Forgotten Legacies Collection

Chapter 10

Darkness filled their vision as they awoke in Darrienia, it was a void familiar to all dreamers in that phase between being awake and asleep. A nothingness accompanied by the sleepy paralysis induced by the rousing of the mind and body. After a few moments it cleared, they found themselves looking out over the broken terrain of an unfamiliar land. Before them stretched a mighty courtyard, its once even stone floor sunken and crushed over time to leave large shards of rock protruding from the desecrated ground. The twisted weapons of fallen foes littered the area where it seemed a mighty battle had once raged. Through the crumbled pieces, of what would once have been a protective sandstone wall, lay a littered expanse of discarded metal, large broken metallic plates, twisted ballista, and trebuchet lay mangled in the rusted graveyard. The extent of this debris clearly visible through what once would have been an enormous gateway. The decrepit sandstone wall rose to a mighty arch, fragments of splintered wood still hung near its giant wrought iron hinges. The earth around them seemed to tremble slightly, as if under the sheer weight of the waste it supported.

Just like waking from a deep sleep, not everything became clear at once. It took moments before they felt the cold force of the rock which pressed against their backs, and the coarse metal of the shackles which secured them firmly in place. The chains, which held the shackles, were threaded through the solid rock to secure them in a fixed standing position, allowing them very little freedom of movement.

The question of how they came to be there wasn"t even a consideration as they focused on their escape. The chains were so expertly crafted that no join was visible. The shackles, in a similar fashion, remained securely sealed by perfectly sized pegs fitting smoothly against either side of the metal, making dislodging them impossible.

Daniel stretched for Zo"s hand desperately, in an attempt to reach her restraints, but no matter how hard he tried he could move no further than an inch. Even that small distance made the metal shackles dig painfully into his flesh. They were actually made to be a rather loose fit, but not so much that they could hope to escape without aid. Whoever had made these restraints was clearly an expert, just enough leeway to offer their prisoners a moment of hope, before their attempt to slide their hand through, would thrust their captives into further despair.

Elly also tugged at the chains finding them unyielding, she glanced over to Zo who seemed deep in thought, clearly thinking over the options. The air around them grew silent, it was only then they realised the sounds of their attempted escape had not been the only noise within their proximity. Something, now silent, had been repeated in the background, but the words of this almost inaudible chant had been lost through their attempts to free themselves.

“Anyone got any ideas how t"—” Another rumble shook the ground, vibrating the loose rocks around them, threatening their balance. The intensity so great it almost felt as if the ground was about to split and swallow them whole. The penetrating screech of metal fragments scraping across each other filled the air. Through the arch they could see the avalanche of metal the most recent tremor had caused. The metal pile swelled as if something beneath it stirred, then rose. It parted to reveal a giant twisted metal paw which sought to find its footing. Eiji cringed as he decided not to finish his question, in favour of re-concentrating his efforts on their escape. No matter how hard he struggled, he did little more than redden his wrists which already throbbed and protested against the pressure from the hard metal. The ear-piercing sound continued as the area just outside the confines of the sandstone wall began to swell further as something enormous stirred from within its depths.

“Zo,” Daniel whispered. “Magic?” his voice held hopeful reason. He hoped she would confirm her skills could be used to free them, but he knew even before she replied if it had been an option they would not still be in this predicament, as he looked to her, he could see she was deep in thought.

“I can"t,” she stated finally. “It would kill us.” She yanked at the chains as if to prove her point. If she could summon a fire with the intensity needed to weaken the restraints, she was certain they would be dead before they fell. Her restricted movement would not allow her the control she needed. She pulled against the chains desperately. If they would give even just a few inches there was a chance she would be able to summon a small enough flame to damage her own restraints whilst inflicting serious, but non-fatal, injuries to herself. Once free she could then release her companions. Even with the hope of this possibility, no matter how much she fought against the restraints they wouldn"t yield.

Twisted metal rained from the swell as the gargantuan creature within gave one final push to free itself from hibernation. The very sight of it paralysed them. It was not a dragon, or at least, not like any they had ever imagined existing. Its large scaly body bore a clear resemblance to one, yet the shape was where all similarities ended. Its enormous paws bore ridiculously long, painful looking, steel nails in place of its claws. Rust spread down the jagged shards starting at the place it first pierced the creature"s flesh to extend all the way to the very tip of the steel talon. Its skin was torn and twisted as it hung loosely on the enormous creature. Some of the baggy flesh was gathered into folds and held in place by the enormous twisted nails, which penetrated various parts of its body, driven through its flesh into what they could only assume would be the creature"s bone. It was as if these deformed nails were all that stopped the creature"s scaly skin from shedding. Its over-large tail seemed to be completely untouched by the rusted spikes, a tail which the creature dragged slowly behind it as it moved, weighted down by the huge mace shaped finish that marked its tail"s tip. It was, without question, the most terrifying thing they had ever seen.

theyIt was horrific, but its mouth was by far the most hideous feature. It seemed to sneer at them, forced into a wicked grin by its terrifying teeth, teeth which shone brightly as the millions of, what looked to be, over-sized lances that filled its mouth reflected the sunlight. Within these fine points that it knew as teeth, were the embedded armour shards of its previous meals. The thin teeth overstretched the creature"s enormous bite overfilling its mouth with the deadly spikes which spread so far back, that if its meal were to miss the initial row it would be caught in one of the other hundred, to guarantee it the taste of blood, a taste which brought its only release from the eternal torture. It seemed almost as if it were the unfinished project of a long insane alchemist. Laying eyes upon them it gave a deafening roar, harboured within its thunderous tones shrieked the sound of grating metal. With each step it advanced, the ground shook and groaned as it ploughed its way through its rusted nest. Its giant paw reached up planting itself firmly across the stone archway, its sheer weight reducing it to dust. The force of its step further crumbing the shattered wall as the stones broke under the force of its movement.

