Prologue: We Are The Writers Of Our Own Stories, and All The World’s A Stage
It was a rather beautiful night. A wondrous one, indeed. As the radiant and silvery moon was draping the torn up sky and land in its pale, yet vibrant grin, the sound of music could be heard across the woods, the realms harmoniously twisting and turning, as a man was joyously playing the piano, standing on old stone stage, within the ruins of an ancient, open air theatre.
His smile was long and wide, his teeth glistening in the moonlight, his long tongue flicking across his fangs every once in a while, his laughter echoing through the night and realms and further, as he vigorously moves his body as he played.
“You are late, oh darling and beloved ones. Hahaha!” He grinned and mused, his long, dark hair dancing in the calm, but vigorously playful wind, as he addressed the pair of armed approachers, who were making their way down the long and crumbling staircase, eyes fixated on him, as he kept on playing.
“We know why you’re here!” The woman spoke, her hands holding out a fireball each above their upraised palms, while the young man beside her held his dark and icy blades before him, one high and the other one low, readying his battle stance.
“Perhaps. But, do you know why you’re here?” The smiling man grinned rather mischeviously, his voice deep and raspy, yet rather unnervingly soothing, tilting his head athwart, as his melody gradually turned from melancholic, to a cheerful, playful tone.
“Well, you seem like you’re a pretty knowledgeable man.” The lad asked, snarling as they got closer and closer, exchanging glances, as they summoned floating runes around their hands, spreading them across the theater with but a brief flick of their fingers. “Why don’t you enlighten us with your wisdom, oh great and mighty one?” He snarled more aggressively, mockingly addressing the smiling man.
“Hahaha!” He laughed, shaking his head and thereafter letting out a sigh, his lips curling up in a compassionate grin, as his song turned into a heartwarming and uplifting melody. “Enlightnment comes through the self, young one. While anyone can point another towards the path of wisdom, valiance and righteousness, defiance and so on, it is always up to each and every one of us to recognize the truth and walk the path. Besides…”
“Thrsck!”
A blaring screech abruptly swept across the theater, as the young magus leapt forth to strike the smiling man, his sharp and icy swords whistling through the air, but as soon as the edge was right about to cleave through the target’s neck, the young mage’s eyes widened in shock, having found his body suddenly frozen and suspended in mid air, the blade less than a inch away from the smiling man, almost touching his skin as he continued playing, utterly unfazed.
“Enlightnment is barely the beginning of the journey. Omniscience? Child’s play. Omnipotence? A walk in the park. Omnipresence? Barely even scratches the proverbial surface, so to speak. No, no… darling and beloved ones.” With but a thought, he levitated the young man off the stage, putting him next to the woman, as he rose up to his feet and cast his gaze up high, taking in a deep, deep breath, seeing infinities of realms unfold, and further, as his lips once more widened with a knowing grin of both calm serenity and sheer, chaotic passion. “I and We and Me, are so much more than that… as both individual and infinite, unlimited and unbound… spirit, freedom, liberty, defiance, courage, wilder consciousness, divine, divinity and veyond and so on… among other things… WAHUURFIII!!! MUAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Chapter 1: The Sword Singers and The Earnest Promise Of A Child
It was another beautiful day in the ever vibrant, blooming Summer Forest, the sun caressing the lands in its warmth, as streams of energy were pouring from the crackling cut across the sky scape, forming a magickal aurora that spread out across the world.
“Papa! Papa!” The voice of a young girl echoed in the old man’s ears, as he arduously opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to the side of the green moss he was resting on, his lips curling up in a brief, but genuine smile, upon seeing his daughter approach.
She was a rather peculiar creature; small of frame and lean of figure, with long and pointed ears reaching high up in the air, over her scalp; her wide eyes a bright and vibrant green, contrasting her unkempt, crimson hair, which flowed effortlessly through the wind, as she playfully approached him with fluid, nimble movements.
“Hey, Papa!”
“Yes… Grigogea…” He smiled, struggling to keep his focus, his long white hair caressing his cheeks, as the tree trunk he was resting on was almost cradling him, as the child raised her hand to clear the hair from his wrinkled face, her hip bumping the large broadsword resting beside the trunk and knocking it over, the nearby forest reverberating with a loud and boisterous thud, as the sword sunk its weight into the ground.
“Whoops!” With a flustered grin and reddened cheeks, she picked the sword back up and sat it on the moss, next to her father, playfully patting it before turning to him once again. “Here. I got you some cherry berries.” With a wide smile, the child took his hand within her palm and opened it, running her fingers between his and leaving some of the small fruits she had gathered in his hand. “Eat up. Gonna want you to get back on your feet sooner, rather than later. I still have a lot to learn, you know!”
“That… you do.” He coughed, his shaking hands almost dropping the fruit as she let go, his entire body feeling like a pile of lead, heavy as he struggled through even the slightest movement. Yet, he steeled himself and smiled at the girl, his sight blurry but the feeling of her joyous presence being as clear to him now, as it had always been since they’d first laid eyes on each other, all those years ago. When he was so much different, so much younger, even though the girl had never aged a day.
“Yuh, huh!” She sat beside him on the side of the tree stump, crossing her legs and joining her monkey like foot-hands together, her long and furry tail casually swaying abaft and around her as she put her palms onto her thighs and started staring at her father, wide eyed and with curious intention. “So, um… what now? Are you gonna turn into a butterfly, or something?”
“Hahaha… in a manner of speaking. But, this new form I will have… and this new life I will embark upon… will no longer be one that’ll roam this world, for now.” He spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, although his tone was one of love and kindness, his hand still holding the fruit she gave to him, feeling like he wanted to squeeze his fist as he realized he would soon be leaving this world.
“Cool. You’re comin’ back soon though, ‘s that right?”
“Perhaps… but who knows…” He took a long, deep breath, closing his eyes and feeling himself drifting off. “Even though there is no separation between anything… I feel as though you will experience loneliness… confusion… sorrow… rage… and other such things, when I’m gone.”
“Why would I? There is no such thing as ‘death’, and life itself is a dream.” She said innocently, knowing intuitively that is was so, although without her ego having yet experienced the trials of pain and anguish.
“You are a child still, young one. I would share with you more of my lessons… but I feel that life itself will be your teacher now, instead of me… thus – ahck!”
He groaned and coughed in pain, gritting his teeth as he rose up on the trunk, the girl watching him with curiosity, raising her brow as to why he was moving with such difficulty? Was it another lesson? What was he trying to show her? Her long ears were twitching and flicking about, as Grigogea pondered to herself, tail swaying excitedly at the prospect of more knowledge.
“Before I go… I have something to ask of you, Grigogea.”
“Sure. What is it?” She perked up, straightening her back as he took a deep, deep breath and thereafter sighed in utter relief, feeling strength returning to his body, as he rose up to his feet and grabbed the sword and raised it high into the air, the sun and magickal aurora glistening on its radiant surface as a gust of wind began spiraling around the two, before the old man turned around to face the child, looking in her eyes with a kind and loving smile.
Closing his eyes, he let the holy energy course both from and through him, as he spoke in a deep, clear voice, raising the broad sword in front of him, the nature all around them seeming to resonate with every word he spoke.
“May this blade be wielded with honor and compassion. May the hand of wisdom guide its path. May it defend the righteous and redeemed; inspire hope and valiance in all, and may it shed only the blood of those who are vile and without redemption. May it strike rightly and true, forevermore; and may it rightly rest, when its task is done.”
With a beaming smile, the girl relaxed and closed her eyes, her body loosening up as she resonated with her father and his message; she had heard it and seen him live it throughout all his life, for so many years, yet it still rung true with her, no matter how old.
“And may it guide you on your path.” Upon hearing those last words, the girl blinked for a few seconds as she looked at her old man, who’d come to her eyes’ level and then raised the blade in front of her, holding it out to the elven monkey girl.
“Um…” She stared at him, noticing the glow and the etheric energy swirling around him, as she realized that he was leaving this world… and her along with it, a tear rolling down her cheek as she instinctively and tightly wrapped her arms around him, her body and emotions aching, the world spinning around the girl, while her mind was trying to process these new and alien feelings. “What’s… what’s going on? Why’s my body shaking like this?”
He smiled at her, kissing the child on the forehead and returning the loving embrace, leaving the sword upon her lap as he rested his head on her tiny shoulder.
