Book One: Fate
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Chapter Twenty Three: Many Truths
Leon opened one eye (the other would not respond) to see Joel on his knees shaking both his shoulders hard. He was saying something, he could see his lips moving, but he heard nothing. His head pounded like a drum and he felt a sharp pain on his face. As he turned his head to the side he saw a small pool of blood next to his head.
He was lying face up on a cold floor. The throne room ceiling loomed high above looking bleaker than it had before and in some places was cracked and broken. Everything was slightly blurred even after blinking a few times to try and regain focus.
Things started to come back to him as he stared into the red liquid. One of the darts from the ball of energy Tai created had stuck him across the face. It burned at first, but then turned to slow numbing pain. That was all he remembered, he must have blanked out. While rubbing his head with the hand not covered in blood, Leon tried again to listen to what Joel was saying.
“Leon, get up! We have to get out of here,” Joel said with a worried look. “He’s alright, but may need help moving!” he then called to someone out of Leon’s line of sight.
Slowly, Joel helped him lean up and wiped his face with a cloth, taking the dried blood away. A fresh cut remained on Leon’s face running down his left cheek and stopped in parallel to the bottom of his mouth. It would probably leave a scar. He could tell by the pain that it had cut deep and hard.
Eventually his vision focused and Leon looked past Joel and saw Xeno’s silent body directly behind. He tried to move and get to it, but a throbbing in his head stopped him.
“…He’s dead,” Joel said slowly as he caught Leon’s gaze.
Xeno had shielded him from the darts. Leon could not move after the force of Tai’s fist had struck him, then they fell and Xeno moved in front of his body to defend him. Why had the old fool done such a thing? The king was more important than just one Demon Hunter. Deep down Leon knew why, but that did not change the fact that his close friend had died saving his life.
Tylor limped over to them clutching his shoulder. He stopped and looked at Xeno’s corpse for a moment, as if in shock, before pulling away and helping Joel get Leon to his feet. He saw that Karen was by the thrones seeing to the royal family. The group all turned to look as there was a sudden cry of pain from her direction.
“The prince is alive!” Karen cried as she helped Prince Nega to his feet.
A singular moment of relief was quickly replaced with one of utter dismay as Leon looked past Karen and the prince. Behind them lay two corpses; the King and Queen of Atra. They were dead; killed by Tai’s horrific attack. No amount of training could suppress the anger and sadness he felt. He felt his knees give out from under him as he fell from Joel and Tylor’s grasp. Beating his fist on the floor, Leon cursed over and over and swore vengeance for them all.
Karen and the prince walked slowly down the length of the throne room. She had to keep pulling the prince, who was constantly looking back to his parents and then to Xeno. The prince’s legs suddenly gave way as he fainted. Karen swiftly caught him.
“Tai may return at any moment, we are in no state to fight him, plus we must save the prince… no, the king,” Karen said, as she hurried the new king past them all to the throne room doors.
Joel and Tylor took one of Leon’s arms each and lifted him back up. After one last glance at what was once a beautiful room, they left and headed down the tower, out of the castle.
Outside, the city sounded full of pain. Screams were coming from all directions and smoke bellowed from strong fires that had somehow started. As they reached the gates of the castle they saw people in their droves heading south, out of Tentra. They paid no heed to the group exiting the castle and no knights were in sight. None of them could be sure what had happened, but they suspected that the north gates had fallen and now the undead were infesting the city.
They hurried after the crowds of panic stricken peasants as they headed towards the southern gates. It was then that they heard a familiar screech. They had heard it once before, just before Tai appeared in the throne room. A huge shadow past over them as a beast fell below the overcast clouds that had consumed the sky.
It was a huge scaled beast a mixed color of black and blue with glowing red eyes and a large mouth at the end of a large stretched neck. Its wings spread out in a proud fashion slowly flapping in the wind to keep it aloft. It had a long scaled tail which swayed below it. At its end was a pointed scale almost like a flail weapon. It screeched again, opening its huge mouth in the process displaying a large amount of sharp and bloodied teeth. It reared its head back and then shoved itself forward as a glowing amber ball of flame shot from its mouth and blasted the roof off a nearby house. The roof was blown sky high immediately before the crumbling rock fell back down on top of the remains of the ceiling pulling the house down in on itself.
“What the hell is that?” Joel stuttered.
“It is a dragon of some kind. It looks like a Scythe, but they were thought to be made extinct over fifty years ago!” Leon cried, as the beast shot another blast of flaming matter at the group. “The fire is meant for us, he has chosen his targets well. That means he is being directed by someone – Tai.”
Leon pushed himself from the two holding him and walked over to Karen, who was carrying the unconscious king.
“I will not let them take you as well, Torra,” Leon said to the silent king. “Your troops will be rallying in Wex, go there with my friends. I will hold off this beast.” Karen began to interrupt, but Leon would not allow it, “They will not take him as well!” he cried, with surprising anger. “Karen, I am begging you; protect him, please!”
