Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black (19 page)

It was late one night that one of Ronin’s most fond memories was born. He had just entered Inner Depths; a sense of calm washed over him as if cleansing him as he inhabited his mental world. All of reality seemed to drip away as his own world became real. His eyes settled on the single crystal moon, cracked straight down the middle.

Yet as Ronin floated above the ground, unbeknownst to his every sense were two pairs of gleaming eyes peeking out from a corner of the cabin. A subtle whispering was all that could be heard. By this point the boys had but one goal, one purpose in life—to learn how to fly.

Zipping across the hallway and into the cover of darkness, they moved like shadows in the twilight. Their eyes grew large and inquisitive as the crimson aura seeped forth from Ronin’s body, twisting and turning through the air, releasing a fiery storm of questions unto the boys’ minds. Slowly but surely, and quietly, they cleared the gap until they were standing straight before him. He had yet to notice them at all … perhaps.

Ronin opened one of his eyes just slightly. There they were, standing before him in the dead of night. Caim was making rapid hand gestures that no one understood but himself. Storm raised an eyebrow. Ronin tried to stop himself from grinning. They were horrible at working together.

He watched as Storm turned his back to Caim and moved to walk back to the room. The instant he turned around a silver flash came upon him, jumped on him. And then Ronin realized what was happening. Caim had jumped on top of Storm’s back, forcing him to the ground; taking up a cross-legged seating position, he curled his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.

Three … two … one!

Storm erupted from under Caim, catapulting his brother through the air. Ronin watched with a tilted expression as Caim’s tiny body came flying past him. A second later he heard a huge crash as Caim smashed face first into the side of the wall, then slowly slid down it. And then there was silence. He could tell they were preparing for him to wake up. And so he opened his eyes.

“RUN!” cried Storm, who dashed back into the darkness of their room. Ronin felt Caim’s foot plant on his back, before he saw the underside of the tiny child jumping over his head and then land on the ground. An instant later the two vanished. Minutes later, two sets of peeping eyes came out from around the bend, their tiny fists raised as if they were ready to fight.

Storm turned to face Caim, who responded with a hand gesture, motioning for him to follow. Storm didn’t move for a moment, contemplating if he would listen to his brother or not. With a deciding grin, he came before Caim. Motioning with the strangest of hand gestures, Caim attempted to tell Storm that he wanted to get him to sit on his hands and knees.

Enough of this,
thought Ronin.

“Caim! Storm!” Ronin’s voice thundered through the tiny cabin, and the boys shrieked as they retreated hastily. And so it was that in this very moment, at the peak of his impatience and frustration, he realized something. Something that had been so painfully obvious from the start that he burst out laughing, and soon the pairs of eyes had returned to watching him from around the bend, this time a sense of bewilderment within them.

With a sudden turn, his laughter died completely. “Get to bed!”

They didn’t attempt to come out for the rest of Night’s passing, and even some shades into the morning. That night Ronin didn’t sleep. He was more than excited about his realization and what the dawn of tomorrow would bring. He knew he had no idea how to raise children, none at all … but there was something he did know. Something he knew better than anyone else.

I know how to become strong. As so shall they, the strongest this world has ever seen. You two will always be able to protect one another, no matter what happens, no matter who comes before you. I will show you what I have learned, the ways of the blade and the lessons you learn along the way. Prepare your minds, for this training will be the most difficult experience of your entire life. One day you will be heroes, and succeed where I have failed. Maybe, as brothers, it can be done …

And ever since that night, he trained them in the different ways of aura and gaining physical strength, teaching them about instinct and strength of mind. He soon realized that this was perfect for them, for at the end of the day they were so tired that they hardly ever stayed awake after dusk. Cycles passed and the boys grew, growing stronger and faster. Yet their appetites grew as well and he soon looked back on the little boys he thought of as monsters and missed what he once thought was a ridiculous amount of food. It was soon that finding food for the two boys became a grueling task, so he began teaching them the ways of hunting, gathering and learning the ways of nature.

It wasn’t long before the boys had crafted wooden spears and darted through Neverend Forest, learning to use their surroundings to their advantage, learning to become as silent as the night. The creatures of Neverend began to take notice of them, and soon after defeating a wild Raelic, a large boar that stood nearly the size of their cabin, the forest seemed to grant some small amount of respect to the two young hunters who constantly out-stepped their boundaries, pushing the limits of what their grandfather would allow.

Tree Spirits soon came to gather about them, traveling with them, although they always had a particular liking for Caim rather than Storm – Storm they flew past and clawed at while he swatted the air after their snowy bodies. The boys’ physical strength grew exponentially, and soon they could move and run at speeds faster than most of the beasts they hunted. They could climb the highest of trees without fear of falling, though Storm could never seem to stop his palms from sweating when he was standing at the top. Ronin was pleased at their accomplishments and decided that soon, it would be time to teach them the early steps of Inner Depths … a technique that would take them nearly their entire adolescence to master.

