The Dark Moon, Night of Madness

“Through mountains high and the rivers low,

Death came upon the darkest tide.

Over oceans and within tombs long forgotten,

Screams of tortured ones filled with dread assault the ears of those not dead.

With wonders terrible and greatness feared,

The new one devours man whole.

Bearing broken hearts or minds,

Armies fight themselves.

Until the sacrifice is complete,

The world will drink our Blood.” - From the book of Pyrian

Through the dark among the trees, a man ran with confidence. Past the shadows of monsters, a man walks in doubt. Under the blackend moon, a man stands surrounded by fear.

Where trees once were, now the abyss stays still and beasts could sleep.

Why would a man even walk in such a wood with the horrors of night? If you had remained near your pitiful light, little man, maybe I wouldn’t come near you. Maybe if your anger and fear weren’t carved onto thy face, I wouldn’t have seen you.

Maybe… Maybe if you weren’t burned by madness, I wouldn’t have felt you. But that is what once could have been, not what is.

Your fate once more brings you further away from the white of life than I myself ever could take you. Still, whether or not you may hear me, you intrigue me. I hope you survive and continue to amuse me because that’s the best thing left for you. Other than death that is…

I don’t know why you remain while your friend who was better suited to your coming role is long gone.

Guess it just shows your will and desire to remain nothing. Take my blessing, you pitied man, for where you are going you need safety for your soul.

I try to give him a piece of myself like I would my children but something inside of him banishes me. It was not quite the same as me but still powerful nonetheless. It saddens me as I cannot help him like that, maybe I can do him a favour?

That should be fine and also put him into my debt like I wanted.

Yet through the unknown force within him, he senses me. As I walk beside him, he turns away from me. As I stand before him, he stops. As I leave him, he goes. Riding the wind as the man once more runs, away from the howling wolfs that fear me less.

The wolves came near him again but I stopped them.

They should know to tremble in my presence as my children once did. The night blocked their way and they changed their path. Once more they came to a halt but this time true horrors came for them.

I respect them but they simply can’t have the man yet. Maybe when he’s lost? No... Then he will be mine of course. If I could smile then I would but instead the forest shined in the dark light.

Sarmin…

I don’t know if this was the best thing I could have done, as there is something around me and I doubt that it wouldn’t eat me.

I shouldn’t have come looking for Yorn, I am sure that he will be fine. It’s Yorn after all.

I had slowed down to a walk at this point and then even stopped. I could only imagine the horrors around me as the darkness hid them from me. I look back once more but then a feeling came over me. It felt like a cold breath blowing in your neck while you know that if you turn around, the ground before you will open up.

I walked step after step away from there, away from where I came from, further into the forest.

I know that I have to find him, even if he should be able to take care of himself, for he has been gone far too long. The feeling recedes with every forward pace, as did my memory of it, but that never truly left. I wander through the forest in search of Yorn but I didn’t find anything except the earth and plans with the moonlight in front of me, showing all and any paths that there were.

I really don’t know where Yorn could have gone to except for the river, so I stopped going the way I saw him walking off to and hopefully went in the direction of the river. Worst case, I would sleep in a tree and retrace the footprints I left behind.

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The hunger was starting to set in though as I had forgotten to eat and the fears of the darkness weren’t lessening even if they became more bearable. I walked for some time, unmarked by the moon or sun, within these woods until my sight failed me. I stumbled over a root or something that I didn’t see in the pitiful light and my side and leg atoned to it.

“Eris damn you” I whispered through clenched teeth. Aside from my side flaring up in pain, there was also a cut on my leg.

Slowly standing up again, I try to have a look at what gave me that wound.

There, under the root with its end sticking out was a sword.

I bend down and remove the mud and roots so I could get to it. Specifically, it was a decent Histern style sword.

Weird that one of them could be found here in such good condition. I put it back down on the ground while I brush myself off. I think I had a sheath for one of these myself, most of us in the army had…

I don’t know why but I am feeling… a bit dizzy.

I… will continue this later. Maybe.

With the blade in hand I took a step forward again. “Forget the damn sword, what was that?” I mumbled as I heard something rustle in the bushes nearby.

Holding my newly acquired blade in the noise’s direction, I continue my way. When it happened again, I nearly shat myself if not that an actual beast jumped out this time.

“Solhok damn you” I cursed as I only just managed to hold the wolf off by slashing at it. That in turn caused me to stumble and the wolf to dodge past me mid jump. Even though I could hardly see it, I remembered this black beast from last night with its charred fur and now several slashes.

A slight rage at what happened last night and before started to overwhelm me.

“Come here you bastard. I will kill you Gerran!” I shouted at him as I charged. The bastard was as ugly as ever but luckily didn’t even have a weapon. The feral that he was, he bit for my throat which would certainly be fatal.

“You won’t beat me this time Gerran!” Feeling only anger and no pain, I pierced his throat with my blade and then shook it off from my arm. The pain was starting to return and my arm was blazing with it.

