Zendrius was instantly ripped to consciousness as each of
his senses was savagely assaulted. Despite
his blue tinted sight he still perceived the never-ending flow of the
fist-sized orbs, but he also noticed something else; a presence, a unique
identity within every respective soul.
But as if to contrast this individuality they all emitted an identical
wail of anguish. He felt, more than
heard it; it pressed against every inch of his being, and yet it also passed
through him. It was as if he was both
submerged and part of a liquid at the same time. But what disturbed him most was the taste
caressing his tongue and the scent filling his nostrils. It was sweet and smooth, pungent yet piquant,
pleasing to the point of being orgasmic.
At first
Zendrius resisted, but the sensation grew more intense with each passing second
and soon the young boy found himself actively seeking the sensation. He sought it, craved it and consumed it. Muscles bulged, ripped and
reformed; bones sprouted, piercing skin and flesh as they extended and enlarged
themselves. The wails of the damned were
suddenly no longer off-putting but surprisingly entertaining. Zendrius’ senses were so overwhelmed with the
act of consuming souls, that he hardly even felt the pain of the
transformation. Everything outside
devouring souls seemed irrelevant, the concern of lesser beings. He was Dannar and yet not Dannar, an
existence of both nightmare and hope, a being possessing the ancient blood of
both extremes. He was the Fire Child.
“We should prepare for battle,” said Aeon as he watched the
approaching mass in the distance.
“Wait,”
said Nessha when the ancient durandal was about to signal the horde.
“What’s
wrong?”
“I’m not
sure, there is something familiar about those energy signatures. I’ll know for sure when they get closer.”
“And if
they turn out to be hostile?”
“Then we
all die, you know as well as I do that no amount of preparation will help us
survive against such an overwhelming force,” said Nessha dryly.
“Our deaths
would be inevitable, yes, but the preparation would allow us to survive for
longer. Remember the goal is not to win,
but to hold out until Zendrius’ transformation is complete.”
“I suppose
you have a point. Fortification won’t do
much good; since they are probably flyers, our
“Tygrim of
Reverse Force?”
Nessha
nodded. “It will have to be rather
large.”
“We’ll draw
it in the soil; you add the required magical components,” said Aeon before
dividing the horde into four groups; assigning each group to shape a quadrant
of the ward.
“They seem so familiar,” said Nessha, sparing one last glance at the approaching mass
before starting to weave the appropriate signs.
“My lady, shouldn’t we turn back? You said you felt him stabilise.”
Persephone
parted the curtain of the litter. “We
have already revealed ourselves, turning back now would accomplish nothing.”
“But our
intentions have not yet been revealed, if you meet him now the others will
know; they’ll not just sit back and do nothing, he is still too weak, it is too
early,” pressed Azain.
“Enough! I wish to see my son and so does Alyza, isn’t
that right dear?” said the golden woman, turning to the girl sitting beside her.
Alyza
wasn’t sure what the argument was about, but she didn’t really care to get in
the middle of it. However she did
desperately want to see Zed, and if siding with his mother was the only way . .
. it was a price she was more than willing to pay. “Yes, I also think it would do him good to
see me.”
“There you
have it,” said Persephone triumphantly to the man flying next to the litter.
Azain only
gave a dissatisfied grunt, before veering off to his place in the formation.
Nessha laughed in delight as the mass of fallen angels
descended. Everywhere she looked she was
greeted with the smiling faces of her siblings, the only oddity being the
litter carried by eight of her brothers.
Azain was
the first to land and even he sported a slight smile. “Missed us, little sister?”
“You
bastard, you had me worried sick,” said Nessha as she hugged her eldest
brother.
“I imagine
so, we were suddenly recalled into service shortly after you went to Earth; we
had no way of leaving word.”
“Recalled
into service? By whom?”
“Lady
Persephone.”
“But we
haven’t heard from her since Lord Zendrius was taken, why now?”
“Apparently
she has been watching us, but this is talk for later. Where is he?”
Nessha
turned and pointed to the durandal horde.
“He’s in a Pit of Despair at the centre of that horde.”
Azain took
a moment to take in his surroundings.
“That’s impossible; a Pit of Despair can’t feasibly be surrounded by
such a small force.”
“Well this
one is tiny and they are only guarding the entrance to the Pit.”
“Entrance?”
“It will be
easier to just show you,” said Nessha as she led the muscular man through the
gathered durandals to the breach.
Azain
stared at the rapidly declining flow of souls thoughtfully before saying, “Do
you realise what this means?”
Nessha only
nodded.
“How did
you make this discovery?”
“Lord
Zendrius, he possesses the ability to see energy. It appears to him as colours.”
“A very
useful gift. Come, the litter should be landing soon; we must go attend Lady
Persephone,” said Azain before turning to leave.
“Wait, let
me first introduce you to Aeon.”
Azain
didn’t so much as slow his stride. “It
can wait, come little sister.”
Nessha shot
Aeon an apologetic look before following her brother, but the ancient durandal
seemed indifferent to both the insult and apology.
The
siblings arrived just as the litter was set down and the two golden beings
exited the litter. One possessed
ruby-red hair, cerise eyes and an august presence while the other had
light-blue eyes, raven black hair and shy a complexion. They were both a foot taller than Nessha,
making her the shortest among everyone gathered, a fact which slightly vexed
her.
Persephone
turned her gaze to Nessha and the winged woman instantly knelt. “You are the one who was sent to retrieve my
son, correct?”