And thus, the time of their true training dawned.

- - - -

An overpowering feeling of nostalgia swept through the old man as he opened his eyes. It had truly been a long time since those days. They were the same Caim and Storm, but they had grown strong, never forgetting their hard-learned lessons along the way. He laughed, remembering Caim’s vow to be the strongest, and Storm’s secret ambition to one day surpass him, never to be called weak before anyone. A feeling that hadn’t come over him in a long time suddenly welled up inside, and he found himself standing and walking to the edge of the cliff, the edge of their world.

Ronin stood in silence before walking off the cliff and onto the air, as if the sky itself held him in place. He levitated slowly downwards, his black coat rising above him, and turned to face the side of the cliff until, after several minutes of descending, he descried the opening he sought.

A deep black cave opened up to him like an old home, and remnant images of finding his two grandsons overwhelmed him. He stepped forward onto the hard clay ground just outside of it and peered into the cave, dark and empty, without any traces of light except for the faint shine of the moons. Turning to his side, his eyes fell on a beautiful white tree just at the edge of the cave, more alive than any other in all his memories. Its dark green leaves seemed to sing and dance on the wind.

“Thildruin,” he spoke quietly. “There is a magic I could never understand within you. Why is it that you brought me those boys? Can it be that you feel the same way as I do about them? They will be great heroes one day, and perhaps, even the soul of this world knows it. You do, don’t you?” He ran his hand down the bark of the white tree. Lying near the bottom of the tree was a full bottle of wine atop a flat silver stone. Written upon the face of the stone in ancient runes read,
Of the Moon.

Resting his back against the tree Ronin sat. He grabbed the bottle of wine and pulled his cup from his cloak. “Be proud,” he said to the stone.

A gust of sudden wind, cold and ominous, swept past him. A shiver crept up his spine as he poured himself a cup of red wine. And then, as if the wind had conjured some kind of evil presence, the bottle of crimson wine cracked within his hand, slicing open his palm. The blood dripped onto the cold hard face of the silver stone. He held his breath. He wasn’t a superstitious man, yet this was as unpromising a sign as any, and the feeling of the night air was like ice upon his cheeks.

He stood up and gazed into the dark of the sky, filled with the celestial stars in all their glory and the great star Lineial, which had settled into its throne in the center of it all. Just as his eyes focused on the shimmering star and a sense of calm was returning to his mind, he saw something that made an icy shiver run through the very marrow of his bones. His hairs pricked up like they were being drawn to the sky, and a deep feeling of the once forgotten past spread about him like a plague.

For far off in the night, directly east of the great star Lineial, a smaller star he knew well, the star Felduir, flickered before his eyes, and then, as if a blanket had been drawn quickly over it, it vanished into nothing – as if it had never been.

“Impossible!” he said aloud.

Trembling, he dropped his cup and his hands rushed to his head; flashes of battle and blood churned through his mind in a swirling vortex of pain and agony. Memories of a truly coldhearted contempt overwhelmed him, a contempt for anything good and true and of the light.
This cannot be!
He hoped he’d never again encounter such raw evil, and despair surged through him. Ronin collapsed to his knees, a cold sweat overcoming him. Only one figure in his mind was clear, a silhouette with long black wings wearing a mask of white bone; its sharpened teeth were curved into the most wicked grin he had ever come to know. It bore its gaze into his with such a ferocity that he cried out. His eyes flashed open and he looked up to the sky, breathing heavily.

“Chaos …”

XVII – Fade to Black

O
f all the myths and legends of Soria, there is one that captures the imaginations of all … the existence of Vale’s Garden.

Legend speaks of Lady Vale, the Goddess of Life, who makes her home among the Sorians, always hidden from their eyes and forever casting her invisible gaze over their lands. It is said that Lady Vale lives upon a floating Eden of the greatest beauty, an island so tranquil that those who enter fall into an eternal dream and never awaken.

This Eden in the sky is known throughout Soria as Vale’s Garden. And of all the Sorians to have ever lived, only the Empress has ever seen the Goddess with her own eyes. Or so the stories say.

It is said that many ages ago, Lady Vale summoned a young girl to her Garden in the sky. The girl was so overwhelmed by the beauty that came unto her eyes that she fell to her knees, trembling. Flowers of a thousand different colors blossomed vividly at her feet. Upon taking one breath of the Garden’s ambrosial fragrance, she no longer felt the need to breathe. It was as if with one breath she’d become filled with the very essence of Life itself. Streams of blue crystals fell like waterfalls around her. Fragments of crystal shattered upon the rocks and floated about; timidly she reached out to touch them and found that the shards were as soft as velvet. Being in Vale’s Garden was like living within a dream. No, it was better than a dream, more perfect than perfection.