I staggered back and somehow managed to extract the blade from the thing and now sits discarded on the ground once again. I picked it up and went to the corpse of the beast. It was a black wolf and somehow seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it before.

Wolves could be heard howling in the distance so at first I stumbled away from it and gradually my steps got firmer and faster until I was once again running through the night. I hardly stopped, only when I tripped or hit a tree in my haste.

The wolves seemed to be getting closer to me to the point I could hear their deep breaths. Then that started to fade away.

I dared not look back for it could be a trick. I felt that this had all gone wrong, I should not have left the fireplace or Vera. Why am I such an idiot when making important decisions!

“Yorn! Where are you?” I shouted as I finally had given up on remaining unnoticed. All I could do now was outrun whatever beast there would be.

“Yorn!” I shout with desperation echoing through my voice.

“Yorn! Please gods damn you, answer me!” was the last thing I could say.

The last thing I said before I fell into the raging torrents of the river. I struggled to remain heads up but only a few breaths came in. In the darkness of the night, I sputtered along the river.

The current was too great for me to swim in as I could hardly do that in the first place. Not to mention that I had a few heavy items on my person.

I was bashed against the rocks, which did my arm, side and even that flimsy wound on my leg no favour but I could hardly protect myself against it.

Somewhere along the river I managed to grab a tree branch after a collision with a rock that push me upwards. I grabbed hold of the blade and flung it to the bank. I was a few kilograms lighter already. I didn’t have my pack on me and my knife was somewhere in the river so I could hardly remove those. I still had the unlit torch with me though but in my haste, I had forgotten to bring flint and steel.

Not like I had the time to do it the old fashioned way… though I do think I should have taken more time before I left. Maybe never even should have left. All of that is too late now.

The branch was starting to break under my weight so I had to hurry up whatever I was going to do next. Having nothing else that I could throw over, I slowly pulled myself up the branch with everything under my waist still being in the water. I tried to pull myself up but at the last moment, my strength failed me.

As my body fell down from having pulled myself up a bit, the branch broke and is now only connected to the tree in tethers. So I further floated along the river and gradually lost consciousness.

“Mama! Papa is back!” My little girl said as she ran back inside.

Soon my wife was outside with Yllane at her side and Armin in her arms. Yllane came rushing over to me but I am hardly in the mood to play with her. The patrol ended horrendously and I fear that I won’t ever forget.

That can however be a good thing, something to keep me focussing on why we had to do that. Lying is never the best option though.

With a sigh I catch her in my arms and throw her in the air.

“Eeeek!” She squeals with a laugh.

“Oh, did I miss you my little piggy”

“Mum says you can’t call me a piggy!” she says as she tries to get away from me.

“No escaping for you my little piggy. You have to expect to get burned in the dragons den” After which I set her down.

She set of like an arrow and hid herself behind mummy, looking away when I saw her peeking from behind her. I come up to my wife and gave her a relieved embrace.

“It has been so long for me. I even feared I would not see you again my love”

“Hush Sarmin. Not with the kids” She said as she put down Armin who had been crushed.

“Yll, why don’t you take Ar and go play with him for a bit?”

“But daddy just came home!” I smiled at her apparent love for me, like any parent would.

“It’s only been a few days. I will come and play with you too after I talked with mummy okay?” I said with a slight laugh.

“Okay” Yllane dejectedly said as she grabbed hold for little Ar’s hand and practically dragged him with her. That earned her a second laugh for the day from me.

My wife took hold of my hand and brought me inside our modest little home. My grandfather built it many years ago and my father and I added to it before he died. We only had a bigger family in recent years. Just being here brought a smile to my wearied face.

“What happened?” She softly said. I took a moment for reflection before I began.

“It went badly wrong. We should have listened to Jirmus and I doubt he can continue guard duty now with an eye missing and a mangled foot.

We were returning with grumbling stomachs and sore feet but still, we should have been more careful. As we returned at a late hour to the city, we passed the Wasrichs their farm.

From behind the fence and among the wheat, the mad ones jumped out and instantly killed Jollum and Weign. As badly prepared as we were, no else were as close to the fields as they were.

There must have been nearly two dozens of them but they luckily only came at us from our direct sides. I could only start hacking at them while pushing forward through them. I can hardly remember it but Prian, Kuln and Ferrant must have fallen then as I didn't see them again after that.

We ran then but they managed to catch up. Captain, a dick and a bastard he may be, stayed behind and held them off as long as possible. When we returned with reinforcements from the nearby watchtower, we found his and the Wasrich family behind their house with broken bones, flayed skin and arms and legs ripped to shreds. They even…”

I could not get more out of my throat, which simply refused to give word to my memories, and rested my head in my hands. It could have gone so different…

“Take your time honey. I am here for you and I will always be. Don’t you forget that” My love said as she embraced me once again.

I looked into her beautiful eyes and could only find love there. With her at my side, my nightmares can be put to sleep.

“I don’t know what I would do without you” I told her with smile.