“…I will not let him die, Leon, but in return you must not either,” Karen said at last. She then turned to Joel, “Joel, help me carry…Torra. We will move faster that way.”
Joel complied and helped Karen lift the king, Torra Nega, onto her shoulder. She then began to move off with Joel in hot pursuit, but stopped and turned to see that Tylor had not moved. She called to him, but he still did not move.
“I’ll stay and help Leon, go!” he called back to them.
There was nothing that they could say that would convince him to leave Leon behind. Karen knew there was no time to argue, so she said nothing in reply and instead continued on her way. Joel stayed still at first, but followed after she called back to him insistently. They soon disappeared down the street.
Above the remaining two the Scythe grew restless and fired another blast at them, this time only missing by mere meters. The Hunter rolled sideways as an explosion shook the street and he rolled to an abrupt stop. Tylor ran over to him and helped him to his feet. The Hunter then detached Raziel from his back as Tylor drew Pesmega from its scabbard. They stood side by side.
“Why did you stay?” Leon asked, as they watched the monster in the sky sway ever closer.
“I’m a moralist remember? I would not be able to live with myself if I left you alone to fight this in the state you’re in. Speaking of which, can you even move?” Tylor quipped with a smile.
“Enough to take this out,” Leon said quickly. “It will attack with its neck, tail, mouth, and of course with its fire balls. Severing its neck is the most effective way to kill them, but its scale is very hard to pierce, plus it has enormous physical strength. Needless to say, if it catches us we will die.”
“Listen,” Tylor said slowly, “if we survive this then I want you to tell me what secret you’ve been keeping from us.” His words shocked Leon, who said nothing, but instead starred at him. “I’m not as simple minded as Karen might think! I notice it as well, Leon. I notice the way you act sometimes… so distant and secretive. I refuse to believe its all because of your Demon Hunter training!”
“Judging by the state of your shoulder and my lack of energy, I feel I can safely agree to that promise and never regret it for I doubt we will get out of this situation alive! Now ready yourself, here it comes!”
The Scythe swooped down at the two, the blow back as its mighty wings passed forwards and back was almost enough of a force to knock them off their feet. Leon leapt sideways into an ally to dodge a wing as the beast landed on the ground with a loud crash. Tylor ran backwards out of range of its wings and stood watching it. A huge dent had formed under it where its large claws on its feet had dug into the ground. Cracks and breaks were spreading out from underneath it as if the whole street was about to give way.
As the monster closed its wings round its body and began walking down the street towards Tylor, Leon jumped from the ally and stabbed the side of the beast with one end of his staff. The Scythe did not react, as if it had not even felt it, and instead charged at Tylor with its mouth fully open. Acting quickly, Tylor rolled out the way of its head lunge and then struck at its neck, only to find Pesmega’s blade lodged into its scales, but did not cut clean through.
Pulling his blade back, he turned just in time to see the Scythe’s swinging head swoop round and catch him on his right side, hurtling him through the air and onto a nearby flat stone roof. Tylor coughed hard as he landed, completely winded by the force of the blow.
Continuing its attack, the Scythe faced Leon (who was standing just behind it) and opened its mouth, casting another ball of flame through the air. Leon jumped backwards as it struck the ground where he had previously been, which sent burning ember in all directions. Some landed in piles of snow and burnt straight through to the ground sending hissing white vapors into the air.
Landing safely, Leon bent over and rubbed his ankles. They felt numb and tired, just like the rest of his body. Tylor was right; he was in no condition to fight. All his limbs ached and he had not had any rest for what seemed like days. And still the beast relentlessly continued its ferocious assault firing blow after blow at him. He could do nothing but dodge and with every leap, flip, and jump, he was getting slower and slower.
Tylor slowly stood up while rubbing the back of his head (which stung badly). Cautiously, he made his way over to the edge of the roof the Scythe had thrown him onto to see it passing directly under him chasing after Leon, who was further up the street.
Without a second thought, Tylor leapt from the roof onto the dragon’s back pulling Pesmega down with all his might into its body. He met considerable resistance from the scales, but the blade did slowly pierce the creatures back. Black blood began to ooze from the cut immediately sending the Scythe into angry spasms, its wings spread from around its body and flailed about in the air while its head twisted round like an owls to stare at Tylor with blood red eyes.
With some effort, Tylor pulled his blade from the beast making it screech again and lunge forward at him. As Tylor dodged, he fell over the back of the monster onto the hard snowy ground below with a dull thud. Its tail reared up and struck into the ground where he lay just as he rolled to the side. The sharp point at the end of the tail tore up the stone turning it into rubble with a powerful flap of the tail for momentum.