Yet—it had been no dream
.

The young girl remembered the words of the Goddess for the rest of her life.

“
You, Aurora Ne’Fair, who of all Sorians are of the purest heart and possessed of the purest soul, you will grace the world of Soria with your kind touch. A world of pure power demands a leader of pure benevolence. Over time, the strength of your kindness will be tested as darkness threatens to break apart your world. This burden I confer upon you, but also my blessing. Your heart must hold the hearts of all and never falter
.”

”But—why me?” Aurora Ne’Fair asked. “I know nothing of leading or benevolence. How am I to lead all of Soria?”

Lady Vale smiled and bent low to caress the young girl’s face.
“
Only those with a pure heart can enter my Garden. All of your kind were summoned here … yet you are the only one standing before me.”

“That cannot be the truth …” she whispered.

“It is the truth.”

“I’m uncertain of what I am to do
.”

“Just follow your heart, dear one, and do not succumb to your fear. Trust that I will remain by your side, even when you cannot discern my presence. Now here, this is my gift to you, new Empress of Soria. It is known as the necklace Lorienia. There will come a day when all around you will be shadowed by the dark, and these crystal flames will show you the light
.”

This was Aurora Ne’Fair’s last memory of Vale’s Garden.

The very night she returned, all Sorians, from the eldest crone to the youngest suckling babe, witnessed the moments between the young girl and the Goddess of Life within their dreams. And so it was that Aurora Ne’Fair became the first and only Empress of Soria. Soon after, a castle, the greatest that any world had ever seen, was crafted in her name and given the title
Aurora’s Light
, for it shined with all the radiance of her pure heart.

Aurora Ne’Fair’s days as Empress of Soria were long and fruitful, and she ruled her people with kindness and justice. Many ages have passed since the fateful day she was summoned to Lady Vale’s Garden, and the legend of her visit, like even the most beloved of tales, has altered over time as every generation of Sorians forgot a little more of the story. Thus, it occurred that the meeting between Aurora Ne’Fair and Lady Vale passed into legend, and on into myth, until it was little more than a children’s bedtime story. In the present age Sorians give no credence to the floating Eden of Vale’s Garden, for none has ever, in all their time, gazed upon it.

Little do they know, that is does, indeed, exist.

If the Sorians could see, if they could believe, they’d know that Vale’s Garden was and is and ever will be. Magnificent waterfalls of blue crystal still gambol and sing; fields of glowing flowers still cast multicolored reflections of light upon the landscape. The sound of water dripping upon stone echoes in the distance.

At this particular moment, Night has come and blanketed the land in shadow. Vale’s Garden reposes in dark and subtle stillness.

- - - -

Among the flowers walked a girl of peaceful beauty, her white hair shining so brightly in the darkness that she seemed birthed from a fallen star. Her face was calm and soft; so beautiful that none other in existence shone like it. The cold night air swept past her cheeks, tousling strands of her shining hair. Silver bangles engraved with sleek golden symbols jingled softly around her wrists, and a shimmering crystal pendant dangled weightlessly upon a chain from her right hand. She walked with the folds of her dress in her fingers, lifted so as not to disturb the flowers blossoming around her naked feet. The dress was as otherworldly as its wearer, of a silky white that shone with all the warmth and glory of dawn after a night of thunderstorms.

Coming to a stop, she closed her eyes slightly, breathing in the scent of her home. She knelt and ran her fingers around the stem of a bright blue flower, glowing faintly in the night. Her eyes fell upon the faint glow of the crystal pendant hanging from her wrist before something in the distance caught her attention. Something was out of place.

Lady Vale’s vision adjusted as she stood and scanned the land. There, near the outer edge of the field, was a flower that seemed slightly different from the rest. Unease grew in her heart. Senses tightening, she saw that the flower had withered; its once bright blue petals had dimmed.

She quickly made her way through the field of flowers until she was cupping the sickly flower between her soft fingers.

“
What happened to you?
”
she whispered to the ailing flower. At her touch the spirit of the flower seemed to kindle and its petals bristled ever so faintly.

Closing her eyes, she gently grasped its stem. For a moment nothing happened, and then a cool breeze swept about her. Green bands of energy took form around her hand and the flower began to grow again. The petals rose higher, their dull color returning to the bright glow they’d once radiated.

A second gust of wind blew gently past her. A Sorian would’ve been chilled by this cold but the Goddess welcomed it; the breeze was nothing more than another form of Life, another form of beauty. She opened her eyes and smiled at the revived flower. Shimmers of green energy rose from its petals and dissipated into the air. Pleased with her work, she walked slowly past the field of flowers until she reached the edge of her land.