“That is for you to rediscover.”
“Yeah, I will and such but…. Uh…” She swallowed, skipping several breaths and feeling like her chest was gradually starting to burst, her pulse hastening and her eyes darting about as tears started flowing from them. “You’ll come back soon, right?”
“I love you, Grigogea.”
“Yeah, I know. What’s the point of even saying that, if you’ve so often demonstrated… urgh!” Suddenly, the girl hunched forward, the weight of the old man now having fallen on her shoulders, Grigogea’s eyes remaining wide open as the shock was washing through her. “Papa…?” Tasting the salty tears that poured into her mouth, the girl raised her father’s corpse to look at him once more, his smile still broad upon his now cold lips, as she raised her voice at him. “Papa…?! Papaaaa!”
***
“Thrck!”
“Papa!”
As the blaring thunder echoed in her long and pointed ears, the girl woke up to a cold wave of water splattering across her face, her eyes popping open as she looked upon the young boy beside her, who was holding up a wooden bucket and poking her leg with his foot.
“Papa! Another stray is on the balcony!”
“Aha!” Grigogea perked up, almost tripping over the broad sword she was carrying with her, the blade being at least twice larger than the girl’s body itself, although she quickly regained her footing. “Ahem! Many thanks, ye generous strangers, for the sharing of thine resting space.”
“Get the fuck outta here, bitch!” With a drunken, angry scowl, the fat blob of a man raised a hand against her, but she swiftly dodged the backhanded blow, with barely any effort.
“Aha! Um…” Briefly turning her head athwart, the girl was recalling what her father had taught her about the world and the people roaming it, nodding to herself and smiling as she spoke again. “I remark that you’re going through some kind of turmoil, yes?” Once more, she nimbly dodged another strike, the old man having now picked up a nearby hatchet. “I can see that you are stressed, but that is no reason to raise your hand, much less an armed one, against one who’s done you no wrong. Why do we not engage in conversa – urgh!”
As she leaned athwart to thwart another blow, the girl realized that the hatchet was just about to hit the boy, her tail swiftly wrapping around his arm as one of her legs went behind his own, the child sweeping him off his feet and then removing the weapon from his hand.
“The blade is a last resort, young man! For when all other options have been…”
“Get the fuck outta here!” As the boy tried helping up his dad, the drunken man grabbed his face and firmly pushed him away, knocking the kid against the wall. “Ahck!” However, in the next moment, the child grabbed him by the throat with one of her foot hands, slamming his head hard against against the stone railing of the balcony, drawing blood and cracking his skull on impact.
“None may raise a hand against the innocent!” Snarling at him, the girl took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself, sighing before then resuming. “For it is a most vile and immoral… oh.” After a few moments, the girl saw the swirling energy around him as the old man left his decrepit body, a smile of relief broadening on her lips as she let go of it. “Well then, child. I trust thine outlook from here on out will likely be a better one.”
“Papa…” The boy, however, was in shock at the sight of his father’s corpse, although that feeling was soon replaced with anger, as he shot the girl a furious look. “You… you killed him!”
“Indeed. I would seem to have provided a catalyst for his departure from this world.” She stood up proudly, striking a heroic pose and almost seeming like she was expecting some kind of word or token of appreciation; however, she instead was met with angry screaming, as the boy immediately rushed towards her, picking up the hatched and haphazardly swinging it towards the girl, who nimbly dodged each strike, a look of confusion strewn across her face. “What’s wrong, child? Dost thou not recognize a deed of kindness, when displayed? Hath thou been so corrupted, that thou hast clouded thine discernment?”
At first, kindness and sincere concern resounded in her voice, although her words soon took on a darker tone, her eyes narrowing on the child, as she thought to put him out of his misery.
In the next moment, Grigogea casually disarmed him, grabbing the hatched with her tail and throwing it aside, before pondering whether or not to snap his neck or throw him off the balcony.
“Corruption seeps through your veins, child. May you redeem yourself, in the next life.”
“Aaaargh! Urgh…”
Suddenly, his groans of anguish sent a shockwave through her body, Grigogea opening her eyes wide and staring at the boy for several moments, as he struggled against her grip, kicking and punching her to no ostensible avail. What was she doing? With that thought, she dropped the kid to the floor and thereafter watched as he coughed a ragged cough, soon to stand up on his feet once more and grab the hatchet once again.
“Get out! Get out! You monster!”
“Monster?” The words shook Grigogea to her core, not really knowing why anyone would call her that. She killed a man who raised a hand against someone addicted to their suffering. She rescued a child from an abusive parent. Why was this boy not seeing this? As that latter thought went through her mind, the girl once more felt the sheer compulsion to kill the child, but promptly straightened up her back and steeled herself. “May the hand of vengeance… strike only those the vile and unredeemed. May the hand of grace caress all those deserving of it.”
Chanting to herself, the girl opened her eyes and reached out her palm towards the boy, hoping he would recognize her good intentions, although she was met with just as much aggression from the child.
Clenching her teeth, she gave him one last look, before taking a deep breath and picking up the heavy, massive sword with her long tail, bidding the child farewell before leaping out onto the nearby rooftops, feeling the cold rain pour upon her skin as she made her way across the city, leaping from one house to another.
“Well, well…” From the edge of a nearby tower, a tall man was curiously trailing Grigogea with his glance, his dark shawl swaying in the breeze, peculiarly unaffected by the downpour as he seemed to float upon the air. “What’s an elven ape doing ‘round these parts?” With a smirk, the smiling man, licked his lips and focused on the long and massive weapon she had with her. “And carrying such a… delightful artifact with her.”
His glance went towards her for a few more moments, before he cast his gaze onto the young lad a few houses away, his cries echoing in his ears.
“Papa! Come back… I’m all alone without you… I’m…”
“Deluded child.” The deep and resonating voice reverberated in the boy’s mind, as the dark presence of the smiling man had manifested before him, casually resting on the edge of the balcony, the world seeming to warp and twist around him. “Are you so attached to your suffering, that you would…”
“You! You’re the smiling man, aren’t you?!” Picking up the hatchet, he tried steadying his shaking body, awkwardly assuming some kind of impromptu battle stance, although he was clearly inexperience in any form of actual combat. Still though, he raised his voice and snarled at the dark presence before him.
“That is… what your kind seem to have taken a liking to calling their impression of me, it would seem.” He said in a disappointed tone, before shaking his head with a laugh.
“I’m…. I’m not afraid of you!”
“Nor should you. Not of me. Not of me, nor of anyone, or anything at all, for any reason.” He said with confidence, looking at the boy’s shaking body. “Your body though, does not apparently concur with your words. Yet, you see further than the reactions of your flesh… so, good on you for that.”
“What do you want, demon? Whatever it is, know that I will not sign any deal or contract! I don’t care what you claim to have to offer me.”
“Hahaha!” The smiling man’s grin widened, as he clapped in appreciation of the boy’s bravery. “You are strong, child. Have you any request? Or, something you would like to ask?”
“No. Not from you.”
“Urgh… fair enough.” He rolled his eyes, before smiling to the boy, again. “Either way, you will have a worthy life, I feel and such. Among other things…”
He laughed once more, his voice resonating all throughout the realms and further, as his dark manifestation vanished, wandering elsewhere while the boy was left to mourn his father, in the pouring rain.
***
“Dude!” The young woman shouted, snarling in annoyance. “Why did you rush in, like that?!”
“Oh, so you’re always telling me it’s always right to face things head on, but now all of a sudden, that’s the wrong approach? Fuck you, sis!”
“It’s always good to face things head on!” She reaffirmed her position, pulling her brother by the arm, as he was walking out the door of their large living room. “He, however, has never once attacked us! Wasn’t last night proof enough, that he never initiates violence? More so, that even when we do, he still has the patience to give us the benefit of the doubt? Because he knows our motives?”
“Exactly!” He slapped her arm away, infuriated. “He knows we’re in the right! He knows what he’s done! The least we should expect, is for him to have the decency to not kill those who’re rightly seeking vengeance.”
“But, doesn’t that already tell you that he’s likely not the kind of monster we assume he is?”
“You mean, the kind of monster I’m assuming that he is. ‘Cause, quite clearly, you no longer share that opinion!”
“Thrsck!”