The tail swung towards Tylor again, who swiftly raised his hands and batted it backwards using invisible force. The Scythe turned fully round and shoved its head forwards, snapping at air. Tylor rolled sideways and pushed the head backwards up into the air giving him time to back flip of the way of a swooping wing. It charged again, following him up the street biting at every opportunity hoping to get lucky. As it swayed its head from left to right, Tylor used the chance to shove its head into a nearby building using his Aura before shoving one of its legs out from under it. He tried to follow it up with another blast, but tripped and stumbled forwards, breathing hard.
He had exhausted too much of his strength.
The beast regained its balance and continued its charge. Tylor limped up the street. A nearby alley provided a safe place to gather his strength. The Scythe was still standing in the street smashing its legs on the ground angrily and firing balls of fire randomly in all directions. It seemed more annoyed than wounded by Pesmega’s cut or his other attacks. Leon appeared at the opposite end of the ally, he had seemingly cut across to the adjacent street while the dragon’s attention was on him and ran up safely.
“You wounded it?” Leon asked, while catching his breath.
“I stabbed its back, but it only seems to have made it angry. I don’t think its hurt at all. I tried cutting its neck as well, but the scales are harder than rock and I did not have the time to summon adequate strength for the strike!”
“I have an idea,” Leon said (much to Tylor’s relief). “Its swift landing on the street cobbles coupled with its angry stomping now is breaking the stone below. I believe the street is ready to crumble. All we need do is make the beast continue to break the stone and hopefully it will cave in, dropping the Scythe down into the sewers. It is only a drop of a few meters, but rock will tumble down after it. I can only guess how far the cascading will spread, but it may bring a nearby home down atop it as well. It is the only option I can see available to us.”
A screech ringed through the air as the Scythe dragon flapped its massive wings, casting it into the sky. It began circling the area Tylor and Leon hid amongst scanning the dark shadows for its pray, waiting to strike with relentless fury. Tylor turned back to Leon’s weary face and nodded in agreement to his plan. Putting homes at risk did not sit well with him, but if the dragon was not slain soon it would likely bring Tentra to its knee’s if no one opposed it.
The two stepped out into the open street and stared into the cold dark sky, watching the dark silhouette swirling in smooth motions round about their heads. The snow had given way to a mighty wind now, but it was still just as icy cold.
High above, the dark shadow selected its moment and swooped downwards charging towards its targets. Its wings spread out as it neared, ready to pull it upwards to slow its decent with a sudden upturn, but it would still be at such a speed as to still cause severe damage to the street.
“Jump or run back, but do not go into a side street!” Leon cried. “It must land in exactly the same place as before!”
The dragon’s large pair of legs pushed out from its body and extended its long claws and its mighty wings pushed downwards. Its claws dug deep into the street surface as it landed with a thump, immediately causing the cobbles below it to crumble inwards. As the beast realized its intended fate it began panicking and flapping its wings in all directions trying to get enough updraft to take off.
But it was too late; half its body had already slipped over a meter into the ground and debris had fallen onto it, crushing its left wing. Its head stuck out from the increasing large hole as the beast helplessly screeched and moaned and bit at the air trying to pull itself up.
A house next to the hole suddenly began to tilt sideways as its walls pulled from the roof causing the ceiling to fall in on its self and push the side wall out and over the hole, further crushing the Scythe.
Tylor and Leon carefully walked to the edge of the hole and looked downwards at the beast. Its lower body had been crushed, covered in rocks, and some had streams of black liquid dripping down them. Its head and neck were still moving; weakly swaying from side to side as it looked helplessly at its covered body.
“Even the mightiest of creatures are susceptible to the most basic emotions; see how the mighty dragon now fears for its life,” said Leon, looking at the beast with sympathetic eyes. “You put up a brave fight, mighty dragon!”
“Why do you suddenly show compassion for the beast?” Tylor asked, confused.
“If it really is a Scythe breed of dragon then it was once a mighty Orca and was polluted at birth by the evil incantations of dark magic. The Orca were peaceful and beautiful race of dragons, but capable of amazing strength. That was why they were hunted and turned. But we thought the Orca became extinct and as a result the Scythe as well. To see that at least one has survived, even if it is an evil one, shows true determination and power, and I respect that. As a Demon Hunter I live to find the next challenge from powerful opponents and to always push my limits. Your limits are created by your mind and the mind can be conquered.”
“Is that why you were so keen to face Tai in a duel?” he wondered.
“Yes, I was intrigued by his power and wished to test my skill against a supposedly unbeatable opponent. And although I was no match, I believe that I will better myself until the day that I can defeat someone of his strength.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Leon. There is a difference between real skill like yours and the given power that the Sect ha-
Tylor was cut short as he felt his foot slip. The ground beneath both he and Leon had given way as the limits of the hole expanded past them. They twisted and grasped at the receding edge, but the hole continued to grow. Tylor watched the edge fall further and further away from him as he toppled with Leon just a meter or so nearby, into the darkness of the sewer. He braced himself for the impact and prayed they would survive.