Exhaling, its putrid breath whipped around them like a strong wind enveloping all within its decayed stench. Standing before them, its nostrils twitched as it took in the scent of fresh food. Zo closed her eyes tightly as it lowered its head to sniff the courtyard, so close to the rock they were imprisoned on.

Just then, as all seemed lost, a cry echoed through the air.

“Unhand those maidens you wretched fiend.” Emerging unseen from somewhere to their left, a knight rode into view on his mighty white steed, his silver armour shone brightly as the sun"s rays reflected on its highly polished surface. He looked almost alien to the horrific reality of the scene before them, almost fictitious as he rode to their rescue. His voice was filled with heroism which reminded them of the poorly cast heroes in the theatrics performed by the travelling caravans. The knight turned to look towards them offering them a flirtatious wink. “Do not fear, for I, Sir Earnest will protect you. Defender of righteousness, saviour of maidens, hero, knight… lover.” He smiled once again at the captives, a silver metal filling in his tooth caught the sun"s light as he did so.

“I think, I preferred the dragon.” Zo whispered to Daniel, still trying to work free the restraints. Despite the nature of their situation, or perhaps it was simply his nerves, he couldn"t help but give a short laugh. Sir Earnest leapt gallantly from his horse using the momentum to target a blow on the dragon"s leg. He rolled to the side before springing to his feet evading the path of the monster"s mighty paw as it continued its advance. He sprinted forwards, ducking and weaving beneath the belly of the creature as he made its way towards its front.

“Excuse me.” Daniel interrupted Sir Earnest"s fancy footwork as he danced around the dragon"s feet; luckily, as yet, it had failed to notice his arrival. “How about you cut me down so I can free the others while you do heroic battle with the beast, to save time,” he reasoned.

“Do you jest?” he scoffed with mocking laughter. “A real knight would never let a commoner take the glory of the rescue.” With those words he turned to face the dragon, who now looked more angry at having being momentarily dazzled by the knight"s armour, than the fact only moments before he had lunged forwards thrusting his sword through a small fissure in its ankle. A grinding, earth-shattering roar filled the air once more with the putrid stench of the dragon"s rotting breath and their battle began.

“We"re all gonna die,” Eiji stated loud enough for all to hear. In the meantime, it appeared Elly was still trying to find a means of escape. If required, she was certain she could break these bonds, but she wanted to place her faith elsewhere, she had to know, if she waited long enough, whether Zo"s instinct would take over.

“He is getting pummelled,” she stated, a strange smile crossed her lips as she watched the dragon swing the hero around with its tail. It was an action Sir Earnest had initiated as he had grabbed it in a futile attempt to stop its movement, or perhaps he had intended to swing it around by this appendage, but he had clearly either underestimated its size, or overestimated his own power. It thrashed its tail from side to side, which he held onto with an amazing display of obstinacy, before it flung him to the ground. “We need to do something before that i***t loses its attention.” She looked in Zo"s direction as she spoke. They all knew they had to do something, it was just that none of them knew exactly what could be done, as they had already discovered, there was no way to get enough leverage, and magic in such a tight area was too dangerous.

As disturbing as the thought was, it seemed their lives rested in the hands of the knight, Sir Earnest. He gave a cry of victory as the creature brought its enormous paw to the ground, knocking him effortlessly to one side as he tried to lift it in a futile attempt to tip it over, although they had to give him some credit, no matter how much he was being beaten, he always got up for more.

“I wonder if it"ll eat us whole?” Acha"s voice trailed off as the dragon"s jaw began to descend upon their staggering hero. She shuddered as she saw the true extent of the teeth that stretched far back into its throat. A sickening pop filled the air moments before the knight seemed to vanish, mere seconds away from his demise. The dragon sniffed the air around him as it searched for the appetiser which had somehow escaped its jaws. The air seemed heavy, for a moment it was as if the dragon had forgotten their presence as it searched for its lost prey.

“Hey,” Eiji shouted, despite their attempts to silence him, was he really so stupid? To call attention to themselves while the dragon was still distracted would only serve to remind it of their presence. They could all see the slowly approaching figure in the distance, they knew calling to him would serve no purpose. Despite their hushing him he shouted again. “Can y" help us?” Eiji had seen Seiken, he stood a short distance away from the dragon, although for some reason it failed to notice him despite the fact he stood clearly in its line of sight, Eiji continued to call, desperate to grab his attention.

The chains which held Daniel suddenly released, without need for instruction he moved quickly and quietly behind the rock, where the remnants of the melted chains still hung loosely. Zo flashed him a quick smile, which he returned.

Seiken slowly began to approach, to Eiji"s dismay there was nothing rushed about his actions. Suddenly, his restraints slipped as he tugged against them. With his ability to move returned, he unhooked the pegs to free the shackles from his wrists as Zo hurried to remove the final chains.

“How"d y" get out?” Eiji gave a final tug, freeing himself of the bonds, for some reason, his seemed to fall nowhere near as silently as those of the others, who were freed before him. The creature turned slowly giving an almighty roar in realisation that its dinner attempted to escape. Elly glanced to Zo, she had known, given enough time she would have thought of something, although she had not been willing to wait much longer. At least being freed by these means would not invite unwanted questions. Zo clenched her teeth as she carefully manipulated her thumb to guide it back into place. It made another popping sound, almost identical to the one that marked their hero"s departure. She was unsure exactly why she had done it, one minute she was trying to pry the shackles from her wrists, the next she had dislocated her thumb and by doing so had been able to slip her hand through.