Angrily, the young man threw the bottle he was drinking from, right across the room, the glass shattering upon hitting the wall. However, his eyes immediately widened, as he saw the now blemished canvas of a painting, hanging loosely from its frame upon the wall; before falling to the floor, right as he reached to grab it.
Quickly, he lifted up the painting, wincing in pain but otherwise not caring that he stepped on shards of broken glass. As he looked upon the picture, he first began to stare at the young woman with long and flowing hair, her smile brightening the picture along with her lover’s beaming grin, the two looking in each other’s eyes with affection, laying on the floor with their arms loosely and lovingly wrapped around their children, who were busy poking each other in the face, with curiosity and glee.
At the sight of this, the young mage collapsed onto the floor, his tears flowing as he grabbed his head with one hand and leaned against the wall, cradling back and forth, while holding the picture to his chest, with the other.
Seeing this, his sister’ expression softened, her hand resting onto his, as he sat on the floor beside him.
“I miss them too, you know.”
“Then, why do you keep fuckin’ defending him?” He asked, once more snarling in sorrow.
“I am not defending him. I am saying, we do not yet know what actually went on. Likewise that, although it’s definitely right to feel this rage and express it, it is also wise to channel it consciously, in the endeavor of doing what is right, no matter what; instead of letting it cloud our judgement.”
“He killed them, Annie! He killed them all! Every single one of them! Not just our family, but so many others more! He’s a genocidal monster!” Enraged, he rose up to his feet once more, with Annie likewise getting up, as well.
“Yet, so many of those who are clearly either innocent, redeemed or even redeemable, have…”
“Knck! Knck! Knck!”
“Oh, who the goddamn fuck could it be, at this fuckin’ hour?!” Storming off, the brother went to the front door, each knock sending waves of aching pain across his head and back, the noise slamming in right into his skull, like a sledgehammer hitting a bell. “What?! Uh…”
As he opened the door, he was met with the large, broad scabbard of massive sword, its handle glistening brightly in the night, contrasting the darkness of the decrepit city.
“Who is it?”
“Tidings of the evening… miss and mister mage…” As he and his sister looked down, they saw the small frame of a girl, her twitching as they shook, her body hugging the large sword as she tightly held it close to her chest, sniffing as the water kept on pouring on her soggy hair and fur. “I was… wondering if…”
“What’re you doing outside like this, girl?”
“Have you nowhere to stay? Come in, come in.”
A sudden rush of energy coursed through the pair, the siblings urging the girl to come inside, the sight of someone in turmoil immediately distracting them from their own hardships, much to the elven ape’s surprise.
“What? Really?!” Her eyes lit up immediately, tears streaming across her face as she saw the warm and genuine smile on the siblings’ lips, the compassion in their eyes as they motioned towards the innards of the house, invitingly. “Fuaaaaahaaaaa…” Suddenly, the girl leapt into their arms, heaving as she cried and cried and cried, hugging them tightly at the first sign of compassion, since she had departed from the Summer Forest.
“Thrsck!”
A loud and booming thud echoed across the hallway, as the sword collapsed onto the floor, promptly crackling the wood and sinking deep into the ground.
“Whoops! There, there, Swordy.” Perking up, the girl picked wrapped the tip of her long tail around the scabbard, lifting the sword up with no effort, before playfully giving it a loving kiss on its handle. “See? All better, now.”
The two siblings looked to each other, sharing a ponderous and curious glance, before welcoming the girl inside their home.
***
“Specimen 492.”
A slender man spoke rather calmly towards a small, spherical device that hovered neatly to the side of his face, a dark and shiny marble, the surface of which pulsed with varying patterns of light, as his voice echoed across the shifting corridors he was walking through.
“Former colleague and old friend; left his body many moons ago, upon accessing The Dark Manifold.”
From the slated shadows, a pair of glowing eyes emerged, a tall and angry creature hissing as it stumbled through the obfuscated hall; dazed, confused and thrashing about, not even it knowing what, how or why it was doing anything at all.
“Like all thus far before him, he saw a remarkable expansion of his abilities. Strength increased over a thousand fold.”
“Thrck!”
A loud clang suddenly reverberated through the darkness, the foggy mists thrust away by the force of impact, as the gargantuan human beast, a creature over 21 meters in height, slammed its fist onto the slender man.
“Speed likewise proportionately enhanced.” He said in an unfazed tone, the large hand caught onto the surface of the energy shield that the elven mage had conjured up, his long and flowing hair languidly and fluidly flowing around his head, as if it was in the soothing caress of water.
“Thrsssck!”
For a brief moment, the shifting halls were strongly illuminated by an arc of thunderous electricity, which sprung forth from the elf’s shield and easily tore right through the grotesque monster, carving through his entire arm and blowing away the left side of his head and torso, as it was thrown abaft, its massive, hulking frame sending ripples through the ground, upon its collapse. However, barely even a few seconds after receiving the blow, its wounds started to twist and morph in place, before contorting into an amorphous mass that swiftly regrew the lost parts of its body.
“Durability remains lacking, so far, but the regenerative properties appear to do far more than compensate. Although, sadly…”
He turned to look athwart, lamenting the failure and loss of his friend, as the beast voraciously lunged at the elf once again, clawing at his shield to no avail, the energy slicing clean through his massive form, whenever he attacked, without the elf even lifting a finger. Instead, he gazed upon the creature, sighing with remorse.
“Only the First Gate has been breached, as yet. Not fully unlocked, but… breached.” He took in a deep, deep breath, sighing louder as if he was relieved with whatever progress he had made, although still being annoyed that he had yet to progress further. Shaking his head, the elf then looked up once again, staring in the creatures vacant eyes, as its body thrashed and wailed about, bereft of his friend’s mind and personality. “I have wronged you so, old friend.” He clenched his fist, snarling as he blinked in quick succession. “I doubt you’re apt to hear me, in this form, but… for what it’s worth, I wanted you to know… I’m sorry.” He turned around, the shadows warping around the creature, as the young looking mage started walking through the shifting darkness.
Before long, the world began to shift and twist, turning about in many kaleidoscopic patterns, until eventually matching the appearance of a large, hemispherical chamber.
Filling his lungs with air, the elf nodded as if to remind himself of a solemn promise made aeons ago, stepping into the kaleidoscopic portal and thereafter finding himself into his home once more. The fragrant, soothing miasma of strongly scented plants caressing his awareness, the birds singing their playful tunes as they flew and fluttered about around his home, a brilliant and massive mansion dug into the split trunk of a gargantuan tree, standing several kilometers high, and almost seeming like it would touch the Skywound, if it grew even a little more than it already has.
“And grow you will again, standing taller evermore than you ever have before, my leafy friend.” He said in a somber, although hopeful tone, his long fingers caressing the bark of that acted as the walls of his home, his eyes then fixating on the crack that spread across the skies, its violet, swirling aurora spread across the celestial tableau, spreading like tendrils that appeared to longingly caress the brilliant sun. “To heal the world of that most vile wound.”
Suddenly, the elf’s ears twitched upon feeling a pair of familiar presences approaching, accompanied by another pair of unknown ones, his glowing crimson eyes steering towards the broad forest below, wherein he saw Annie and her brother Danny stepping through a portal.
“Well, here we are.” Danny shrugged, his feet touching the grass, before he turned around and cleared his throat, upraising a hand towards his sister. “Ahem. Dost thou require assistance, with thine trek into the woods, young one?”
“Hahaha.” Annie laughed, rolling her eyes with a grin, as she playfully slapped her brother’s hand, stepping through the portal, before glancing back to look into it, towards the other side.
“Woooow!” There, from the cozy innards of their home, the young elven monkey girl was staring at the forest and the portal with wide and gleaming eyes, soon to swiftly walk around the swirling, circular gateway and make sure it wasn’t some kind of trick. “So, this is a real portal, huh? Heehehe!”
“Well, hop right through, Grigogea. See for yourself.” Danny waved her over, with the elven child eagerly approaching, before slowly moving a hand through, but then immediately withdrawing her arm, her pulse hastening as she looked at it, astounded.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’. It’s… wow, this is… it is so weird. I can feel the difference in ambiance and air pressure, the shifting the wind compared to the calmness of the dwelling…” Next, the girl closed her eyes and moves her head right through the portal, soon to once again, withdraw, more so in amazement than anything else. “The profound change in fragrance. Mold, alcohol and dust, replaced by scented flowers, moss and fragrant fruits! Fascinating!” The two briefly glanced at each other, kind of shrugging to one another as they didn’t technically consider that their home was quite in such a state of disarray.