Joel had stopped abruptly and was looking back at Tentra, which was slowly disappearing on the horizon. Karen, who was still carrying an unconscious Torra on her shoulder, stopped and turned to look with him.
“Joel, we have to hurry. What’s wrong?” Karen asked.
“You saw that monster… Leon was tired and both of them were injured… I can’t leave them to fight that beast alone! Karen, you can take the prince alone, can’t you? Let me go back to help them!” he pleaded.
She sighed deeply and watched her breath escape from her mouth in the process. It had stopped snowing, but the chill was worse than it had been at Noctern and breath was still visible when exhaled. Joel was not looking at her; he was tapping his foot impatiently and looking back at the capital. Smoke was billowing from various sections of it and people still ran down the road on the way to Wex. None stopped to question either of them; they were to panic stricken or worried about their own family and siblings. Karen doubted half of them even knew it was the new king that she now supported over her shoulder.
Deep down the memories of the fire of Noctern tugged at her heart. Tentra’s fate was all too similar. And yet, she did not feel the sense of satisfaction, of vengeance, that she had always hoped for. The people of Tentra were feeling the same fear and pain Noctern’s had, but the looks of panic did not make for a satisfying end to those who turned their back on others. It was the king who chose to turn his back on Noctern. The knights could do nothing but follow their sire’s orders and thus the people followed and became hateful and despondent to the survivors.
Would the people of Tentra now be brought back as undead just as her former cities had? She prayed inwardly that it would not be the case, but all hope seemed gone. The capital had fallen and the army of Tentra was fighting a losing battle to the west and even if they did win they would return to find a crushed kingdom and a dead king. There was no way they could win.
Impatiently, Joel called to her again, repeating his urge to go back to the capital to help the others. She could not stop him. Even if she said no he would most likely go anyway. Why was he even bothering asking her?
“Find them and bring them to Wex,” she said at last.
Her young companion smiled from ear to ear and nodded in agreement, before disappearing down the lonely white road back towards the capital.
After Joel’s head disappeared out of view past the first mound nearest where they had stopped, Karen adjusted how Torra lay on her shoulder and then carried on following the peasants fleeing Tentra towards the checkpoint town of Wex. It was from there that the survivors would most likely rally in one last stand against the invading dark legions. But would their hearts still be able to go on when news of the king and queen’s death reaches their ears?
She would find out shortly as her pace increased.
“Tylor, can you hear me?” Leon said weakly.
He slowly opened one eye and found his lower body to be in tremendous pain. His injured shoulder was numb and the lower arm could not be moved. His other arm lay outstretched in front of him. One of his legs was not visible it was trapped under debris. There was not much pain, only a hard numb feeling. Bits of his leather armor had been ripped and scratched revealing bloody skin below. The last thing he remembered was falling from the street into the hole the Scythe made as it crashed to the ground.
Across from him, Leon lay with his back against a dank dark wall. His left hand was shielding his right and one knee sat upright allowing the elbow of the wounded hand to rest atop it. His clothes had been cut in many places, particularly at one section of his leg which revealed black and blued skin below. The cut on his face had turned into a scab with bloodied marks running down his face from it.
Looking up at the night sky above, Tylor saw that the length of the hole had extended at least another two or three meters, but thankfully had not brought another house down on top of them as they fell. They had not fallen far; piles of rocks had made it only a meter or two. Had they not been there they both would have surely died from the drop. The Scythe was not visible anymore. Its body was buried somewhere below them, encased in the crumbling rock.
A horrid smell had filled the air coming from somewhere beneath the rocks. It must have been the stench from the sewers leaking through the rock, it was truly repugnant.
“Tylor, can you move or feel your legs?” Leon asked.
“No, I’m numb. I don’t think I can move, but my legs are okay, just trapped.”
“A normal man’s would have been crushed!” Leon exclaimed with relief. “The Destined are indeed stronger than us regular people.”
Tylor tried to smile weakly, before resting his head down and breathing deep. They were in an awful predicament. He could not move and neither could Leon. It was lucky that Leon did not end up in a similar situation as him as he may well have been crushed under the weight of the rock, but it was true his body was now far stronger than a normal person’s. The numbness may be the healing power of the Destined taking quick effect, protecting him from serious pain and repairing the damage done.
“I think my arm is broken… at the very least, it is sprained,” Leon stated. “My legs are only cut, give me a moment to rest and then I will try to move.”
“In the meantime, you have to tell me whatever it was that you have been hiding. We had a promise, remember? The dragon is dead and we are alive, for the meantime at least. So, Leon, tell me,” he said somewhat slyly.
“It is funny you should make such a promise with me, as that is how it began,” Leon said slowly, while looking up to the sky. “I was sworn to an oath… a kind of promise. I swore that I would never speak of my secrets as long as those who took the oath with me lived. But now, they are dead and I am indeed freed from my oath. Kind Xeno, a knight and true hero, and the King of Atra, my sire… they were the ones with which I took the oath of secrecy.”
