19

Breath of Magic

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The world had changed in more ways than one. The fractured sky and the blood-red shards that fell from the heavens were only the first of many.

A short distance from the museum, following a winding road, laid the ruins of a pagan shrine hidden in a cave.

It was here one of those large shards drifted down, like a floating leaf falling from an autumn tree. And when it landed, the surroundings rapidly started changing.

Golden roots sprouted from the ground and overwhelmed the cave structure, like chains binding prisoners. Golden light erupted as the entire area grew vastly larger, a structure had planted itself in this earth.

The entrance, which had remained the same for the past several hundred years, was the last to transform. It started with a blood-red hue that escaped from the cavern, this hue became brighter and brighter until a portal had formed.

And it was from this place, connected to an unknown location that the goblins had escaped. Yet now it was eerily silent, the roots chaining this structure down let no other escape. But that didn’t mean they were isolated.

Inside a transformed interior, a gray stone throne stood in the middle of a vast underground network with darkness overwhelming the surroundings. If it wasn’t for the occasional glimpse of a shining root that broke through the walls, shining with the same brightness as the fractured heavens outside, not a single thing would be visible here.

But that didn’t matter for those inside. They were cave dwellers, hidden deep in forested mountains, never having to look upwards as the low grounds were their favorite hunting grounds.

And it was here that several corpses laid. A small massacre had occurred.

More than a hundred goblins kneeled in fear of the terror of their king.

Two captains shivered as a bony hand touched their heads. The king was reassessing their value to him.

Two cold blue eyes shone as bright as stars in this darkness.

“KrrkkkrrrkkrrKH,” The king asked his subordinates.

Both captains kowtowed even lower. Shivers ran through their bodies as they realized what had happened.

“KhKHRkRkk,” One captain begged for his life.

This creature looked down with scorn.

The king had felt the presence of his subordinate disappear. The scouts which were meant to return had all been eradicated. In a world without magic. Incomprehensible.

The white-skinned goblin turned around. Unmasked anger coursed through his visage. The cost to arrive here was too high, and now even his strongest subordinate had failed him.

The roots of light currently chained them down, but it wouldn’t be for long until he could have his vengeance.

"KHRHRHKKRRRK,” A magnificent voice erupted in rage. The clicking noise echoed until a resounding shout from every goblin combined answered his order.

Their first move had failed, now it was time to wait. They had time. And in here, in this dungeon, they had the advantage.

Shining blue eyes stared upwards as the shouts reached ever so high. His gaze was trying to peer through this prison and look at the heavens of a new world. A world where “They” hadn’t arrived yet.

A world where he could hunt to his heart’s content.

It had been too long. The cost had been too high. But now, lives were waiting for him. And maybe, using them, he could finally reach the next realm of strength.

A gruesome smile awaited the future. A cane made from a spine pushed upwards and a laugh joined this symphony of madness.

***

Emergency surgery had finally finished. Lydia, with Veleda’s help, had sedated Alduin and Ise. Their imminent death had been avoided but this treatment was far from enough.

Scars marked his entire body. The skin on his back ragged beyond recognition. But most importantly, his muscles kept spasming out of control.

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Tough painkillers were used to calm him down but even they seemed to be insufficient.

Her one blessing was that Lydia herself used to be a surgeon. Following her own father’s passing, she constructed a small hospital here to aid the aging population.

It was the final lifeline of her son. Yet Lydia couldn’t hold it together after the emergency treatment on Ise and Alduin was finished.

Everything had been too much on her. She couldn’t contact her oldest and her youngest almost died in her arms. Even now his life wasn’t guaranteed. The only thing that was guaranteed was that her son would become crippled if they didn’t reach a hospital soon.

The surgery she could provide in this place was far from sufficient.

Everything moved quickly. The ruins of the town weren’t safe. Every last survivor worked in tandem to fortify the church.

And it was in a side chamber of the church that two beds stood. Alduin and Ise lay here, completely passed out with painkillers keeping them alive.

The only noteworthy thing was a sleeping young girl resting her head on top of Alduin’s bed. Small shivers shook her body but the hand she wrapped around Alduin’s never loosened.

***

Lightning wanted to break through the heavens. Thunder vibrated the skies like drums for the battlefield raging in front of them.

Black hair, a back familiar to her, and a spear held in his right hand formed a familiar figure.

