My nerves felt like they were on fire as I slowly walked through the large hall. With every step I took, it felt like a jolt of lightning was traveling from my foot up to my brain. Only through sheer will and a few deep breaths was I able to maintain an emotionless mask on my face.
Nearby, my family had gathered in the main hall. My mom was sparring with Donte. The clatter of wooden swords was periodically interrupted by the drum of thunder as my mom used her innate talent to appear behind her sparring partner. Donte in turn would explode in a flurry of wind from his own talent that attempted to push my mom off balance and stop the wooden blade aiming for his neck.
Unperturbed by the fierce battle, my dad and my brother Charly sat at a table on the other side of the room. More than a dozen sheets of paper were spread out between, all covered in complicated runes I could not even begin to understand. From the snippet of conversation I heard, the two boys were discussing the merits of tilting a single line of the page to get a different effect from the mystical glyphs.
The discussion came to an end, undecided as my dad noticed me watching them and waved me over. “Wren, you slept in quite a bit again today. We already ate breakfast but we set some aside for you in the kitchen.”
“Are you sure you are feeling ok?” Charly asked skeptically, “Ever since your battle with Irene, you have not been very active. I know you said you did not want me giving you a physical exam, but I still might be able to help. One of my books recently talked about a tonic you can drink to help someone sleep better. Maybe I can make you one of those.”
“I am fine, really,” I said with an overly big smile at my brother. He did not look overly convinced but did not press the issue.
My dad placed a hand on Charly’s shoulder and nodded at me. “Before you eat, Esben wanted to talk to you. I think he is outside.”
I thanked my dad and walked across the room with slow, measured steps. I knew my family was suspicious of me but still, I did not want to worry them. There was nothing they could do about the pain tearing through my body. None of Charly’s books would be able to help. This was the price I had to pay for directly submerging myself in an unstable rift between realms. It was not something that could be solved by medicine. Even the healing brought by my own innate talent had limited effect against something like this.
However, I was the Immortal calamity. I had lived for four hundred years before being reborn in this body. I had experienced countless agonies worse than this. I would survive this one as well.
I stepped out of the large hall and felt the brisk, cold air blow across my skin. I started shivering and wished I had remembered to bring a coat before stepping outside.
The weather was getting colder and colder with every day we moved further north. Winter was just around the corner and it felt like it might start snowing soon.
I rubbed my arms as I tried to warm myself up and walked across the island floating among the clouds. Powered by the ancient Preateritum ruin, the island leisurely glided through the sky in complete defiance of gravity. Even now I found it hard to believe something like this was hidden underground in a territory I had once ruled for centuries.
It took me several minutes to walk across the floating island. The chunk of rock attached to the ruin had only grown bigger after we dropped the island on Irene’s head. When lifting up out of the crater, it had taken most of the city square along with it.
Donte said he had no idea why the ruin did this. His guess was that it was a preference of a previous owner of the Preateritum ruin and he had not yet figured out how to turn it off. Regardless, the island was now big enough to hold several homes in addition to the main building currently disguised as a mansion.
I spotted Esben at the very edge of the island looking at the rolling hills that slowly passed by down below. People pointed and stared at the floating island, some reacted with awe, others with fear.
It was impossible to hide our passing, so we did not even try. There was no doubt that messenger horses had already been sent to every major settlement along our route in warning of the mysterious mountain of rock passing through their land.
Esben sighed as the sounds of alarm bells rang from a small village that looked like it only had a dozen homes in total. Men, women, and even children all held weapons as they watched the island slowly drift overhead.
“It has been ten years since I last returned home,” Esben said while shaking his head, “I never thought it would be like this.”
“You do not seem very happy to return to your homeland.”
“How can I be?” Esben replied with another sigh, “When I left here all those years ago, fifty men followed me. We were so full of hopes and dreams. We were going to make a name for ourselves, the great Odjur Mercenaries. Now, only three of those men remain. The people of Kala may not view death in the same way the other nations do, but that does not mean we do not mourn the passing of our friends and family.”
“I am sorry,” I whispered quietly.
“I do not blame you, kid. The men were mine to lead. I made the choices. I am the only one responsible for the consequences.”
The two of us fell silent as the Island drifted past the village and the alarm bells fell quiet. I saw a few children trying to chase after us before their parents stopped them. Esben brought out a small wooden block with drilled holes in it. He brought the makeshift instrument to his mouth and blew. The song was slow and sad, a requiem for those long passed.
I listened in silence as the tune echoed through the hills and clouds. It was a sweet song. It made me remember the friends I had lost in the long years of war against the Demons, the sacrifices that were made in the name of a victory that never came.
The music faded and so too did the smiling faces of friends long gone. It took a moment for me to recover as Esben put away the instrument.
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“Are you sure your innate talent is not music instead of shapeshifting?” I asked as I wiped away the blurriness in my eyes.
Esben shook his head. “A… friend made this for me when I was a boy. She taught me how to play. She did not have an innate talent but the music she created… It was more than just sound. It was truly beautiful.” Esben stared at the small wooden instrument silently for a long moment.
“There is an old legend in the Thirteen Divisions,” I said slowly, “It is said that when an object is created by someone full of strong emotions like love or regret, a small piece of their soul will remain with that object forever. Even if that person dies, the memory of them will live on, imprinted on the object they poured their heart into.”
“Thank you,” Esben said with a smile as he carefully tucked the makeshift instrument back into his pocket, “However, I did not ask you out here to talk about the past. We will reach Kala city tonight. You will be meeting with Svend soon. Are you prepared?”
“What is there to prepare?” I replied with a shrug, “Svend will help me or he will not. It is not worth making any plans before I actually meet the man.”