“…An oath of secrecy?” Tylor questioned, confused.
“That oath was… It concerned my birth. I told you, and the others, and indeed everyone who has ever asked me, that I was an orphan with no memory of my parents. This was a lie and for that I am sorry.”
He nodded to show that he understood.
“My mother died giving birth to me, but my father lived. Their being together was illegal. He had an affair with my mother, and I was the result. Not wanting to give up her baby, my mother convinced my father to allow my birth, but to keep the identity of the father secret from all but a few trusted nurses and close family. My father was a man of high position and already wed to another woman… had the affair, and my existence, ever come to light he would lose such a position and it would have had horrible repercussions.”
Leon…
“After my mother died, the father had no choice but to put me in the care of his most trusted friend. But this friend was constantly away and had no choice but to send me to the Demon Hunter’s church, where I stayed until my eighteenth birthday. On that day the grand master of the church order handed to me a scroll which held the truth about my birthright and orders to come back to Tentra immediately to see my father…”
“Your father, who was he?” Tylor asked.
“My fathers name was Leonard Nega, his wife was Fiona Nega, and his legitimate son was Torra Nega, born from Fiona,” Leon said with a deep sigh.
“You are the king’s son!” Tylor exclaimed.
“In a manner of speaking, I am. Sansec, the surname given to me, was my mother’s maiden name. She was a servant working at the castle that fell in love with the King of Atra. When I returned to Tentra, shortly after turning eighteen, my father welcomed me with open arms and explained to me why he did what he did. I was sent to a Demon Hunter church to learn to hide and control emotions so that I would understand better, to understand why I could not call him father in public, why I must call him my king. I was put back under Xeno’s protection. He was the king’s trusted friend who had originally sent me to the church.”
“That’s…horrible! You had to see your father and not be able to speak to him as one… and even worse, you were forced to hide your emotions about it!”
“Do not think badly of him, Tylor. I understand why he had to do it. I only wish I could have saved him, but now he is dead, and Xeno too, who was much more like a father to me than Leonard ever was,” Leon muttered.
“Yet you don’t cry for either of them…” he said, sadly. “I shed tears for my father and my mother. I wasn’t afraid to cry.”
“I will cry when I can finally lay Raziel to rest and give up my life of constant battles. And I will only do that when those responsible for this callous act have died at my hands. I will train every day, every night, until I am strong enough to kill Tai!” Leon hissed with contempt.
“You may yet have your revenge, Leon! If you are King Nega’s son then that means you are a Destined! But… it’s strange that Isumail could not discover your power as he did with Joel and I,” Tylor said, casting his mind back to the Hunter’s testing in Tillsen.
“Isumail did know, but he respected my oath and did not speak of it. He said something else as well… that I was conflicted, that I was not whole, and until I was then I would not find the Destined power within me. Perhaps it has something to do with Torra, he is my half brother, and also born from a Destined. Maybe it is he who got the power from my father when he was murdered,” Leon paused and mumbled something to himself, “…but then, I am the older of us two, the first born son, so would it not be me who received the power?”
Tylor had no answer for him. He was still astonished at Leon’s linage. None of them knew how the Destined’s transfer of power worked. All that he knew was that the seed was past from father to son and that the power became active when the father died. But before King Nega died he had two sons; Torra and Leon. It could be either or both of them that was a Destined. They could do nothing more about it without consulting Isumail.
It was then that Tylor remembered the Knight Captain telling Commander Xeno that Tillsen had been invaded and its population turned into undead as well. Isumail and the other monks were most likely killed in the attack. With their deaths went any hope of getting an answer to their situation. Tylor felt a long pulling pain at his heart as he remembered all the kind people he had met in the Katerano church. They put their faith completely in the Destined and not in the armies of Atra. It was blind faith in them and their power and they had let them down.
“Isumail and the other monks… they’re probably dead. We may never find out exactly how the transfer of power will work,” Tylor said, saddened.
“Leon! Tylor!” a voice called from up on the street.
Turning his head sideways, he was relieved to see Joel’s face poking out over the edge of the crevasse. He had a panicked look about him and seemed tired at the same time. His eyes showed signs of weariness and his face showed fatigue.
He disappeared, saying that he would find a rope and be right down. He returned shortly and cast one end of a sturdy thick rope down into the dark hole. Joel reappeared, as he turned and slowly began descending down the holes edge gripping the rope firmly between his hands and using his feet wrapped round the coils to slow his decent.
“Be careful that the parameter of the hole does not falter and extend further!” Leon called up to him.
Once Joel’s feet touched the rocky pile inside the hole he moved away from the rope, leaving it swaying gently, while he saw to Leon. After getting the Hunter to his feet, he rushed over to Tylor and began tugging and tossing rock away with amazing strength for someone of his stature. Soon, Tylor was able to see his legs and tug at them to pull them from the debris. He was shaky standing up at first, but the feeling slowly returned and he was able to stand unaided. Joel tugged on the rope and then looked back at them.