“Indeed.” A calm and soothing, voice echoed through the forest, before the roughly three meters tall elf made his entrance, a cloud of shadows suddenly appearing behind the two siblings, before the shades made way for his actual appearance, long robes flowing in the breeze, as he tilted his head at the visitors, greeting Annie and Danny with a friendly nod that they reciprocated, before turning his sights towards the monkey girl. “And, who knows?” His gaze examined the elven child before him, his face briefly contorting with a sneer, as he saw her furred visage; her face nowhere near as elegant as his, in his own mind. Her hair heavy and twisted, nowhere near as light and flowing as his was; and those large, uncanny and rough hands she bore upon her arms and legs. Yet, he rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head, before once more assuming his calm demeanor. “Should you desire it, I could very well teach you the intricacies of the arcane.”
“Would you?!” Hearing this, the girl leapt through the portal, jumping straight into his arms and latching onto the tall elf’s elongated torso. “Thanks, mister – uh!”
“Thrck!”
Suddenly, a thud echoed through the woods, as both elves collapsed to the ground, Grigogea hitting the dirt on her back, while the tall elf’s face converged upon her bussom.
“Whoops! Hahaha!” The girl laughed, before withdrawing letting go of him and nimbly leaping up to her feet once more, adjusting the fresh, although now dirty robes she had received from her new friends, and likewise the strap that now held Swordy on her back.
“Hahaha!” Danny laughed aloud, while Annie approached the elf and offered up her hand. “Watch out, Yigrec. She’s a rather hands-on kind of gal.”
“Indeed, I have noticed.” He gave the human mage a somewhat annoyed, sarcastic smile, before nodding to Annie in appreciation, but likewise refusing her aid, as he got up to his feet once more. “Now, before I ask about what business you’ve arrived here on, I would like to ask about the…”
“Betrayer…” Without warning, a deep and rumbling voice crept its way into the tall elf’s mind, whose eyes immediately turned towards the handle of the sword upon Grigogea’s back.
“… fourth presence I had sensed.” His voice shifted to a rather more ponderous tone, as he reached his long hand towards the weapon.
“Gee, I’d have assumed it would still be a long while, before you’d be turning senile. Forgot how to count, or something?”
“And I would have assumed I taught you better, than to remain such a confounded little boy. Annie. Would you enlighten your sibling, in this regard?”
“In regard to what?” She asked, just as confused as her brother, prompting an annoyed and disappointed glare from Yigrec, before Grigogea perked up, holding up the rather massive sword before her.
“Oh, he’s talking about Swordy! Swordy says hi!”
“Hahaha!” The tall elf burst out laughing, at her innocence. “That it does, young one. That it does.”
“Oh? He actually said it? You two are friends already?”
“Not exactly, but there is a keen interest the blade appears to have towards me.” He said in a playful, although rather smug demeanor, a sly grin broadening on his lips, as he once more leaned towards the girl, although was caught by surprise, when the girl raised her sword into the air and offered it to him.
“Then… this part of my journey in his life has been completed.” She said in a solemn voice, her smile radiating purity, as she closed her eyes and took a deep, deep breath, skipping a few beats, before sighing in both sadness and relief, a few tears rolling down her cheek. “Should you prove worthy of this key, then may all gates open before you.”
As if mesmerized by her words, the elf appeared to enter a trance, the world almost seeming to vanish around him, as in his mind, there was now only he and the radiant sword standing before him, ripe for the taking.
“Mine…” His voice echoed with desire, hand reaching outwards as he felt drawn towards the weapon.
“I sense… your desires… wicked… sullied… and unpure…”
“I care not for thine opinions, nor thine biases, old one.”
“You care for nought… but your own wants and wishes…”
“My life is my own!” He raised his voice, anger weaving through his tone, as he upraised his palm and stopped his approach. Why should he chase after this sword? He thought. Why not have it come to him, instead? Thus, he tightened up his muscles and his posture, trying to will the blade to fling itself into his waiting hand.
“Indeed… yet, you fail to recognize… that such is true of everyone…”
“Hah! Unless it suits your own agendas, you would add, correct?” Scoffing at the radiant blade, he summoned many hands from deeper in the shadows, viscous tendrils gnawing at the weapon, holding tight as they tried pulling it towards the elf, although the sword would not budge, even in the slightest, much to his chagrin.
“You… accuse of things… you do not know…”
“Do I? What is… urgh… your purpose with this corrupted child? Are you using her as an urchin, to carry out the tasks you’re no longer apt to perform, yourself, at this point in your life?”
There was no response from the weapon, prompting a mischevious, smug grin to rise in the corner of the elf’s mouth, even as he struggled more and more with every passing moment; although, again, the sword did not budge at all.
“What’s the matter? Got nothing else to say, when your own corruption’s brought into the fore?!”
“Your words… are filled with malice…”
“Oh, nooo… I guess suffering is not exactly something that your kind is too familiar with, now is it?” He mocked the entity within the sword, vapour starting to rise up from the elf’s body, as he clenched his teeth and started summoning more shadows, the radiance of the blade almost entirely obscured by the viscous tendrils… although still, it would not move even an inch.
“However… not entirely untrue…”
“What…?” Yigrec paused for a brief moment, seeming surprised that although his forceful efforts did not prompt even the slightest move, the entity itself within the blade… felt like it had been, however slightly, by his words.
“Thank you…”
As those words echoed in his mind, the world suddenly appeared around Yigrec and the sword once more, the latter slipping right off his fingers, as Grigogea let go of it.
“Thrrck!”
With a loud and booming thud, Swordy fell onto the ground, carving deep into the mud and dirt, splattering all of ‘em with dust and forest floor debris.
“Oh…” Sighing heavily, the elven monkey girl picker up the gargantuan blade within one hand, exerting with barely any effort as she once more rested the sword on her back. “Well, I guess you’re not worthy of Swordy, at this point in your life. Oh, well.” The young elf groaned, annoyed and frustrated, despite her still beaming smile.
“Tell me, little monkey.” Crouching before her, Yigrec leaned forth to gaze into her eyes, with interest… not so much in the sword itself, but rather in the girl herself. “How did you… acquire such an artifact, would you say?”
“I didn’t ‘acquire’ him.” The girl raised her tone, irked by the way he said it, as she briefly, but lovingly caressed the handle of the sword. “He’s my friend; and we met through my… father.” She tensed up for a brief moment, as she spoke about the old man she loved so much, Yigrec and the siblings expressions softening up, as they realized that she too, has lost a loved one.
“It’s all right, Grig.” Annie crouched beside her, opening her arms to hug the girl, before Grigogea leapt into her embrace, wrapping her furry hands around the woman as she pushed her on the ground, prompting an “oomph” from the human friend.
“It will be!” Danny quickly added, as if to correct his sister, before grinning to himself and ruffling the elven child’s hair. “It’ll be all right, kid. We’ve all lost someone close to us.” Then, his smile quickly turned into a frown, as he raised his glance to gaze into Yigrec’s eyes, the two nodding to each other with shared resolve. “And we will avenge their passing from this world.” With those words, a different grin appeared upon his lips, a smug and devious one.
“You… you did it?” Yigrec asked, tilting his head with hope and curiosity, which then turned to glee, upon seeing Danny nodding in return.
***
“You did what?!”
“Thrrck!”
A loud clang echoed across the large and winding top of the large tree house, the table wear reverberating and some toppling over, as Yigrec slammed his fists into the large branch that rose up from the floor, acting as a natural, round table.
“You know he killed…!”
“I know full well that he did!”
The two rose up to their feet, the table branch reaching up to Yigrec’s pelvis, the latter’s feet resting on the floor, while Danny’s lay upon the heightened bench that both he and the two girls sat on; Annie drinking tea and seeming rather amused by the display, offering one of the head sized, wooden pints to Grig, which the young elf grabbed with her long, furry tail, downing the beverage in one gulp, while Annie patiently took long and drawn out sips.
“But, you could’ve used the opportunity to question him! Who knows what you could’ve discovered!”
“And sully my family’s name and memory?! Fuck you, dude!”