“Well, now that you have succeeded in gathering your friend"s attention, might I suggest running?” Seiken looked at the dragon as it fixed its vision firmly upon them, his tone was calm despite the size of the creature. It studied them carefully for a moment trying to decide if they too would vanish.

“What in Tartarus just happened?” Elly demanded as they broke into a run. The creature slowly turned to pursue, confident this time he would not be left so unsatisfied with his meal.

“I"m sure I mentioned…” Seiken stayed beside them as they ran, yet unlike everyone else, he appeared to make no effort whatsoever to maintain his pace. “Not only can you interact with the dreamers through your own choice, they too can interact with you, instead of you choosing to involve yourself in their dreams, you become part of them.”

“Y" mean we were all just playin" a role in that guy"s fantasy?” Eiji gasped, the flat-out running had begun to take its toll. He was painfully aware his pace had slowed. He glanced behind to gain his second wind. The creature was still in pursuit and worse still, it was gaining. Rewording Seiken"s explanation did little more than earn him a scornful look, but he was far too concerned with the horrific creature to feel the least bit intimidated.

“What if—” Daniel panted, since he knew where this line of questioning was heading, Seiken had already begun to answer. There was no time to waste. If he were to succeed in his next actions, the timing had to be perfect.

“If he hadn"t woken, you would all be dead.” He looked at Zo and smiled softly. “Or maybe not.”

“If the ruins and area were just part of his dream, then explain why the creature still lingered along with the chains that bound us, once he woke?” Elly questioned, her sentence, unlike those spoken by her comrades, was unbroken by her need to breathe.

“The chains are substance left over from a dream, that feeling you experience in the moment between sleeping and waking. Here we call it dream residue, that is why you found removing the shackles simple once the chains were free, the matter that had created them was already diminishing.”

“And the creature?” Zo questioned again as she glanced behind them. Its stride, being far larger than theirs, meant it was gaining on them at a ridiculous speed. She found herself thankful it was too heavy to move more swiftly.

“The creature and its nest, I"m afraid, are native of this world,” he stated, never once looking where they ran, only at the one thing he found most intriguing, Zo. Silent words passed between them, giving her the strangest feeling that he was waiting for something.

“I don"t know if I understand.” Acha panted; she found her motivation to increase her pace from the same source Eiji had previously, the creature was gaining. Even now they could smell its hunger as it approached rapidly. Despite her fear, she found herself faltering, unsure how much longer she could continue at this pace.

“It"s simple.” Seiken stopped as he glanced around. They hadn"t covered as much distance as he would have liked, but here would have to suffice. The dream boundary wasn"t that far away, and timing was critical. The ones he knew as The Chosen had also, for some reason, felt compelled to stop. It seemed they were actually just too tired to press on, even had they wanted to. What none of them, except for Seiken, had noticed, was the subtle change in Zo. He may have stopped first, but only because he could read her so well. Another few seconds and it would have been she who had brought the group to a halt.

HeSeiken looked towards them and sighed. Zo had already turned to face the monster, placing herself between it and them. She had known, long before Seiken had stopped, that Acha had reached her limit. He had seen her preparing herself for the battle ahead, planning her tactics to buy them time. Her desire to protect others was one of the many things he admired about her, but at times like this it was not the greatest trait. She would give her life for them in a heartbeat, and he knew one day that bill would come due. Her hand already rested on her sword"s hilt as her mind drew on her magic.

She was just about to draw her sword when Seiken placed his hand on her shoulder. The tension she had built, ready to fight, drained from her body as her hand slowly slipped from the sword by its own will. From deep within she felt the magic stir, expanding outward from her core, a silver field stretched until all were concealed within. The creature stopped suddenly and snorted before it began to pace around the area its prey had stood just moments ago. Zo looked to his hand, the feelings of his touch were so familiar, once again a memory deeply rooted in her magic tried to surface, but all it could tell her was she knew him, and they were safe.

“We are in its blind spot, by the time it has moved enough to see us again, this barrier will have completely masked our location. Now, as I was saying, you can utilise things from people"s dreams to aid you in your quest, but the reverse is also true. Although you slept in a safe area on your departure the nature of our world is ever changing, so unless you possess the Gods" charms, or stay in one of the seven fixed locations, it is unlikely you will return to the same position. This, of course, invites all manner of dangers, one of which you"ve just experienced. It is in your best interest to sleep in your own world in the same manner you would here, that way you should be offered at least some protection as you cross into Darrienia.” The monster circled the area again, its roar shaking the ground violently. “Creatures such as this dwell deep within the human mind, once something like this is born, it generally resides here. Most creatures that stalk the nightmares of your world, existed here long before they terrorised your dreams.”

“Aren"t you afraid of them?” Acha asked timidly; it had been obvious as he first approached them that he was unconcerned by the creature"s presence.

“No, there"s only one creature I have to be cautious of, and it is certainly not a dragon.”

“So, what if that guy hadn"t woken up. I mean—” Daniel began, only to find himself cut off once more by Seiken.

“I told you, you"d be dead,” he stated impatiently.