“Trust me, it’s tightly attached! Prop your feet against the wall and walk up it to get to the top,” Joel said with a proud look.
“I do not think I will be able to climb up,” Leon said as he tried to pull his injured arm away from his body, only to find it sting with pain.
Joel seemed determined to solve the dilemma (without help) and leapt up the rope as fast as he could. Once up, he instructed Tylor to follow him, which he did. Though his injured shoulder caused pain, it was not enough to stop him scaling the wall. Leon peered up at them out of the dank sewer equally curious what their companion had planned.
“Tie the end of the rope around your waist as tight as you can, we will pull you up!” Joel called down.
Leon did as instructed and tied the thick rope right around his waist and secured it with a knot. When he was ready, Tylor and Joel began to pull on the rope and lifted him with amazing ease. To stop himself banging into the edge of the hole, Leon used his feet to push away from it as the others had done when climbing it. Once he was near the top, Tylor held his weight while Joel tugged him up and over the edge. Leon breathed a sigh of relief as he took one last look down into the pit.
“We must go with haste to Wex,” the Hunter stated.
Eager to leave, Joel turned and began walking down the street. As Tylor followed, he felt Leon’s hand gently, but firmly, grab his shoulder.
“…Say nothing of my heritage to anyone, Tylor. It cannot become public knowledge.”
“Leon, you must tell Torra. He will need comforting and would probably welcome having someone who understands his grief close by. It’s wrong to keep the truth from him!” Tylor insisted.
“…Give me time.”
As the group turned to leave, they felt the ground beneath them shake violently. Suddenly, rubble flew into the air behind them, engulfed in fire. A boulder landed beside Joel, who leapt sideways, startled by the noise. Another fireball shot upwards, this time taking less rock with it. The ball exploded in mid air raining burning embers down on the land below.
From the hole they had left behind the Scythe’s wings rose and began to flap wildly with amazing strength, pulling the beast from the rubble. Its body was covered in dark cuts leaking even darker liquid onto the street below, but it remained hovering, looking down on the trio.
With an almighty screech it flapped its huge wings and swept high into the air, plunging through a thick cloud and vanishing. Its angry cries became progressively quieter as the beast vanished to the north.
Not stopping to see if the beast returned, the group quickly made their way out of the city and headed due south.
Wex was as white as Tentra had been and now it was almost as busy. The streets and courtyard were full of peasants and knights. Children ran around crying for their mothers and parents were shouting out their children’s names. The surviving troops of the knights left garrisoned in Tentra when the main force went to war were spread thin. They had fortified the town as best they could while trying to reunite families with one another.
Karen had taken Torra into the largest building of Wex where he received medical attention and was now heavily guarded. Tylor, Joel and Leon arrived while the moon was at its peak and went straight to the inn, where they received medical attention. Leon’s arm had only been sprained and was not broken, which was a relief to all. They then met with Karen and began preparing to retire for the night. Before they headed for their rooms, Karen explained that Torra was planning on marching on Tentra in the morning to retake it and was pleading for all able people to pick up a sword and help.
Their collective force was no larger than three hundred so far and even adding the militia that had appeared from Cattra and the willing peasants, the total number was no more than five hundred. It was not enough to fight back the remaining undead in Tentra, but Torra refused to wait. Leon said that he would speak with the prince and left the others to go to bed.
The group had separate rooms this time. They were small single bed rooms with one small window and dresser. Karen lay restless in her bed, staring out at the night sky. Darkness loomed over everything and the world was growing dank and dark. It was only a matter of time before the night became endless and the entire world suffered insurmountable pain. She shivered and pulled the covers closer.
“…Things have gone too far, we cannot win,” she whispered to herself.
Tylor could not sleep. There was a feeling deep within him that someone was calling his name. Whatever it was, it was close. There was a tugging at the back of his head as if pointing in the direction of the source and his head ached with a constant beating. He was sweating badly and strangely felt panicked. Deciding that he needed some fresh air, Tylor got dressed and left the inn.
The air was cold. It had been a hard task getting everyone off the streets to protect them from the chill. The women and children had been sent to Cattra on the remaining carts. Meanwhile, knights and militia slept in stables, warehouses, and anywhere they could find that was warm.
Morning was not that far off, it was barely four of five hours till first light. When that came they would be called to arms to face an enemy numbering more than six times their amount, give or take how many were killed in the siege. It was a strange cold calmness that blew through the courtyard of Wex before the next dawn. It was foreboding, as if a warning of something on the horizon. Was that the feeling before an impending battle?
Before then, all the battles that Tylor had been part of were forced upon him without warning. He had no time to stop and feel the atmosphere. But now he could. The air was cold and calm, but the people were restless and tense. In a matter of hours some of them would be dead and they knew this, and yet they would still go to fight.