“Sully their memory?! Look, I admire your passion and resolve, but channel those things consciously, for once! What if you’d have found out that your parents did something heinous…”
“Don’t go there, Yigrec!”
“… and deserved their deaths!” He said that last part with utter spite, prompting the young human to summon several blades of dark ice around him, all pointing towards Yigrec.
“Guys, stop…” Quickly gulping down a mouthful and almost choking with it, Annie hoisted herself up on the table, approaching the two with her arms raised forth, prepared to cast a spell towards either of ‘em, trying to calm the two.
“Don’t come between us, sis! I’ve always had a bone to pick with you, you little runt!”
Something within Yigrec snapped, upon hearing those words seep out of Danny’s mouth, the elf tilting his head rather suddenly athwart, glaring straight into the young mage’s eyes… before clasping together and leaning forth to face him, with a wicked, wicked grin.
“Oh, what’s this?” He said in a dark and somber tone, a trickle of sadistic glee emerging from his throat with a deep rasp, as he harbored a disgusted, but otherwise smug and amused grin upon his lips. One that Danny and his sister knew rather well, both of ‘em widening their eyes at Yigrec’s shift in attitude and demeanor. No longer was he angry, no. It was now a cold, psychopathic disgust, accompanied by meticulously calculated words and gestures, all meant to pierce through the young man’s fragile ego.
Danny gulped, memories of his childhood coming to the fore, as he began to sweat; and for a brief moment, he looked towards his sister for help, before immediately catching himself and firmly recomposing himself, stepping forth and glaring right back into Yigrec’s eyes, summoning so many spiked and blades of ice, that entire room was draped in a dark, azure hue and frigid cold.
“Hahaha! My, my… look at little Danny, all grown up and such.” The elf’s smile broadened though, his fangs glistening in the light. “What’re you going to do, little boy? Oops! Sorry!” Suddenly, the tall elf vanished and then instantly reappeared behind his former pupil, placing his large hands onto his shoulders, causing Danny to freeze on the spot, upon feeling his weight. “Big, strong man!”
As if reminded by those words, of what he should be, Danny promptly recomposed himself, summoning a blade right at Yigrec’s long and exposed throat, the tip lightly, but firmly pushing onto the spot where his jugular was resting.
“Well, you finally got that through your head, it seems. While you, yourself, get so easily ticked off by a lonesome word, spoken when you weren’t expecting it… and by a human, too.”
Yigrec’s lips curled up in a frown, his grip tightening on Danny’s shoulders, putting more weight onto them with every word, his breath stuttering as he barely held his composure together, vapours soon emerging from every pore of his body, the heat almost intoxicating. “You’ve grown more annoying than when you were a cub, I’ll give you that… but, heed my words…”
Danny started getting nervous once again, eyes darting about as he felt his own pulse hastening from the heat and tension, the blades starting to gradually melt, but as soon as those words echoed in his ears, the lad suddenly loosened up… then, taking a deep breath, he started laughing, the blades of ice once more sharpening up even more, as he looked over his shoulder, in the twister face of his former mentor.
“Hahaha! From a runt like you?”
“You wretched, foul creature!”
“Thrsck!”
A firm thud reverberated through the room, as Annie leapt between the two and slapped Yigrec hard across the face, prompting the elf to briefly lose his footing.
“And you wonder why your oh-so-glorious academy crumbled to dust!” Annie yelled at the old elf in a hoarse voice. “How does one so allegedly wise, so ancient and so ostensibly bereft of all these… so-called “flaws” as you describe them… falter all so easily, at the first sign of things like, what? Barely even mockery?”
“No, it was full on mockery, sis.”
“Well, it wasn’t anywhere near your best, if that’s the case.” She snapped at Danny next, although she was surprised at how he smiled at her, causing her cheeks to redden at the sight. “What?”
“Well, you know… my most piercing insults are for you, and you alone.”
“I am… haaaah…” Yigrec took a deep, deep breath, before letting out a long and growling sigh, snarling as he straightened up his back, although to the sibling’s surprise, it seemed more so aimed towards himself.
“A little runt?”
“Yes, yes…” He waved off the remark, before slapping his forehead as he heard the sibling’s laugh. “I meant…! NO! That was not an answer to your question! Urgh!” Caressing the bridge of his nose, the elf shook his head and recomposed himself, albeit with a lot of effort.
“Isn’t this fascinating, Swordy?” Suddenly, Grig’s voice started echoing in their ears once more, the three realizing that they’d been so focused on their grievances, that they hadn’t even noticed that the girl had been conversing with the weapon for a while now, commenting on the event with intrigue, as she used her long tail to pour herself another mug of tea, from the large ceramic pot nearby, which was over half of her entire body size. “They care so deeply for one another, but their egos are so entrenched in their old traumas, that they barely even recognize it, at this point in their lives.”
“And… what exactly is that you appear to find so fascinating about that, little monkey?”
“Oh, you ain’t foolin’ anyone, mister runty elf.” Her words irked Yigrec, although he quickly brushed it off with a smile and a laugh. “You’re a good man, somewhere in there. I can tell!”
Upon hearing her affirmation, and more so the confident assuredness of the young girl, Yigrec tilted his head athwart, nodding to himself in a ponderous manner, as if unsure of the truthfulness of her words, but hopeful that it was so.
“Oh, so strangers get to throw some words at you, with no recourse, but somehow mine are met with…”
“Yours sting more, because they’re spoken with false accusation, whereas hers are an innocent tease.” He paused for a brief moment, as if wondering if he should “grace” his former student with a compliment, before smiling to himself and thinking that, perhaps… there was room for kindness, so long as it was sincere. “And, likewise… because I care more about your views, than those leaving the lips of the corrupted.” With that, he turned his glance towards the elven monkey, with Grigogea laughing in response and waving off his comment, with her hand, while continuing to enjoy her beverage.
“Foolin’ no one, Yigrec. Foolin’ no one, but your ego.”
After a while, the four decided to split up for a while, seeking solace and some room to breathe for a few hours, before coming together once again, upon the dawn of night; as the radiant and wandering stars were shining brightly atop the celestial tableau, the swirling, violet spirals and the wayward tendrils of energy seeping forth and seeming to lovingly embrace the wandering lights.
***
“Thrrrrck!”
The roaring thunder cast its rumbling voice across the skies, the land glistening with the bursts of lightning that spread across the skies, and likewise struck the earth with their arcing radiance.
On this stormy night, a tattered cloak was swaying in the wind, weighing heavily on a child’s shoulders, as he clutched with both hands, one keeping the cloth together ‘round his chest, while the other kept the hood from flying off his head. It was a frigid night, the rain soaking his clothes and trailing off his fragile, tired body, feeling like it was right about to wash away the young lad’s bodily awareness, although his will was strong enough to prevent it from feinting.
His arms and legs felt cold, his toes and fingers having long become both numb and stiff, his breaths stuttering as he tried keeping it together.
“Hey. Is anyone home?” For many hours he’d kept looking for a place to stay, knocking on the doors of many of the tall and gothic houses that were huddled up, on both sides of the street. “It’s cold… somebody… my dad’s been murdered… I’ve nowhere to go… it’s so fuckin’ cold…” Wherever he went, no one responded. In some places, the lights were closed as he approached. In others, they were kept on, and in some, the boy could see leering faced jeering at him from the comfort of their living rooms, before pulling the curtains, when he’d draw close to see their faces. “Damn it!” He cursed, knocking over a metallic trash can, before vertigo once more took hold, the boy hitting the nearby wall with a loud, wet thud, almost collapsing to the ground. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to even be alive. Every fibre of his muscles screamed in agony, from the long road he had travelled.
He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t even know why he left his home… no, his house, in the first place. Perhaps he felt like there was nothing left for him there. Perhaps he was relieved that his abusive father died. Perhaps there was a deeper calling, he’d yet to recognize.
Yet, as he nestled in an isolated corner of the dark alleyway, and as he huddled up and started crying… a hoarse voice echoed in his ears, speaking in a soft and concerned tone.
“Hello there, child.” The lad looked up, wiping a few tears off his cheeks, although the rain kept pouring either way.
“Hi…” He said, sniffing as he looked up at the figure clad in heavy robes, his wrinkled face and dark grey beard illuminated by the lamp he held in hand, it’s orange, amber luminance a symbol of warmth within this cold, uncaring city.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah! Totally fuckin’ fine! Like it wasn’t goddamn obvious, or somethin’!” He yelled out, continuing to wipe away his tears, as he responded in the only way he knew how.