“No, I mean, why did he wake?” Daniel rephrased his question after he had caught his breath. Had Seiken let him finish, what he was actually asking would have been clear; there was something about this figure he disliked. He wondered if perhaps he was jealous of his friendship with Zo, jealous of what he meant to his friend. He wasn"t sure Seiken could be trusted, and the last thing she needed was another person trying to control her. Since Elly"s appearance, she had become distant. He felt as if he was losing her, as if there was something important that she wasn"t telling him. He couldn"t help feeling a little overprotective, given the circumstances.

“That"s our role. I am sure at one point you have all experienced a dream in which you were about to die, yet before you see your death you find yourselves awake, safe within your home. That is one of our many functions, to protect you from the reaper who stalks the dreamers. Our race is known as the Oneirois. We are the guardians of Darrienia, and all which is sealed within.” It was a well-known rumour of their world, and a truth in Darrienia, that if a dreamer saw themselves die, this dream state would become a reality. “Although we are of different realms, our two worlds are joined more than anyone really cares to realise. One cannot survive without the other. The situation we find ourselves in now is dangerous, since all of our kind have been imprisoned, there are but two of us who possess the ability to protect this world. Even now I must be careful. If he were to discover we possessed this talent he would, no doubt, devise a way to inhibit it, but even so I must continue to protect the boundaries.”

“Not everyone dreams of death. Whaddya do the rest of the time?” Eiji cringed as he realised how his question must have sounded. He knew he really had to work on his tact, even without seeing the expression on Elly"s face as he engaged his mouth before his brain.

“We do have lives and responsibilities of our own,” he stated bluntly. “Watching your people is not our only role, our true purpose is to guard the barrier between our two worlds and ensure the nightmares don"t filter over and become real again, and to hunt down those that do and return them to our world.

“If the barrier is weakened further, it"s not only death our dreamers will have to fear, every injury or ailment they obtain here will pass over with them, as the barrier falls there will be nothing to distinguish this world from your own. Even the creatures which reside here will cross into your physical world.” They had been so focused on his words, they had not noticed the creature had retreated. Seiken glanced around before removing his hand from Zo"s shoulder, as he did so, the silver sphere which circled them vanished. She looked at the place his hand had been, somehow, she knew he had touched her like that before. Still touching the place his hand had rested, she realised what he had done. He had reached into her and touched her magic, using it to activate his own, she couldn"t help but wonder why he had used this method. It was something deeply personal, so much so she felt herself blush as she realised his actions. Had it been anyone else, she was sure she would have felt strangely violated.

“Seiken, what exactly are we after, what are we doing here?” Her question did not receive an answer in the same tedious tone he had spoken to the others with.

“You mean you don"t know?” His ageless brow wrinkled slightly as he paused as if to think over this strange occurrence. With all those who came before them, before the lands were so dangerous, they always knew what they quested for, they always knew the purpose of their pilgrimage, none of which had been the same. Why had the rules changed this time to leave them to wander aimlessly, were they expected to simply stumble upon the place which held the clues alone? Surely, that in itself was pointless and outside the boundaries of fair play. The other "games" as they were called were slightly different to this one, almost as if they had been nothing more than a prelude. “From my understanding, scattered across our world there are five keys, sealed here from ages past.

“It"s rumoured they link the worlds by some kind of gateway. Only once all the keys have been collected can the gateway be used, or something along those lines. We really don"t know its true purpose, I only tell you what I"ve heard. The keys are said to dwell in five of the seven fixed locations of our world and this gateway is the only way to gain access to Night"s tower where he keeps us imprisoned.” Seiken began to look a little fatigued, he knew he needed to return soon to rest for a while. The unexpected confrontation had drained him more than he had anticipated.

“These fixed locations, what are they exactly?” Daniel questioned, as he made a quick note of everything Seiken had said in his journal, after all, some of this information may prove important.

“They are locations of our world which have been bound to yours by an eminent enchanter, or perhaps even a god. As for the keys, I have been unsuccessful in discovering their nature, the only assistance I could give you was that map.”

Zo, suddenly realising what he spoke of, pulled the parchment from her pocket. Elly swiftly removed it from her hands to study it closely. Daniel moved closer to look, with difficulty, over her shoulder, he glanced around as he did so, taking in their surroundings.

“I think this is the closest.” He pointed to a small area on the map. He glanced around again as he compared the landmarks he had seen to those documented, if there was one thing he could do really well, it was navigate, with or without a sextant. Of course, had he thought it would have done them any good, he would have taken readings, but since they were in an unfamiliar land it seemed rather pointless. As Daniel"s finger traced the paper he noticed a strange symbol, there were five similar ones upon the map"s surface. As he touched the one closest to their perceived location, the ink seemed to take on a life of its own as it scurried and scratched across the parchment to create a new image. The ink settled to reveal a closer, more detailed, map of their locality, on the far side of the image some words became visible.

"I am hidden by trees yet once stood taller, my disguise hides my purpose and my purpose came from my disguise, I was built for hope, now bring despair."

“Well at least we know it"s in the woods somewhere.” Daniel stated unenthusiastically as he looked at the vast forests which stretched before them. With no known destination, finding something within this great expanse could prove challenging, then again, perhaps that was the point.

“Well, maybe we could find someone to ask, you did say the dreamers would be able to help us.” Acha looked to Seiken for confirmation, only to realise he was no longer amongst them.

“I don"t think we should wander around aimlessly, we know this world adapts to people"s thoughts.” Zo stated much to Elly"s relief, at least someone else understood what she had been thinking. Although Daniel may have seen several landmarks which were also on the map, they were ones she too had noticed, however, there was no guarantee they weren"t just created from their mind. As they had discovered on their first visit, some of the scenery was taken straight from their memories.