Why can these people fight without a second thought even if they know they will lose? Tylor thought to himself. Am I so weak that I don’t have the heart for battle? I do not deserve this power that lies within me. There are so many other brave people here that would be more fitting as a Destined. I don’t want to fight, I do not want to kill… but at the same time I don’t want to sit back and watch these people die…
Angry at himself, he cursed bitterly. Somewhat aimlessly, he wandered into the empty courtyard and watched as his breaths disappeared into the air in front of his face. He thought he had come a long way since his training in Tillsen and all the experiences he had, but really he had not changed at all. He was always the moralist, always the scared child, and always the unknowledgeable fool. Zan would say “Be brave, be strong, and protect those who cannot protect themselves” it was the basis of his fighting style. Use your strength to protect those who had none. But now Tylor had seen war and he had seen death, and he could not protect people from either.
“Tylor,” a voice said from the shadows beside him. “Tylor Sabre.”
Tai walked out from the shadows with his hands crossed over his chest. He wore no mask. His face was paler than Tylor’s and the eyes were as black as the night sky above, but other than that the Sect looked identical to him. Tylor jumped backwards and took up a defensive stance, cursing the fact that he had left Pesmega in his room at the inn.
“I am not here to kill you, boy,” Tai sneered. “I have come to finish our deal. You see, time is running out for us. It may interest you to know that Tentra no longer has Seradin within it. My counter part arrived and sent them to the west to crush the army from the rear… another pathetic underhanded tactic of Kain’s. The one I speak of is Lady Kass and your female companion is her likeness. She mindlessly follows Kain’s orders regardless of how low, it sickens me.”
“I do not care whoever this Kass is!” Tylor cried angrily. “What do you want?”
“Very well,” Tai said as he locked his empty gaze onto Tylor. “Tell me of the being that granted you the power you used to strike me down in Noctern. Do this, and I will tell you something that I doubt your father even realized, or any Destined for that matter.”
He was silent and instead watched the almost mirror like image of his face for signs of emotion. Tai was determined to find out what happened in Noctern, he would most likely lie and cheat to discover the truth. Whatever truths he promised were most likely just lies.
“I could have killed you a thousand times over by now, boy,” Tai said, breaking his concentration. “But instead I offer you this amicable discussion and exchange of information.”
The Sect began to pace, but said nothing else. His feet were silent on the snowy ground as if he was not even touching it. And as he breathed no visible signs appeared as he exhaled. What good would it do him to know? Even Tylor did not understand exactly what happened.
“…I don’t know what it was,” he said at last. “‘It just… offered me power to kill you. I was so angry… I said yes, and then I don’t remember anything. It was not Seka… it sounded male, but I do not know. You will get no more than that from me, I just do not know!”
“I see,” the Sect hissed. “Your answer is unsatisfactory, but I will tell you what I have discovered regardless. You will no doubt understand why once you have heard it.” Tylor began to say something, but Tai swiftly silenced him. “Quiet, let me finish. As my previous life left me I heard something said in Noctern that made me finally realize Seka’s master plan. The girl said to you that we Sect are reborn when a Destined has a son, that they take his form and his face. Would you be interested to know that this was not always true? Tell me; do you think of me as a monster… or a demon?”
“You are a monster,” Tylor replied bitterly.
“Then so are you!” Tai cried in reply, spreading his arms out at his side and laughing manically. “Seka found Kain’s spell for creating warriors of amazing power and used it to create you; the Destined. It was not Kain who saw the mighty warriors in battle and then created his own to combat them. We Sect were created first. Seka copied Kain’s spell, but her lesser power created the restrictions you are forced to live by. After she cast it the Sect and Destined became intertwined. That is when our rebirth became triggered by the Destined’s seed passing down from father to son. No doubt you heard a different story in Noctern, not surprising, as I said; I doubt Zan knew,” Tai explained, and laughed again. “If only I had known sooner! Seka has led the Destined to believe they are normal beings, but in fact they are nothing more than cheap copies of monsters.”
“…You’re lying!” Tylor replied.
“You have been blinded by Seka’s deceit, she has lied to all the Destined and not just of their origin. When our two kinds became interlocked our fate was sealed; we are to fight near endless battles with one another. In a way, both our kinds became obsolete in the war.”
“…The war?” Tylor struggled to say, too caught up in his own confusion to follow what Tai was saying.
“The war I speak of is the war which rages in the west, between the dark legions of Kain and the people of Pesmega! The Sect were Kain’s most powerful creation, but Seka created the Destined which forced Kain to give the Sect the almost unending task of wiping out you scum. But no matter how hard we tried your seed would always spread and more and more of you would be reborn. There is no end to it! That was Seka’s plan all along, which is why the seed passes on. It is to constantly keep the Sect occupied so that the armies of Pesmega stand a better chance to win the war. Why do you think L’Carn took so long to fall compared to Atra? It is because we were not there. We had to hide in the shadows hunting you maggots! And Zan, your young companions father, and the late King of Atra, all learned to hide their powers from us making the task even harder!”