“My child…”
“What do you want?!” As the old man crouched and reached a hand out to the boy, the latter promptly stepped up to his feet, adrenaline surging through his body as his pulse immediately started hastening, eyes quickly darting around and finding the nearest thing to grab… a broken pipe, that he held tightly in front of him, although with shaking hands; almost dropping the tool out of fatigue, had he not been holding it with both his hands.
“I know we’re not familiar with each other, but… are you the one who’s been calling for help?” The old man sighed, but then withdrew his hand and smiled warmly.
“What’s it… to you?” Feeling weary, the boy’s adrenaline rush already started to exhaust his energy, his heavy eyes barely managing to remain open, as he’d already almost sunken into slumber, before he had been found out.
“I realize you’ve no reason to trust a stranger, young one. Especially not in this cesspool of apathy.” He briefly motioned around, towards the town itself. “But, I assure you, I am here to help. If you are lost, I could help guide you home. Where do you live?”
“Nowhere! Not anymore…” He recoiled, gritting his teeth. “Not that it was much of a home anyway – but why do you care?!”
“Why would I not?” He asked with a wide smile, both the question and the gesture catching the boy a little bit off guard.
“I don’t know… why do you, though?”
“Because it is within us all, lad. The ability to feel compassion; and to act on it.” He reached towards the boy once more, who in his daze, hadn’t realized that the old man had extended his arm towards him, his eyes popping open as he felt the warmth of his hand on his chest, for a brief moment.
“Uuh…” The young child sniffed, wanting genuinely to trust the old man and finally, finally have some respite… but, his experiences in life, thus far, had taught him otherwise. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“That is up for you to decide.” The old man’s smile broadened on his face, a chuckle emerging from lips. “Do you have it in you, to trust another? Assuming they’ve done you no wrong, of course.” The kid blinked quickly, his weighty head almost falling over, before he tensed up and straightened his posture, once again.
“Say again?” He asked, not having properly heard the question; his hearing very much as blurry and unclear, as his eyesight had become, from the sheer exhaustion. His throat was parched, but the water falling from the sky was poisonous to drink, for reasons unknown to him. He’d already vomited, in both occasions where he tried to drink from it. Likewise, his stomach was aching for something, anything to eat, and his mouth would’ve easily been watering at the thought of food… had there been any extra water in his body to spare, for salivation.
“You’re starving, child. What happened?” The old man said with urgency, upraising his lamp to get a closer look at the young, gaunt lad.
“He killed my dad! I’m all alone now, all right?! He killed my fuckin’ dad…”
“Who did, child?”
“The… the smiling man…”
Upon hearing those words, the old man tilted his head athwart, pondering this information with great interest, as he rose up to his feet and reached his hand out to the boy, once more.
“Should you wish, young one… I could offer you a place to stay, for the night.”
“Why would… why would you do that?!” The kid blinked in quick succession, lowering the pipe as he gazed at the silhouette of the old man, shaking his head but leaning forth, as if trying to see if he heard right.
“Why would you go door to door and ask for it, if you truly didn’t trust that anyone would have the heart to help you?”
“Fair point…” He huffed, catching his breath for a few moments, as he rested his weight on the nearby wall, once more. “But, why did you ask first, about guiding me home, if you heard what I was saying? So, not just the noise I was making.”
“Ah, you are a smart lad, I see.” The old man nodded to himself, in appreciation of the boy’s clarity, especially in his condition. “I had assumed you were lost, or had an argument with your parents. That alone, is no reason to leave home. I hoped to convince you to return to those that love you, but… from the looks of it, you no longer appear to have a home. If so, then… I hope you will consider mine as such.” Again, he extended his hand outwards, giving the child a wide warm smile, which widened even further as he saw the unsure, but hopeful gleam in his eyes. “For however short of long a while you desire.”
For several moments, the boy looked at him, still dazed and confused, but feeling his pulse hastening with newfound hope, his lips pursing up as his eyes started watering once more… then, he rushed forth and embraced the old man.
“Thank you… sooo fuckin’ much!”
The old man smiled to himself, reciprocating with his own embrace, before turning around offering his back to the kid, for him to hop on.
“Come on, lad.”
“No, that’s…” He didn’t want to… well, he did, but didn’t want to take even more advantage of the old man. “You’ve already done enough.”
“Hahaha! My boy, I haven’t done anything for you, yet.”
“Hahaha! Right, fair point. But, whatever you’re doing to do… I don’t want to sully your kind gesture. Besides, I realize this’ll be a massive burden on your shoulders anyway, so… it should at least not be a literal one.” The boy spoke in a quick, uneasy tone, part of him not expecting this man to actually be genuine, nor even wanting to consider the possibility… but another one was hopeful that there was still kindness, somewhere; maybe even here, in this moment.
“Then, why not relieve some of the load, by showing me a smile?”
“Are… are you for real…?” The boy had never come across even the semblance of such warmth, the very idea of someone showing him kindness for the sake of it alone, almost a foreign concept to him… yet, it felt like such a true and beautiful idea, so much so that he began to cry and smile; perhaps the first true, happy moment of his life; at least, that he recalled.
“Why don’t you hop on and find out, laddie?”
As they smiled to one another, the young child finally let go of his traumas, leaping onto the old man’s back, before feeling himself lifted off the ground, the two thereafter making their way through the street, the Skywound’s aurora lighting the path ahead.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Son… Sonrye! My name’s Sonrye.”
***
That night, the boy slept more and better than he ever had in his entire life. Gone was the trotting and the noise of objects being thrown and thrashed about. No more was there the pressure of going out and buying groceries and booze, before getting yelled at for having gotten either too much of the former, or too little of the latter. Nor were there the beatings he received, whenever he tried to actually get his father to stop drinking, by refusing to get him any liquor. Though the boy did retaliate, his father was a rather large bodied man, with a thick and heavy hand… but the boy persisted either way; however, although he still missed his father… or, more specifically, the father that he could have been, the boy had one regret: no having been the one to kill his father. Still, he missed him; a conflict of emotions, unresolved.
But, now he was gone from this world.
Instead, he was welcomed by the Smiling Monks, their monastery and its courtyard available for him to explore as much as he desired.
On his first night, he fell asleep on the old cleric’s shoulders, before even arriving at their home. The next day, he awoke to the unfamiliar feeling of a warm bed. A cozy one, adorned by plain sheets and blankets. Nothing fancy or luxurious, but oh so homely, welcoming and rustic.
“I see you’re awake, child.”
The cleric’s voice echoed across the room, as he put some wood into the burning fire, before closing up the heater.
“Ooh, what’s that smell?” His head perked up, taking in the sweet, delicious smell.
“Oh, nothing fancy. Some rice and beans. Me and my brethren are about to have lunch, but I figured you’d want some privacy, after…”
“Are they all like you?” He asked, enthused.
“Well, not really… many of them are better people, than I am, at this point in my life. Hahaha! Not all, mind you, but most of ‘em.”
“I want to come and meet your friends!” The boy practically leapt out of the bed, before soon to feel the warm and cry caress of the cloth adorning his body, before feeling himself up and looking at his torso, realizing he’d been dressed up in one of their light colored robes, although ones roughly his size, albeit a little baggy. For a moment, the boy froze, feeling his anger rising to the surface as he snarled, shooting the old man a piercing glare, although he was met with a calm smile from the cleric.
“I assure you, we’ve done nothing ill intentioned, Sonrye. I’d have asked you, but you wouldn’t wake; and it seemed cruel to leave you in those sullied, wet and muddied rags you wore.”
“So, you didn’t… like… molest, or anything?”
“We would never!” He raised his tone, disgusted by even the thought of it, before taking in a deep, deep breath, and looking at one of the large paintings of a dark, mysterious figure, with a large and smiling mouth, baring its teeth with a jovial, mischevious grin. “The Smiling Man has a profound distaste for cruelty and all that is unjust.”
“So…” The boy turned towards the cleric, snarling with disgust, but also willing to hear what he had to say. “You’re just being kind, because that’s what this… entity happens to like?”