“Yes, my
lady,” said Nessha with her eyes cast down.
“Why was my
son dying moments ago?”
“His powers
has somehow been sealed but there are –”
“I know of his seal, fulfilling
conditions of its release should not have endangered his life. What happened?” interrupted the Dannar, her
impatience becoming plain.
“The Agrarian my lady, he misread
the conditions to weaken Lord Zendrius’ seal.
He did not tell us that Lord Zendrius had to satisfy each condition in
direct succession.”
Sudden comprehension
appeared on Persephone’s face. “He consumed durandal flesh without having a Pit
of Despair or the nectar of Eve at hand?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Damn
him! I should have known he wouldn’t be
able to resist the temptation. Give me
your hand.”
Nessha did
as she was bid and instantly a faint green light appeared in her chest. “What –”
Blood
spurted from Nessha’s mouth as the golden hand ripped thorough her armour and
into her flesh. Persephone said a single
word and the light disappeared then she withdrew her hand. “Azain, prepare the Living Blade for battle.”
The taciturn
man showed clear outrage as he quickly knelt next to his sister and pressed his
hand on the wound. “That was
unnecessary! It could have been done
without harming her.”
“It would
have taken longer and they will be here soon.
Your skill in restoration is adept, you should be able to save her,”
replied Persephone unfazed.
Azain ignored the comment as he
weaved the appropriate signs with his left hand while keeping his right on the
wound. A dim pink light started to
brighten the torn flesh and moments later it began to mend itself.
Not waiting
for Azain to finish, Persephone strolled towards the durandal horde. “Come Alyza, let us go ask my son’s servants
how they managed to stop his deterioration.”
The young
girl quickly fell into step. “You know,
I agree with Azain. You were very ruthless
back there.”
“My dear,
if you are to rule by my son’s side you need to learn how to make quick
decisions. Hesitation can cost you
everything. For instance, had I removed
that surveillance hex the less drastic way, I would not have been able to sense my brother’s intentions. Now due to my
‘ruthlessness’ we not only severed his source of intelligence, but gained some
as well.”
“Ok, I think I understand.”
The entire
horde bowed as the two golden beings approached. “You honour us with your presence, Lady
Persephone,” said Aeon.
“Aeon the
Mist Wraith, well this is a surprise. My
mate always spoke highly of you.”
“I’ve only
recently heard of his passing. It still
saddens me; he was a good friend and a true visionary.”
“Yes, his
absence is felt strongly,” said Persephone sorrowfully.
Aeon
motioned to Alyza. “Is this your
daughter?”
“This is
Zendrius’ mate. Her name is Alyza.”
“Um,
hello,” said the girl timidly, being more than slightly intimidated and stunned
by the appearance of the surrounding durandals.
“Alyza;
Zendrius’ human friend who was taken from Earth?” asked Aeon confused.
“Uh, yeah
that was me.”
Aeon’s eyes
widened. “You gave her your –”
“That’s
quite enough, you’re being rude, Ooti,” interrupted Persephone, putting
emphasis on Aeon’s Tier.
The ancient
durandal understood the insinuation and lowered his head in apology.
“I assume
you stabilised my son through a massive exposure to souls, but I don’t see any viable sources nearby. Explain.”
“As you
wish,” said Aeon before recounting the events that lead to the discovery of the
Pit of Despair.
“So in the
end, he saved himself, like any true Dannar would,” said Persephone approvingly
as she watched the glow of the few souls that had yet to be consumed.
“We have
secured the surroundings,” said Azain as he approached with Nessha in tow.
“Good, is
everyone within the Tygrim of Reverse Force?” asked Persephone as she motioned
to the carvings in the soil.
“They are.”
“The magical application is not adequate;
Alyza will augment and reactivate it.”
“Me?” asked
the girl surprised.
“Yes, you
have the necessary skill and power.”
“Um, ok.”
Alyza had
barely finished the task when everyone spotted the approaching throng. The host advanced upon them in a blur of
movement and within minutes the first creature struck the Tygrim of Reverse
Force. Its body was savagely crushed as
its momentum was turned against it.
Hundreds died in a similar manner before they started circling their
prey. Alyza could not quite make out
their appearance due to their incredible speed, but they looked to her like big
skinless jackrabbits, if jackrabbits walked on their hind legs, possessed sharp
claws and teeth and stood six feet tall.
The
creatures tested the ward a few more times; each time ending in the death of the experimenter. Then they suddenly came to an abrupt halt and
started walking slowly through the ward.
The Living Blade and the durandal horde responded instantly, cutting
down any who passed the Tygrim of Reverse Force’s threshold. Alyza was shocked to see how agile and adept
the jackrabbit creatures were at combat, but they still suffered heavy losses,
which would have relaxed her if there weren’t thousands upon thousands of them. For each one that was killed, four more took
its place; giving Alyza the impression that they would eventually be
overwhelmed.
“An
impressive force,” said Persephone snapping Alyza from her dark musing.
“Shouldn’t
we help?”
“This is
something my son has to triumph over himself.”
The words
were barely cold when sanguine flames erupted from the Pit of Despair, the fire
washed over everyone, but only the jackrabbit creatures shrieked in terror as more
than a hundred thousand of them met a fiery death. Those that survived fled into every direction
in a primal panic.
Two glowing silver eyes appeared
in the midst of the smoke and dust that shrouded the crater, but before anyone
could say a word a twenty foot monstrosity suddenly phased into existence. “Finally you show yourself, cousin.”
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