“I…I don’t…” Tylor stuttered.
“Are you not tired of this? I am. I am sick of following Kain’s orders like a dog obeying its master. I answer to no one! Above all else, I am sick of killing Destined. So, son of Zan, believe me or not, I do not care. I will wait in Tentra castle with Kass and Luther, another Sect assassin, for the young prince’s last stand. If things between us remain unchanged, they will all die.”
“No!” Tylor cried.
“…Perhaps they will not. I have no interest in killing untrained peasants and weak knights, but Kass and Luther will. Come to the castle tomorrow. Bring the boy, the Hunter, and the girl. Fight with Kass and kill her. I will not interfere, you see, it will benefit me also. After she is dead Luther will fall without problem, he is the weakest of us. After they are dead we will fight and that will end the cycle. Kass or her double will die breaking their cycle, Luther and his likeness will end theirs, and then we will end ours. If you do not come, all these innocent people here will die. Remember that when you decide what to do.”
And with that Tai was gone. His image vanished in an instant leaving Tylor standing cold and alone in the courtyard of Wex. He was shivering, not just from the chill in the air, but from the words and supposed truths Tai had spoken of. There was no way he could be sure Tai was being truthful and he could not ask Seka as the female voice had not invaded his dreams for many weeks. Could the Destined really have been created simply to distract the Sect so that the people of Pesmega would have a better chance at defeating Kain’s armies? It surely was not as blunt or as simple as that, but it did fit into place. It was more likely a convenient turn of events, but again, he had no way to be sure. The truth escaped him. Seka would not speak with him, and Tai spoke of horrible things. Tylor rubbed his hand over his face slowly, feeling the curves and bumps as he went. Was this face rightfully his or was it Tai’s?
He shivered again.
Torra Nega, the new king, was still awake even at such a late hour. He had asked to be left alone in a room inside the largest building in Wex guarded by seven fully armored knights. Leon had sent one to announce his presence and was waiting patiently for the response. Torra and he had not spoken often, but when they did it was usually about adventures Leon had been on and what monsters he had slain. The former prince was a few years younger than him and had been kept ignorant of the world around him, similarly to Tylor. He knew nothing of the world outside his own kingdom and had only basic combat training. Torra still seemed like a child to him, not capable of mounting an attack, and too weak minded to lead men to war. The knight returned and beckoned Leon to enter the room in which Torra dwelled.
The new King of Atra sat behind a large desk with a number of scrolls and rough maps laid out before him. An ink holder and feather pen sat on his right and a number of books on his left. A warm fire to the west of the room warmed and lit the room as well as a small lamp sitting atop the desk. He had changed clothes. Torra now wore leather armor similar to Joel’s, no doubt because he was also too small of frame to wear plate armor. He smiled weakly as Leon approached the desk.
“Demon Hunter Sansec,” Torra said, stirring himself in his chair that was too large for him.
Leon paused for a moment and said nothing. Torra had always called him Leon before then, not by his title.
“I am sorry for your loss, Torra. I only wish I could have done-
“I am the King of Atra, Demon Hunter Sansec. You will address me appropriately,” Torra interrupted. “The battle is only a few hours away. I am looking over maps and plans and time is quickly running out, say whatever it is that you want and then leave.”
The new king’s attitude seemed arrogant and angry. Leon did not know why the former prince’s persona had changed so much from the young boy he used to entertain with stories of monster slaying and bandit hunting. Leonard and Fiona were dead, and Xeno too, perhaps it was his way of coping.
“Sire,” Leon said with some reluctance, “I offer to you the same service that I offered the late king; I am at your command.”
“…The same service?” Torra questioned with a dark smirk. “You mean sit back and watch me die as you did with my father?”
“…We all tried our best to stop Tai, but he was too powerful for us. The Destined need more time, but soon they will be strong enough to kill him and then-
“I will not wait. My father was a fool to trust your judgment about the Destined! My army will crush Tai and I will have my vengeance.”
Leon sighed long and hard. Torra was full of hate and anger. It was anger at him and the others for failing to protect the late king and that anger had created a deep thirst for vengeance against Tai.
That was the real reason behind his attack in the morning.
“Torra, your father was a Destined! That means that you are as well and now that he has passed on you have his power! Let Karen, Joel, and Tylor help you discover how to use it then you will have the strength to kill Tai alone!”
“Get out!” Torra shouted in retort.
“Please, Torra! There is something else I must tell you!”
After another long sigh, Leon readied himself to break the oath he had taken so long ago. He hoped that if Xeno and Leonard were watching from the next life they would not think of him to harshly. Torra had to know that he was not alone and that he did have a power to equal Tai’s, if he would simply wait and train.
I’m sorry father and you too Xeno, but I must break the oath. I cannot let my own brother suffer like this…
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