“Maybe our Elementalist can make things easier and locate the nearest town.” Elly raised her eyebrow expectantly at Eiji, who met her gaze with a blank expression. She gave a sigh as she wondered why she had expected anything different. “Did your master teach you anything?” she questioned. “Humans, villages, towns, they all are alien in the natural environment. They destroy and pollute things around them, the natural world suffers as people bend it to their will. Mankind destroys the natural world so they may live.” Still no reaction. “As an Elementalist you are in tune with the elements, with nature, correct?” She sighed again as she wondered why she even bothered, she should have known from his first blank stare that further explanations were pointless. “You should be able to locate areas nearby where the elements are dying, you know, a disruption in the natural aura.” Was she really going to be his teacher? It seemed she knew more about his powers and abilities than he did.

“Oh.” Eiji lowered his head in shame, he felt as if he was not only being a disappointment to his travelling companions but his master also. He had studied hard, there was no denying that, but for some reason, it seemed he always failed to meet Elly"s expectations of what he should be able to do. “I"ve never…”

“I can help keep you grounded if you like, I used to…” Acha trailed off as she moved to take Eiji"s hand but pulled away moments before they touched to back away cautiously. “I…” she looked from him to Daniel, a look with a meaning only her friends would understand, after all, she had not spoken of her curse to anyone.

Daniel gave her a reassuring smile before being nudged in the ribs by Zo, he looked at her blankly for a moment before he realised what she had meant. As Elly talked Eiji through the process, he took Acha to one side and passed her a small pair of gloves. Daniel had meant to give them to her last night, but somehow, the time had just never seemed right. She pulled them on and smiled. Once in place on her hands they seemed to vanish, much to her amazement. Daniel reached out, taking her hand, both of them were relieved when nothing happened.

“They"re called thieves gloves, we picked them up from Collateral. The idea is you don"t leave a fingerprint, but they"re not as obvious as someone sneaking about in visible ones. We thought they may come in handy. I meant to give them to you earlier.” He watched as Acha examined her hands, he had wondered how exactly she would take this gesture, whether she would be offended or hurt, but her expression alone reassured him it was a gesture she greatly appreciated.

“They"re so light, it"s like I"m not even wearing them.” She smiled moving away from them to take Eiji"s hand, he now looked rather pale after finishing his talk with Elly. “I can keep you grounded,” she stated again, but this time with confidence.

“Why"d I need t"be grounded?” his voice trembled slightly, as he looked between them nervously, he wasn"t sure he could do what was being asked of him. Surely there was another way, maybe if they walked a little further, they would find a signpost or something.

“The first time, it"s disorientating, it"s difficult to remember where you are. It helps to be able to feel someone holding onto your physical body, to remind you where you are so you don"t get lost.” There was a long silence as Eiji began to look increasingly less comfortable. He was just about to give in when he heard Daniel"s voice saying the words which made him heave a sigh of relief.

“Or, we could just follow the sign.” Daniel stated, brushing some shrubs from a nearby post to reveal a name carved on a piece of wood, it appeared they were not too far from the town at all.

“Was that there before?” Zo questioned, moving to stand beside him to examine the moss-ridden post. Eiji gave a sigh of relief as the attention moved to focus on something other than himself.

“I"m not sure, it just caught my eye while you were talking.”

“I vote for followin" the sign.” Eiji skilfully added his suggestion onto the end of Daniel"s sentence, before marching off in the direction of the arrow, an act which left no chance for objections.

The seemingly endless forest stretched before them, its luscious green trees created a perfect canopy overhead, the area they searched for lay somewhere within its endless sea. As they got closer, through an area of thinning trees it was possible to see the silhouette of a town just before them. Daniel glanced up from the map, which he had skilfully managed to take from Elly"s possession and looked to Zo.

“I"ve been monitoring our progress and we are here. This town, according to the map, appears to be called Abaddon. It"s one of the seven fixed points Seiken spoke about, but I don"t recall hearing of such a place in our world. The only thing here in ours is the Forest of Lost Souls.” He looked towards the clearing, the pure white brick houses offset the perceived darkness which sheltered the town. The interlocking canopies of the mighty trees stretched across with their stifling arms, yet the very centre seemed beyond their grasp, a place where the only true, untainted light shone down from the sky above to illuminate the circular, central stone paving. It was upon this area that those of the town would have performed the annual dance in honour of Hades, under the light of the full moon which marked the end of the year.

It was a picturesque town. Its houses were built in a large circle lining the edge of the clearing, and each house possessed a uniform look. Carefully crafted picket fences lined each border. There was something eerie about the symmetry of each garden. Each one seemed to possess the same flowers in the same quantities. To those who paid little attention to things such as these, it looked warm, welcoming, and that was precisely how both Marise and Elly had perceived it on their first visit here, but now Elly knew better. Now she could see this place for what it truly was.

Not many knew about the town Abaddon which lay hidden deep within the Forest of Lost Souls, the fewer people who knew of this place, the better.

Nothing stirred within the town"s boundaries, it gave the impression of a long-deserted ghost town with one difference, the houses and gardens were still as new and well-kept as the day they had been built.

“I don"t like this,” Acha whispered as they entered, their eyes scanned for any movement no matter how small, for some time now they had felt as if they were being watched.

“I"m sure I know this place.” Zo kept her voice to the low tone that seemed to be demanded by the silence of the area. “It looks so familiar.” She looked to Elly in hope to gain some confirmation. As always, Elly made no attempt to confirm or deny it. She did, however, give some information.

