Vul Dema, he had been aimlessly traveling alone through small forests. The realization of his current predicament had settled in hours ago. He was now cut off from his former allies of Lokkadonia. Since the Death of Agron and his heir, Oros, the Torre’ High King, Phobos, had again declared that all Humans would be turned over to the Espi-Dae. Only this time without the protection from Agron, he was on his own. He said a silent prayer for Katrina, whose whereabouts were unknown to him. He hoped she hadn’t been turned over to the Torre’.

He let out a sigh and looked up to the sky. Finding the tiny lights of stars through the canopy of the trees. Again, he prayed. He was raised Catholic by his parents, but since joining the Marines, he had found himself a less-than-stellar example of the faith. He was lost now; surrounded by enemies, and at probably his lowest point since coming to Pelemont. Here, in this world, he found his original faith shaken by the existence of Spirits. How did they all fit in?

Clearing his thoughts, he sat up and closed his eyes. He felt the almost instinctive pull into the Dunam Dae Espa and allowed himself to slip into the trance-like state. He opened his eyes to find himself again in the desert of his power. Rolling dunes as far as the eye could see. And a blazing-hot sun above. This is where he could focus on his power, on himself. Having no real guidance in the state, he began walking. After what seemed to be a long time, he noticed a pillar of stone in front of him. Was that there before? he thought, picking up his pace. As he approached it, he saw that it was covered in scorches and cracks, obscuring what looked like carvings. Words he didn’t recognize, but he felt he should. For several minutes, he inspected the pillar, moving his hand across the battered surface, trying to determine its purpose, if any.

“Have you found it?” A voice said, behind him.

Daniel whirled around only to see a cloaked man standing before him, his hood up, but his face visible. He looked human. His features one of a young man in his early twenties.

“Who are you?” Daniel asked, suddenly feeling strangely afraid. “How did you get here?”

“And where is that?” The man asked, his voice sounding pure and almost songlike.

“My…” Daniel paused. “My Dunam Dae Espa.”

“Is that what the people of this world call it?” He asked before continuing. “This is a reflection of your soul, Daniel. This is who you are in your entirety.” Raising his hands, he gestured to the vast desert around them. “This is what you have become.”

“That…” Daniel took a moment to look around. Taking in the vastness of it all. “That doesn’t make any sense. Who are you?” he repeated.

“I am… what you asked for.” The man said bluntly.

Daniel raised his eyebrow in confusion. “Are you a spirit?” he asked, remembering that Avria said spirits would sometimes wander into people's Dunam Dae Espa. And the results would vary depending on its intent.

“No.” he said, bluntly.

“Then what?” Daniel tensed, slowly falling into a fighting stance. “A demon?”

“You may call me Raguel.” The man said, “And I am what is needed.”

“Needed?” Daniel asked.

“You feel lost…” The man continued. “But do not fret. You are not alone. You are never alone.”

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“What are you talking about?” Daniel asked, beginning to get a bit frustrated at the strange cryptic words coming from the intruder of his realm. “You’re not making any sense, Raguel.”

Raguel lifted his hand and pointed at the cracked and damaged pillar. “This… should be a tower of your feats. A symbol of your might, and a monument to your fortitude, Daniel. Look at it… barely a shard of broken stone.”

Daniel turned to face the pillar again. And for a reason he couldn’t explain, immense sadness came over him. He saw in the stone his own life. His failures and shortcomings, all his wrongs and inactions. For the first time since he could remember, tears began to flow from his eyes, and he fell to his knees. The feeling intensified as it poured from him, the countless sins and wrongs. “I…” He sobbed. “I’m sorry.” He said to no one. To himself, he guessed. He felt alone, truly alone, and felt a deep, unfathomable darkness around him. Then, almost as soon as the feeling came, it was lifted from him, and his strength began to return.

He looked to his right shoulder and found the hand of Raguel on it, comforting him in his weakness and lifting the darkness from him.

“You are not alone…” He said, his words strong but gentle. “You never have been. And never will be. You can travel untold distances and fall to unknown depths… but still, you will find strength… When darkness holds your heart, and fear consumes you… you will never fall. Look at the stone.”

Daniel did as Raguel asked and looked upon the pillar. As he did, he saw a sliver of golden light beneath the cracked surface. Barely visible to him. His heart was filled with courage and steel. Daniel rose to his feet and drew his fist back. With a yell, he slammed it into the pillar, and to his surprise, broken pieces fell from it, revealing gold beneath. Again, he hit it, then again and again, until all of the broken and damaged pieces of the stone were gone. And before him was a small obelisk of solid gold.

“I…” He said, turning to find Raguel smiling. “I don’t…”

“You are free.” He said, “And suited to your purpose. Now.”

“What?” Daniel asked, “What purpose?”

“The reason you have come. To this dying world. To save it.” Raguel said. “Extend your hand… and grasp what is yours.”

Daniel looked to the golden obelisk and reached his hand out to it. It felt warm to the touch as his palm pressed against it. Then it began to vibrate, and change it’s shape. White light glowed from it, and before his eyes, it turned into a metal sword with a golden handle and pommel. Without any hesitation, he grasped the handle, and a torrent of power flowed into him. He used his strength to pull it from the sand, and marveled at the sight.

“This, is amazing!” He exclaimed, turning to face Raguel. Only to realize that there was no one there. Confused, Daniel scanned the area, but the man was nowhere to be seen. He looked at the sand below, and saw only a set of footprints where he’d been standing moments ago. He turned then to where the sword had been stuck in the ground, and within the print the blade left behind, Daniel noticed a tiny sprout of greenery. He knelt to inspect it and saw that it was, in fact, a small sprout of a plant of some kind. Then, it grew several inches, causing Daniel to stand and take several steps back. The plant grew more, faster this time. Within several mesmerizing moments, a large tree appeared before him. The sight was fascinating. And Daniel noticed that there were bulbs of fruit that hung from the branches. Reaching his free hand up, he grasped one of the hundreds of fruits and plucked it. A fig? he thought. Then took a bite. Immediately, his mouth was filled with the sweet flavor of a fig.

~

Daniel jerked up out of a slumber. He found himself lying on the ground and unsure of when he fell asleep. Moments ago, he was in his Dunam Dae Espa, and then… Was it all a dream? he thought, looking around his small makeshift camp. Then, to his surprise, he felt a weight in his hand and looked down to see a long metal blade with a golden handle and pommel grasped tightly by his fingers. He shot to his feet, hefting the blade in his hand, and looked around. It wasn’t… He thought, numbly. “This is so crazy.” He said aloud, testing the balance of the strange weapon.

There was an unfamiliar power that emanated from the sword. Something he couldn’t quite define. Like it was there, but not at the same time. But he felt he had control of its power. Closing his eyes and willing the blade to return to his Dunam Dae Espa, he felt a strange heat, and then the weight of the blade disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw that the blade had vanished. Sudden panic struck him as he feared he might have lost it somehow. Reacting accordingly, he held his hand out and willed it to return. To his astonishment, a bright flash of white flame burned above his palm, and the blade returned. The shock of the sudden appearance caused him to drop the weapon, and its point slid deeply into the dirt below. “Crap!” Daniel said, grabbing the handle and lifting it out, looking at it again.

“Unbelievable…” he said, trying to comprehend what had just happened.