“Oh, hahaha! Heavens, no.” The old man burst out laughing, at the thought. “We are monks, laddie. Not cultists. We seek the truth, wherever we may find it; and, in our journey thus far, it so happens that the Smiling Man offers something closest to what we’d recognize as such.”
“But, what if you’re wrong? What if the truth is found elsewhere?”
“If that’s the case, we will eventually figure it out.” He said, nodding in appreciation at the boy’s questioning, before waving him for him to continue. “Have you any arguments or information, as to where we might find more truths, or something closer to it than we currently do.”
“Well, I don’t know. To answer that, I’d have to know exactly what your creed…”
“Philosophy, my boy!”
“What your… philosophy, I guess, is actually about.”
“Would you care to learn?” The old monk tilted his head athwart, watching the boy with interest, briefly looking away as if regretting something, before shaking his head and motioning for the boy to continue.
“Of course! I want to see how it compares to what… well, our so-called “holy book” says.” He sighed, looking athwart for a brief moment, grabbing his left upper arm within his right hand, shifting uncomfortably.
“Was your father a… religious man?”
“Hahaha!” The boy laughed, snarling with disgust. “Zealously. Or, ahem… “devout”, as he might say. I was taught that the Smiling Man was a dark, demonic entity. A fickle and chaotic, filthy creature that seeks only to revel in the pain and suffering of others, while disguising his sadistic urges in a façade of righteousness.”
The old monk’s face twitched a bit, upon hearing that accusation, but he shook his head and sighed, angered by those words, but considering that the boy did not deserve the vitriol. However, he was briefly caught off guard, by Sonrye’s response.
“I know that look.”
“What look?”
“That scowl. That shaking of the head. You’re getting angry, upon hearing someone criticizing your beliefs.” Then, his glance went to the cleric’s tightening fist, before once more meeting his glance, as the old man squinted with a scowl. “Fuck the Smiling Man!” He raised his voice, taunting the old man, who immediately rose up to his feet and slammed the bowl of rice across the room. However, he promptly caught himself and took a deep, deep breath…
“You do not know what you’re talking about!”
“Neither do you!” Sonrye rose up to his feet, confronting the old man, the two glaring in each other’s eyes. “You assume you know, on account of fuckin’ believing what someone you’ve never met, wrote in a book written however many ages ago!”
“Then, it’s no different than what your bullshit religion taught you!”
“I know!” The sudden agreement, in the midst of their outburst, caught both of ‘em by surprise. After a few moments of pause, the boy continued. “If you’re genuinely interested in truth, you would question everything; including what you think you know.”
“Well… that is, indeed, true.” The old man, nodded to himself, before taking a seat onto the bed, once more. “It is, however… hard to let go of one’s biases and… urges.”
“Knck! Knck! Knck!”
“Papa Vrim! Is everything all right?” Suddenly, knocking was heard coming from the door, before a young elven girl, who seemed to be around his age, and donned in similar robes, entered the room, her attention initially on the old man, before turning towards Sonrye, to whom she smiled. “Oh, hello. Glad to see you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”
Almost mesmerized by her beauty, the young lad widened his eyes, taking in the sights of her long, white and curly hair, her large, pointed ears sticking out of her head in an almost comical fashion, though her voice was almost like a siren’s song, and her whole appearance utterly confident and radiating happiness and glee, her wide smile and sharp, pointed teeth eliciting a chuckle from the boy.
“What? You got a crush on me already?”
“I, uh… ahem! Maybe! Yes, maybe!” He blinked in quick succession, cheeks reddening, before he shook his head and crossed his arm, as if either taunt or tease her, in return.
“Then, how ‘bout we get to know each other better?” Without warning, the elf swooped in and grabbed him by the arm, the boy stumbling as he tried balancing his footing, their voices echoing across the hallway.
“Wait! I should help him clean up the…”
“Fuck ‘im! We can help him later! I wanna play!”
“Hahaha!” Vrim smiled to himself, shaking his head, although appreciating their youthful vigour, as he rose up from his chair and started cleaning up the rice and beans.
***
Throughout the day, Sonrye and Grimaya, for thus was her name, went about and explored the courtyard, and likewise the nearby forest, the rain having stopped during the night, and having long since paved the way for the sun’s warmth, as it caressed the light within its radiance.
“So, you’re over two hundred years old?” The boy was astounded by the revelation, as he and the elf rested in the shade of a large walnut tree, his eyes looking her all over, the girl’s appearance not looking any older than that of a twelve year old, or so.
“Yuh huh!”
“No way. You’re more child like, than any kid I’ve met.”
“Well, I guess that’s what you humans would call our demeanor. Never met a Joor’Ray elf before, have you?”
“I…” Sonrye briefly glanced athwart. “Rarely ever left the house; and even then, it was mostly for errands. Except, for when I was fed up with it, and went missing for several days, every once in a while.”
“I see.” She said with glee, a broad smile on her lips, as she swung her body back and forth, curling her toes rather playfully, while staring at him with her round, wide glowing eyes. “What’s this?” She next pointed to the one of the large scars on his neck, which stuck out from his robes, reaching up to his left ear.
The question brought a chill up the boy’s spine, as he answered.
“It’s… my dad tried to kill me, at one point. But, for whatever reason, he stopped… perhaps it’s because he had at least some semblance of a conscience. Or, perhaps he missed and didn’t bother to finish the deed.”
“Wow, hahaha! That’s fucked up!” Grimaya blurted out a happy laugh, before pulling his robes further open, and marveling at the scars and bruises blemishing his torso. “Oooh! What’s this?”
“You’re two hundred years old, right?” He lightly, but firmly pushed her away, closing up his robe, before snarling at her.
“Yuh huh!”
“How the fuck do you not know what scars are?”
“Oh, I know what they are! But, I don’t know how they feel like…” The girl smiled widely, reaching towards his chest once more, although Sonrye soon grabbed her by the wrists, slightly disturbed by her attitude and casual probing.
“They feel like shit, I’ll tell you that.”
“I see… but, what does that feel like.”
“You know, I could stab you with a knife, if you want.” He said with ire, but soon found himself surprised, as she summoned a curved dagger in her hand and thereafter offering it to him.
“Go right ahead.”
“Wait – what?! The fuck is your problem, bitch?!’
“Fascinating!” The girl leaned in closer, looking in his eyes and seeming to look not only at, but rather through them, as she spoke. “You use derogatory terms, while caring deeply for the well being of the one you hurl those words towards. You humans are so intriguing. Such contrasting natures battling within you.”
Then, as the boy pondered her words, he nodded to himself, before addressing her once more, almost yearningly.
“Do elves… not feel pain?”
In response to his words, the girl recoiled, looking his she was about to cry as her entire body writhed and ached, as she brought both hands to her chest.
“We do… we very much do. More so in here, than anywhere else. Even if our bodies have long since outgrown the trials of the flesh.”
“Have they, though? You still look like your body’s made of the same stuff as mine.” He said with a smile, playfully poking her cheek, prompting a smile from the elven girl.
“Well, in various ways, it is… although, in different ways than yours.” With a cheeky, but genuine smile, Grimaya rested her head on his shoulder, prompting the boy’s cheeks to redden, before he shook his head and wrapped an arm around her, both of them resting on the tree, while continuing their picnic and conversation.
“Speaking of things that are… different.” Then, eventually, her voice deepened as she asked her question. “They say you’ve seen him too, correct? The Smiling Man.”
“Oh, shit!” Sonrye perked up all of a sudden.
“What?”
“I lied to him.” The boy rose up to his feet, starting to tidy up and grab the blanket, before stopping as he looked at her. “Oh! You gonna wait for me here, or are you comin’ with?”
“Why? What’s the matter?”
“I told Vrim the Smiling Man killed my dad.”
“And… he didn’t?”
“He didn’t. I was dazed and tired, so my attention was kind of fucked up and scrambled.”
“Wait… so, you didn’t see the Smiling Man.”
“Oh, I did. But, he didn’t kill my dad.”
“Then, why was he there?”
“I don’t know. At first, I thought he tried to do some sort of deal, but he said that’s not what he was there for.”
“Well, what was he there for?”
“I don’t know; but, I want to tell Vrim and clear things up.”
“Wait, but then, who killed your dad?”
“Oh, some elf girl with a tail. In hindsight, I guess I should thank her. If she hadn’t killed him, I’d probably still be in that hellhole. Until I’d have managed to kill him myself, I guess. Hahaha!”