“Its counterpart, that is to say "Abaddon" in our world, was once home to one of the Grimoire I told you about.” Elly stated much to their surprise. None of them had heard of this town. The only reason Daniel had known its name here was because it had been printed on the map.

“What happened to this place? It"s so quiet.” Daniel looked to Elly who once again seemed to possess all the answers.

“There are many rumours as to what may have happened here years ago. One of which is that the Grimoire sustained the life of the people here, on the day it was removed, a terrible fate befell the people of this town. That is what most who know of its existence choose to believe anyway, but the truth is always a little more sinister.” Elly paused as if for dramatic effect. “From what I understand—”

“It was placed under the darkest of enchantments.” Zo walked slowly between the houses, her voice soft like the expression of gentle confusion she now wore. She felt the magic in the surrounding area, worse still, for some reason it felt familiar. “I know this story.”

Zo closed her eyes in concentration, her hand rested on a wooden gate post as she tried to pull the memory from the tip of her mind. Unseen by anyone, concern crossed Elly"s brow. It had been a long time coming, but a few hours ago news had reached her of Annabel"s death, which meant as the enchantment faded some of her memories, under just the right circumstances, could be reclaimed. She could only hope she would not recall too much.

Annabel had been with her for a very long time, whilst everything possible had been done for her, there came a time when age won over even the most sophisticated methods.

“A curse was bestowed upon this village,” Zo continued finally. “As a punishment for an unforgivable act. Due to their nature, death was too complex for those who resided here, thus, they were sentenced to an eternal sleep. Conscious of all that transpired around them, awaiting a death never to come, they are being eternally punished for a crime they committed.” She looked to Elly once more for confirmation, but again she gave away nothing. Elly relaxed slightly, she had to admit, the punishment of these townsfolk had been an all too familiar one. There were times she almost felt sorry for them, almost, but then she remembered what they had done.

“They must have done something unspeakable to earn such a judgement.” Acha placed her hand on Zo"s shoulder, startling her slightly. Zo studied the web of magic which surrounded the town, it was so thick, so complex, that it almost passed into the boundaries of the visible.

“How come no one has heard of this town? It has no place in history or legend.” Daniel looked from Zo to Elly, wondering which one would answer, but it was Elly who finally spoke, looking to Zo before beginning her explanation.

“The reason is, that once the spell was completed, Mari summoned a monster to guard the town and the surrounding area. Its mere presence alone repels intruders. Only those who know of this place are able to see it, that was part of the magic. When the spell was complete, the town vanished from any map and texts, thus was soon forgotten, but rumours of the forest still continue to this day. They now call it the Forest of Lost Souls, any said to enter never return alive.”

“What kinda monster?” Eiji had grabbed the most important word in the sentence, the one which affected them immediately. As he asked, he glanced around as if expecting it to be lurking behind them.

“It was remarkable. I have heard only the tales Mari told me, this creature not only guards the town, but feeds upon those trapped in its induced sleep. It was truly an extraordinary conjuring.” She smiled, remembering Marise"s excitement when she had revelled in explaining what had been accomplished. The kind of magic she had called upon would have been no simple feat, even for a master of the artes, that night she had truly surpassed herself.

“Not to tempt providence, but, if such a creature exists within our world, surely it"s only logical it exists here also.” Daniel glanced around the quiet village as Eiji had just moments ago, watching carefully for any signs of movement. Even the trees moving in the wind now seemed like a threat.

“No, it can"t enter the town, it was imprisoned within the temple. As for the town"s people, it sustains them by hunting those who wander too far into its territory, and it is limited to the time it is permitted to leave to find its prey. Until its creator releases it, it will remain this way.” Zo stated autonomously, still reading the waves and links of the magic to gain a deeper understanding of its purpose. Whoever had done this certainly hadn"t wanted anyone to be able to reverse their handiwork, it was far more complex than it had needed to be.

“Is this temple in the woods?” A sudden realisation dawned upon them, but strangely, Eiji was the first to question its location. When he had glanced around the village he had found no temple, just the houses and mile upon mile of trees met his vision. He paused as another thought had entered his mind. Without considering his actions, he approached one of the houses to open the door. All fell silent to watch him cautiously peer inside. “If the town people are meant t"be inside the village, where are they?” Eiji, satisfied the house was empty, entered. He quickly took in the details of the seemingly unused house, everything seemed new and fresh, untouched by the hands of the intended occupier. Having not found any signs of life, he opened the window to call through to his friends. “Shouldn"t they be sleepin", shouldn"t they be here?”

“Well the townsfolk may not be here, but we do have a lead as to where our clue takes us. Where"s this temple?” Zo shook her head as Daniel looked to her. When she failed to provide him with an answer he turned his attention to Elly.

“How should I know? I was not the mastermind behind it, maybe you should ask Mari!” she snapped, she didn"t understand it, why hadn"t she been told about the temple? Mari had told her everything, why had she chosen to keep something like this a secret?

“Since she is not here…” Daniel said, his tone seemed somewhat relieved. “The only other lead we have is…” he looked to Zo again.

“Why are you looking at me? I don"t know anything.” Her voice trembled defensively as she felt the pressure of their eyes upon her. The more she fought to remember, the more her head pounded. The town on the whole made her feel uneasy and confused. The magic in the area seemed almost stifling, all these things combined in addition to her own frustration and questions about her knowledge of the town, she felt helpless and trapped, with no way to escape. The anxiety and panic rose within her so quickly she thought it would explode, she glanced around searching for an escape from the claustrophobia which quickly threatened to consume her.