“————“ Alduin yelled at her. His left arm hung limply to his side.

In response, her body moved with no control and her hands glowed with a golden hue. The only thing she had any power over was her vision, but even this was limited.

Her eyes gradually took in her surroundings. A group of people had gathered. Not a single face except Alduin’s that she was familiar with.

The golden hue spread over the battlefield and drops of sweat fell down her face.

Sparks of lightning exploded in front of Alduin. His spear, guided by a streak of lightning, connected with each spark as an elusive movement was enacted.

The spear flowed with a speed impossible for her eyes to follow. But she tried with no avail, the chaos of the battlefield disappeared as her eyes focused on him. A golden ring reflected on his hand arrived in front of her.

“—————“ Alduin’s hand moved towards her.

Only now did she notice. A creature of such immense size floated in the sky in front of them that her eyes couldn’t immediately catch its limits.

Flames erupted from an elongated staff as an explosion landed on its skin. Its strength resembled a comet yet the damage was limited.

The fire was followed quickly by massive phantom snakes that erupted from the ground toward the sky.

An assault was held back by a massive platinum shield. A fierce bear of a man stood on the front lines but the creature was too large for a shield to hold.

Floating mirages of glass shattered as the assault reached them.

Alduin moved faster.

“————“ she couldn’t understand him but Alduin grabbed her waist and instantly moved meters ahead. Footwork that made her dizzy teleported them a distance to the side.

Dizziness overwhelmed her. But looking back, the place they stood completely disappeared. A single attack would have cost them their lives.

A gaping hole was all that remained of this small piece of land.

The phantom snakes grew in size. Other individuals could be seen fighting in the distance, humans from all different parts of this world had united on this single battlefield. But even then chaos still struck in every direction of this fight

Who knew this was possible? It was a familiar sight but she never remembered her dreams.

Finally, a man stepped forward and a massive tsunami manifested. A wide wall pushed forward and water almost hit them. Her vision distorted and silence ensued.

Veleda opened her eyes and saw a forest spread in front of her eyes. Chaos still rang through her head as she had a hard time understanding what was happening.

The only thing she remembered was the feeling of sorrow and powerlessness.

Her mind was a mess. The battlefield was nowhere to be seen. But Alduin stood in front of her holding her face softly with a single arm as he spoke to her.

“————“ Alduin looked at her with affection. His visage was much younger than during the fight before, yet his eyes were still hardened, keeping her from looking around. Scars were visible and his arm was slightly limp.

But in his hand laid a small gemstone. A sky-blue hue with an obsidian dark core. From its sensation alone she realized this thing had a strength of unknown origin emitting from it.

In a world of blood and corpses, Alduin was the only person standing by her side. He never left her alone. He never abandoned her and neither did she.

But for the first time in her fleeting dreams, she recognized something. Everything gave her a heartrending sorrow. Death overwhelmed her but her love for Alduin was always the same.

These dreams haunted her in the form of nightmares. The only thing she remembered was being afraid. But this gemstone felt like a golden egg.

A thin golden line extended. Alduin disappeared and darkness surrounded her, yet she wasn’t afraid. Her dreams always disappeared the moment she woke up, but she instinctively knew, her dreams showed her something different than usual this time.

Even though she never remembered anything, she felt it was true. A sensation other than the five senses guided her actions and with it, she stepped forward, following the golden thread.

The winding thread landed on a similar gemstone. Smaller and also emitting a sky blue hue as the one Alduin held in his hand, yet this gemstone had a colorless core.

She realized the familiarity. It was a stone Ise held after they found her in front of the mangled corpse of the goblin.

The golden thread touched this stone and her hand reached forward. This familiar energy, with its origin unknown, was transmitted to her hand.

Her movements were sluggish but Veleda was sleepwalking.

From a small tray standing on top of a table to the side, Veleda walked back towards Alduin’s bed.

Her mind had long forgotten the dream she had yet her actions continued.

A small knife pierced the skin on alduin’s hand. And her hand locked into his with the gem in between.

Blood slowly trickled out as the sky blue gem was coated with a paint of red.

Veleda opened her eyes with tears flowing down. The nightmare was finally over, yet the sorrow once again lingered. Something she was all too familiar with.

With exhaustion she passed out, her head landing on top of Alduin’s bed. Silently, the three people continued their slumber.