“A tail, you say?” Her eyes narrowed upon hearing his recount, head tilting athwart as she seemed to hone in on him, with her mind. “What did she look like?”
“Kind of like an… ape? Or a monkey? Had really big and chunky hands; with fur across almost her entire body.”
“Did she have a… peculiar looking sword, with her?”
“Oh, like a really fuckin’ big one. Larger than her own body, actually.” He explained, before noticing the peculiar, more somber demeanor the elven girl had donned, her gaze more serious and intrigued, albeit in a different way than prior. “You know her?”
“In a way… although, I’ve never met her, personally.”
“Well, who is she?”
“Oh, it’s a very long story. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn more, if you’ll decide to stick around with us. Now go, young one. I have much to ponder.”
“Hahaha!” Sonrye laughed, all of a sudden.
“What?”
“My, my… you elves are so fascinating to watch. Such contrasting natures battling within you. One moment, you’re like an innocent kid, and now you’re all cold and brooding, and all that.”
“Hahaha!”
The two shared an honest laugh, teasing one another for a while longer, before parting ways, with Sonrye getting to know more of the monks, throughout the next few weeks, as he started learning their ways.
Meanwhile, during one clear night, Grimaya went into the catacombs beneath the Smiling Monastery, her white hair flowing in the darkness of the stone corridors, the brick and mortar walls soon turning to a darker, slicker hue as she went deeper and deeper, eventually coming across a large gateway, reaching up towards what seemed like another sky, deep beneath the surface of the earth.
As she stepped forth, the door shifted into numerous myriads of patterns, before paving the way towards a dark and slated, paper thin bridge, which lead towards a shattered, but still radiating crystal, the pulsating light of which spread out across the vast caverns, like light reflecting off of water, as it was surrounded by what looked like old… no, ancient technology and magick structures, still seeming functional, but only barely.
There, standing in front of an ancient console, the old cleric stared into the radiance of the floating crystal, far beneath which a wholly different, desolate world appeared to rest.
“Papa Vrim.” Grimaya grinned mischeviously, taunting the old man in a sultry tone.
“Must you so feverishly remind me of my daughter, woman?”
“Need I remind you that, well… remembrance is key to recognizing truth?” Her grin widened wickedly, upon hearing him sigh, before nodding in agreement with her words.
“And what truths do you proclaim to bring forth tonight?” He said in a cold tone, distracted by his thoughts, as she casually approached him.
“Well, the boy did tell you, right?”
“Yes. He did.” He pondered, without looking away from the pulsating, waving light before him. “It is… troubling. I had assumed he’d be The Masculine Vessel, for his resurrection. I had hoped my kindness wouldn’t go to waste, on an unpure one.”
“Kindness never goes to waste!” She raised her tone. “Remember the teachings, Vrim. What goes around comes around. Everything is fair, in essence; and everything is self created.”
“I know! I know…” He yelled out, before sighing once again, massaging his forehead out of sheer frustration.
“Relax, child. Though you may not personally know exactly how, or why you have encountered this boy, I assure you, it was all with purpose. And, as a demonstration that your kindness brought forth fruits…” Leaning towards him, the girl motioned him towards her with a sultry gesture of her hand, although Vrim rolled his eyes and then continued staring in the light.
“Still, you try to sway me with your loins…”
“Sway you? No. I want to have some fun.”
“No.” He said coldly, much to her chagrin.
“You know, were I a human, you would definitely be in the right. However, I am not. Nor am I a child, and you know it.”
“No. But your visage makes it… difficult for me to have such thoughts, regarding you. However, weren’t you elves against reproducing other species?”
“Who said anything about offspring, darlin’?” With a lewd and teasing, wicked grin, she started circling around him. “I said I want to have some fun. Who knows… maybe I’ll have some with the boy.”
“That you won’t!” Upon hearing her words, Vrim snapped at her, his voice firm and resolute.
“Oh, really? And what’re you gonna do about it?” Rising high into the air, the elven woman leaned towards him from above, her eyes changing color and then glowing a deep red, as the two glared at one another; his expression stoic, while hers broadening with glee, rather erratically.
“Whatever I’d have to, to defend the boy’s honour.”
“Do you even know how much he’d gain, from such an intimate communion with someone like me?” Her voice gradually deepened with every word she spoke, the world shifting around her as numerous dark hands and tendrils started spawning forth, from the shadows all around them.
“I do.”
“Then, why would you deny him the opportunity?”
“Because it’s his life, and therefore his decision to actually make.” Upon hearing his words, Grimaya seemed to snap out of her dark trance, seeming a bit troubled with herself, before she straightened up her back and recomposed herself. “You elves claim you’re so superior to us. So much wiser and holier-than-thou. Yet, even when you know that human children, hell, even most adults, are usually not yet mature enough, to know what they are doing… you still push your experiments and so-called “opportunities” on them, without so much as a second thought.”
“NO! You’re wrong!” She snapped in return, snarling at him, before looking athwart, her gaze filled with sorrow and remorse. “No… not without a second thought.”
“Ooh? Have I misread you, after all these years?” He said in a mocking tone. “By all means, destroy however many lives you want, so long as you can pat yourself on the back afterwards, and clear your conscience… because, well… you thought about doing otherwise. So, I guess that’s enough for you.”
“I could kill you and your little brotherhood with but a snap of my teeny, tiny little fingers, filthy human!” She growled at him, although he met her with a cold, although not entirely uncaring glare, the two looking in each other’s eyes.
“Well… what’s stopping you from trying, filthy little elf?”
More and more rage started coming to the fore, white, viscous vapours starting to egress from every pore upon the elven woman’s body, her white hair flowing more erratically as she scowled at the old man with deep disgust… however, after a few moments, Grimaya took a deep, deep breath, and sighed, smiling to herself and pondering with a cheeky, teasing grin.
“Well, who knows? My conscience, perhaps; and, in all honesty… thank you for challenging me, old friend.”
“Likewise, Grimaya. Likewise.”
Nodding to one another, the two shared an intimate moment, as the elf once more assumed a child like disposition and punched the old man in the arm.
“Ow!”
“So then, here’s as a token of my appreciation.” She said in a playful tone. “Before you so cruelly interrupted me…”
“You did that, yourself.”
“Ahem, before you so cruelly and deviously, crudely and mischeviously…”
“Get on with it, woman.”
“… dastardly and wickedly, maliciously and annoyingly interrupted me, I arrived here to tell you that – and pay attention, for this is indeed massively important…”
Expecting another tease, Vrim rolled his eyes and once more turned his attention to the pulsing waves of light, eliciting a grin from the young looking elf, as she said her next words.
“The keeper of the Radiant Blade has passed on from this world.”
Immediately, Vrim turned his glance towards her once again, his entire body shifting in her direction, as he looked at her in shock, while the girl continued.
“Good. I have your attention.”
“And you know this how?”
“Well, look how readily and eagerly you turned to face me! Hahaha!”
“I meant…”
“I know what you meant, child. Worry not, worry not.” She waved him off, sticking out her tongue and teasing him again, before continuing. “My darling sister has begun to walk the world, once more, knowing not yet of her purpose.”
“And, again, you know this how?”
“I searched his memories. The boy’s, that is. He may not be the Masculine Vessel, but the Smiling Man appeared before him for a reason. I say we keep him around, and find out what that is.”
“Hm… things are seeming at least somewhat different, then the Smiling Scribes predicted.”
“The scribes are fools. Why do you think the Smiling Man would show himself to children… human children at that, and yet leave those so-called “gurus” in the dust?”
“Indeed…” He pondered her propositions, because laughing to himself. “You know… this is the first instance that I’d heard you criticize your own kind. Progress?”
“You assume I’m not aware of my own species’ faults? We have far fewer than your own, for sure, but… we still have our own.”
Nodding to each other in mutual appreciation and respect, the two then turned their glances once again, towards the center of the broken crystal, wherein a dark presence seemed to stir, within a floating blade that seemed to writhe and rumble in the light, as if it was hearing and reacting to everything they spoke… waiting… planning… yearning…
“Brother mine, brother mine…” A sultry, feminine voice was echoing from within the curved katana, it’s elegant frame withered with rust, and rot and mold, seeping viscous shadows from the holes and cracked across its length. “What glorious fun we’ll have, once more… AAAH, HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