“But, you did mention it in the first place,” Acha volunteered almost timidly. She hadn"t noticed the strange panic in her friend"s eyes, perhaps if she had she wouldn"t have been so quick to speak.

“I don"t know anything!” she snapped surrendering to the raw emotions and panic which built inside her, “maybe you can find something in the town to help us. Just don"t ask me!” She turned her back to them, seeing a chance of escape. She needed to get out of here, the aura of the magic had become so thick it threatened to ensnare her as it crushed the breath from her body. Daniel moved to pursue but was stopped by Elly as she raised her arm before him.

“I will go. You stay and look for information,” she stated in a well-practised authoritarian tone, before he was given the chance to argue, she had already left.

“That was strange,” Daniel commented as he stared in the direction both Elly and Zo had vanished in. “I guess she"s—”

“Think about it.” Eiji came out of the house. In his hand he held a piece of parchment he had taken from the table. It was the one thing out of place, which was what had convinced him to remove it. “Y" chose t"involve y"self in this matter, she didn"t. One day she was just taken from everythin" she knew and loved.” Eiji, unlike the rest of them, had clearly seen the rising panic within her, he saw her posture alter as she appeared suffocated. He and Elly both understood that, on some level, it was unsurprising she felt this way, she was walking in the steps of her alternate persona.

“Shouldn"t we be looking for information?” Acha decided to change the subject, she wasn"t feeling too great. Something about this area made her feel very strange, the sooner they could get out of here the better. A wave of dizziness passed over her.

“No need, I got this from inside.” Eiji lifted the piece of parchment to their attention, he unfolded it to show them a small map.

“Why didn"t you—”

“I guess, I thought it wise t"let them talk a while, there seems t"be some things they need t"discuss, besides it"s no different t"the one we were given earlier.” Daniel opened the map Seiken had given Zo and compared them.

“They"re identical.” he sighed, looking at them. “Even down to the writing.”

“Almost, but not quite.” Eiji turned the parchment over. Acha, who didn"t look so well, moved to sit herself on a small mound under a nearby tree. Upon the back of the parchment was yet another unusual symbol, this was the only difference between the two.

“How exactly does this help us?” Daniel stifled a yawn as he looked over the two almost identical parchments. His fingers passing over the five symbols, each one, just like the map Seiken had given them, expanded their view on that area, each of the points had a similar riddle to that found in the place they were now. Daniel saw the lines blur before his gaze as he gave yet another yawn.

“I"m not sure, the symbol looks a little like the Apollo Favour.” Eiji mirrored his actions as they moved to join Acha in the shade of the autumn tree. “So I guess we are protected durin" our daylight hours, just as Seiken said.” He took a second look at the tree, he was certain just moments before it had thrived with life.

“This place is odd, I swear this tree was in full bloom just moments ago,” Daniel observed, as if reading Eiji"s mind. He gave another yawn. “I wonder where Zo and Elly are.” He leaned back against the tree, he couldn"t understand why he felt so tired all of a sudden. Giving a stretch he made himself comfortable as he awaited their return.

Elly paced the village to look for Zo, her thoughts were on their last visit here. The last time they had been here she had nearly lost Marise to the dark-forces which had resided within this village. Those who lived here had schemed and planned very hard to get everything to fall into place, and unknowingly, Elly had left her in great danger. The effects of this place had taken their toll on Marise, and had followed her for some time afterwards.

Marise had been amazing that night, she had been surrounded by the nightmarish creatures, but alien to her normal thoughts, she did not fight. Instead she had summoned a being to feed on them as they had tried to feed on her; although she had never mentioned the sealing of this creature into a temple, or forbidding it from preying on those it wished. It was an action which did not seem like her at all.

As Marise had not spoken of it, it left her to wonder if perhaps the other persona, Zoella, had been responsible for this feat. It wouldn"t have been the first time the two of them had briefly exchanged places.

Zo sat on the very outskirts of the town where the stifling magic was weakest, and the air seemed cooler. She had calmed down now, the headache had left her and all that remained was the heavy feeling from the magic around them. Having reflected on her childish outburst, she now felt rather embarrassed about her performance. When she saw Elly approaching, she acknowledged her wordlessly with a nod, stood, and followed her back in silence, but without objection.

Elly stood for a moment with her hands on her hips as she looked at Daniel, Eiji, and Acha all asleep against a tree. Zo followed at some distance behind. She still felt ashamed at being unable to control her emotions. The more fragments she recalled, the more frustrated she grew trying to grasp more than her mind offered. The harder she tried, the more difficult it became. It didn"t help when they had pressured her to recall more, something she would have gladly obliged, were it within her ability, then her emotions had taken control.

“There is no time to delay, we should begin our search.” As Elly approached her long shadow cast over them, but not one of them moved as they sat under the blackened tree. She didn"t recall seeing this lifeless feature when they had first approached. A strange feeling descended upon her, as she watched the apparently sleeping figures she quickly came to understand what had happened, but the words she heard next confirmed her theory.

“They are not delaying Lee, my Abi did this.” Elly turned in surprise as she heard the familiar dialect; there was only one person who called her by that name. She was unable to conceal the concern on her features as she turned to face Zo, nor the surprise when the blue-eyed figure was still the one who met her gaze. It left her to question whether she had really heard what she believed she had. The concern reflected in Zo"s body language deepened as she saw Elly"s expression. Something was very wrong. She warily approached her friends as Elly still stood in bewilderment questioning exactly what had just happened.