Esben frowned at my flippant reply. “I only met the man once myself, but Svend is well known to be a… domineering man. He united the scattered tribes through might and he has stayed in power through strength. With how weak you are now… It could cause issues.”
“Don’t worry. Even if he refuses to help me, Svend needs to know that Envy’s seven generals have invaded this realm. Only a fool would not see the threat they pose to this realm. Svend is not a fool, is he?”
“No, but if you are expecting the man to help you out of the kindness of his heart, you will be in for a rude awakening. How do you expect Svend to even know you are the Raddare? You do not even have two green eyes.”
“We are showing up in a giant floating island. I do not think it will be hard to get an audience with the man.” I replied with a gesture around us and towards the Preateritum ruin, “As for proving who I am, I can just raise a few dead for that.”
Esben started messaging his temples as he let out an irritated sigh. “This is going to be a disaster.”
I patted Esben’s back with a smile. “At the very least it should not be boring.”
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It was less than five hours before we arrived at… well I hesitate to call it a city. It was unlike any normal capital I had seen. Rather than densely packed houses surrounded by strong walls, everything was incredibly spread out. Homes were all built into small hills with roofs covered in grass and plants. From above, it was hard to even see that buildings were even there. Roads zigzagged from place to place without any semblance of organization. Every building was surrounded by a large expanse of grass where animals grazed. Even close to the center of town, crop farms grew instead of shops. There was no castle, no walls, no palace. Only a single building stood out from the others. The only building not buried in the ground was a mansion made of stone and wood that looked more like an upside-down boat than a house.
“Is this really Kala?” my dad asked in disbelief, “I heard reports it was different, but seeing it in person…”
Esben nodded. “Kala is the ancestral home of the Gravkor clan. It may not look like much from up here but each of those buildings you see built into the side of the hill are actually small fortresses in their own right. Each one extends much further underground than you might think and acts as the home for dozens, sometimes hundreds, of individuals.”
“What a strange place,” my mom said with a whisper, “Did you ever think we would ever actually be here?”
My dad shook his head. I could not help but notice his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword as he viewed the scenery. “I fought against the Kala hundreds of times while serving in the Novus military. Never once did I think I would ever come here as a guest.”
“Best not advertise your names,” Esben said with a chuckle, “If people find out you two were general Arthur’s Silver Blades, it might lead to… violent problems.”
I could practically feel the intent radiating off my dad as he gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. It was only after several seconds that he took a deep breath and managed to calm down.
Esben was mumbling something quietly and I caught the words absolute disaster before he spoke up. “Let’s set the island down outside the edge of the city. It might take us a little longer to walk but it should also prove we are not here to threaten the city.”
Donte nodded and closed his eyes. The island began to move to an empty field outside the city limits. Even before we reached the ground hundreds of soldiers had gathered near the field.
The army was just as strange as the city. There was no uniform or standard equipment. Each man and woman had completely different attire. Some were clothed in full plate armor while others wore only light leather or just regular clothes. I saw a huge variety of weapons ranging from spears and pikes to war hammers and axes. If it was not for the fact that each has the same symbol on their chest, and flags they carried, I would not even think they were an army. The Kala crest sported the colors of blue and white and depicted a dragon’s head surrounded in ice.
As the Island touched down, the Kala soldiers raised their weapons, looking ready to fight at any moment. My mom and dad did not help matters as their hands moved to the hilt of their weapons, looking like they were just as ready for a fight as the Kalans. For a moment, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
It was Esben who spoke first. He stepped forward with his hands raised above his head as he shouted, “Hold brothers! We are not your enemies. I am Esben of clan Odjur here with friends to meet Chief Svend.”
There was a whisper among the crowd of soldiers as many still looked ready to fight. One even took a step forward to hurl an axe at us with a mighty yell when a force descended from above. The hurled axe stopped mid-air and the ambient temperature began to rise.
I looked up in surprise. A girl was floating in the air, flying from the direction of the center of the city. She did not look much older than eighteen or nineteen years old. Her bright red hair fluttered in the wind as she landed in front of the army.
The soldiers all fell silent and saluted the young slip of a girl. To my surprise, they used the same salute used in the Thirteen Divisions, placing their right fist over their chest.
The girl smiled as her domain faded away. Even without it, however, there was still something ethereal about her. Something that just felt wrong when I looked at her, but I could not place exactly what it was.
“Sorry about them,” the girl said with a small curtsey, “They are just a bit on edge after the news we received yesterday about the city of Deces being destroyed by Demonkin and a floating island.”
Esben coughed uncomfortably. His words were barely more than a mumble. “Technically, we were trying to save the city from the Demonkin.”
“I know this, and it is the only reason you and your friends are still alive. However, details of the exact events are still murky. Our informant did not have any details on what happened in the city. Perhaps you would be kind enough to tell me.”
I stepped forward, crossing my arms as I stared hard at the girl. It took me a moment to realize why she looked wrong, but once I noticed it, I could barely contain my scowl. The red did not just extend to her hair. It also flowed under her skin. Small little pencil lines, like veins that illuminated her skin, making it appear brighter and somewhat unnatural.
“I would rather not tell the story twice. It also involves some sensitive information best not spoken in public. Take us to Svend then we will talk.”
The girl looked at me, noticing me for the first time. She scrunched her nose in disgust the moment she laid eyes on me. “What a revolting little flame you have. What kind of person uses green fire?”
“Says the girl using fire just to make her skin sparkle. Since when did Tressans care so much about looks?”
The full weight of a domain pressed down on my shoulders as the girl narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?”
I struggled to move as the invisible pressure bore down on me. I raised my head and looked at the girl as a small green flame ignited to life in my left eye. “You should know who I am.”