Casting her gaze outwards, she could see nothing but the dark of Night enveloping her. As she had countless times, she reached forward and touched the invisible barrier of energy that protected her haven. Energy tingled through her fingers, and the air around the invisible barrier curved outwards.

“
Eternally safe … yet forever trapped,
”
she murmured.

“
Hardly trapped, I might think!” The voice had the high pitch of a child and betrayed no hesitation, completely out of place in this tranquil environment.

Lady Vale felt a smile reach across her face.
Sora.
Turning around, her eyes fell upon the tiny girl with short silver hair taking long steps between the flowers. She wore a child’s dress and was barefoot, carefully choosing the placement of her feet.

“
Hardly?” asked Lady Vale. “I’m trapped in here forever, mind you
.”
She watched as the girl kept walking carefully, with her hands clasped behind her back.

“
Every night you come to the same place and say the same thing,” Sora said. “I thought you might have accepted it by now, but I guess you’re still a crybaby
.”
The little girl grinned, revealing her playful eyes; bright, brighter than a hundred stars, as if some hidden power was concealed within her spirit.

Lady Vale laughed, cupping her palm over her mouth.
“
Sora! What is this world coming to when I am to be lectured by a child!?
”

Sora continued walking in wide circles, careful not to step on any of the flowers.

“
I’m almost as old as you anyway,” said Sora. “And besides,
I
actually
am
trapped in here.” She stopped walking and looked at Lady Vale. “At least you can do that, that special thingy, and go explore for a little while.”

Lady Vale turned and placed her hand back on the invisible shield. “It’s not the same
,”
she said, sighing. A gust of wind swept past her face. Running her fingers through her hair, she turned her eyes to the stars above. They shone like hundreds of celestial fires bathing in a sea of black.

Behind her, Sora muttered under her breath. “And I’m hardly a
child
…
”

Lady Vale’s eyes did not turn from the stars, which seemed to be answering her gaze.

“
I wonder,” she murmured. “Are the stars in the sky shining because they want to?”

“I think they are,” said Sora. “I think that if you’re surrounded by nothing but dark, the only thing you can really do is shine.”

Lady Vale however, was no longer listening. A strange feeling had pulled her eyes to the stars. Something strange was happening in the darkness.

“Lady Vale? Did you hear—”

“One of the stars,” Lady Vale whispered, “Felduir, look!
”

Lady Vale pointed to the sky above them. Past the invisible barrier that surrounded their floating world, far into the depths of the black space, the star Felduir flickered violently, as if it were struggling to stay alive. Just as Sora was about to ask what was happening, the star disappeared from sight, vanishing under the blanket of Night.

Lady Vale gasped. Strength left her legs and she felt her body collapse beneath her. She tried to focus as the world around her began to spin. It was many cycles ago that she had witnessed such an event, something that she had hoped never to see again.

“
It can’t be
,”
she said, shaking. “That power, I’ve seen it before … but he can’t be.”

Sora’s eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened but she didn’t speak.

Lady Vale was silent and for many moments sat completely still. Meanwhile, Sora’s eyes had kept scanning the sky, searching for remnants of the vanished star. There was nothing. Just empty space, as if it had never existed in the first place.

Sora closed her eyes. “Felduir …
”
A tear glistened and fell down her cheek.

Suddenly, Lady Vale stood and walked towards the edge of her garden. Turning her eyes downward, she stared at the dim lights of Soria far below.

“
Light fades in the star ocean
,
” she whispered. “The whispers of the Chameleoths. I can finally hear them.” She placed her hand on the barrier, “Only he would know.”

Sora’s eyes followed Lady Vale’s.
“
But even if that were possible, how could he even
—
”

But feeling a sense of dread, of gathering darkness creeping about her, Lady Vale started back for the center of the Garden. Something was wrong, very wrong. Casting a leery gaze past Sora, her eyes fell upon the flower she had saved. It lay curled on its side, a dull brown color seeping through it. She watched in horror as the last of its petals shriveled and decayed.

“
Death is in this place.
”

“Such a thing cannot be possible … not in here,” said Sora. “Nothing can enter or leave this place.”

“Possible or impossible …” Lady Vale whispered, “I feel it.”

Lady Vale’s whisper released a cold wind across all of Vale’s Garden, and Sora cried out. The wind gathered strength and blew past the invisible barrier and out into the night. Lady Vale suddenly stopped, eyes wide open. Behind her was the presence of another she had not felt in many long cycles. She clenched her fingers slowly one by one and turned. A great black cloak rippled in the cold winds.

“You’ve come,” she said, “Sir Ronin.”

“Yes, my lady,” he answered, bowing his eyes. “Death has awoken.”

TO BE CONTINUED...