“I"m sorry about earlier, I shouldn"t have snapped, it just got a little too much, I"m sorry.” Despite her addressing them, there was not even the slightest stir of movement. “Did you manage to find anything?” Her voice grew nervous as they still failed to respond to her. Her panicked gaze shifted quickly to Elly in hope of some aid or explanation. Noticing Zo looked to her for assistance Elly approached, extending her foot to shove Daniel a little harder than was perhaps necessary, his body made no response other than sliding sideways from the tree.

“I think we need to get them out of here,” she stated grabbing Eiji manoeuvring him expertly into a fireman"s lift. Despite being thrown over her shoulder, he still failed to respond. Without another word, Elly carried him off towards the town"s border.

“Zo.” Acha whispered weakly as Zo had pulled her to her feet in a similar action to the one Elly had expertly used, she wasn"t exactly sure how she was going to manage to carry both of them from this place, Elly had made it seem so effortless.

“Acha,” the relief in her voice was obvious, Zo hooked her arm under Acha"s shoulder as she managed to support some of her own weight. “What happened?”

“I don"t know.” Zo glanced back at Daniel, she was not comfortable with the thought of leaving him alone. This place gave her a sense of foreboding, the magic which permeated the air did little to still her nerves, just then, Elly returned to carry him in the same manner she had Eiji just a moment before. “I felt a little off so I sat down, then we started to get tired. The next thing I knew they were asleep, then you came for us.” Zo steadied her as they made their way slowly towards the boundaries, exiting the opposite side to that which they had entered.

“Maybe it has something to do with the magic here.” Zo stated. Speaking with Acha, voicing her thoughts helped her to focus on something other than the heaviness in the air. “After all, its inhabitants were forced into eternal slumber, maybe those who enter are also subjected to its power. There may be no one in the town but, from what Seiken told us, every dreamer has a home. So they must be somewhere in this world.” It was the only logical explanation Zo could conceive, there was no reason to believe those who were forced into sleep weren"t somewhere within Darrienia, dreaming.

Daniel and Eiji lay upon a small clearing where wild flowers fought their way through the grassy terrain. The forest itself was inhospitable to such things, given the density of the undergrowth and the poor lighting. It seemed these flowers sought every possible opportunity to thrive where this land would allow. Zo helped Acha to sit within the shade of a nearby tree as Elly tried desperately to rouse Eiji, but to no avail.

The surroundings were filled with a deadly silence, the only sound coming from the gentle wind which teased through the trees as it passed.

“It is no use.” Elly sighed as she moved away from Eiji. She had tried all known methods of waking someone, even a splash of water followed by a firm slap across the face, which she enjoyed perhaps a little more than she should have. His skin now burnt with the angry red imprint of her hand. “It seems the creature"s sleep enchantment even embraces this area, what we need is some negating magic,” she looked to Zo. “Perhaps a magical ward.”

“I got it the first time, you don"t have to keep on.” She touched Acha"s face gently to check her temperature and health. She seemed fine, a little tired and anaemic perhaps, she never did seem to eat a great deal. “I wonder why we weren"t affected?” Zo questioned aloud, not expecting to receive an answer.

“I would think it was quite obvious,” Elly paused for a moment, she knew full well why she and Zo hadn"t been affected by the creature"s sleep, but to explain would compromise the situation. “We were just lucky.” She cringed ever so slightly as she answered, was that really the best she could muster? Well, she always thought it was better to be vague than weave a complicated web of lies, which became all the more difficult to be freed from.

“Yeah, maybe.” Zo sighed quietly, it was clear Elly knew more than she was revealing, just once, she wondered, would it be too much to ask to get a straight answer?

It took a short time to prepare everything for her ward, but finally she was ready. She had read the surrounding environment and knew just what to ask. She took a deep breath before she began calling upon the magic, as she did so, by force of habit she spoke.

“Awake and alert we wish to keep, I set a ward to counter sleep.” A silver light momentarily surrounded them before it faded to become transparent.

“Do you always do that?” Despite her best efforts, Elly could not hide the amusement within her voice.

“What?” Zo glanced up from Daniel"s side as she checked him over.

“Rhyme, you never used to, it is annoying.”

“So, how did I used to…” Zo trailed off. For a long time she had questioned the validity of speaking her desires, she felt it unnecessary, but having no memory of doing anything else she continued it by habit alone.

“Never mind,” she smiled. At least now she understood why the initiators of this situation had said something so pointless when they invoked their magic. They had been mocking her. Well what had she expected? Marise no longer asked for magic, but since Zo"s memories were incomplete. Her recollection of magic would come from her childhood, a time when such things were used as a means of focus, so it only stood to reason she may still feel them necessary. It wouldn"t normally matter but it just sounded so ridiculous, they would have to talk, she couldn"t stand it if she was to continue this through their journey, it was just so pointless and only proved to delay things.

Elly watched Eiji for a moment, his fingers twitched as the sleep began to dissipate. Daniel awoke with a start, gasping for breath. He only began to calm as he realised that he was sitting with his friends, in the middle of a strange forest. Elly, Zo, and Acha all stared at him, his reaction was not one expected of someone waking from a peaceful slumber. Seconds later Eiji awoke, clutching his chest with his trembling hands. He glanced around quickly before he relaxed slightly. Although neither Daniel nor Eiji had spoken, they seemed to be out of danger. Acha, however, still sat as pale as ever, her breathing shallow.

“Acha, are you okay?” Zo took her hand from Eiji"s forehead, happy both he and Daniel were fine, physically anyway, the look of terror on their faces, however, gave indication they had a story to tell, one that no doubt was not a pleasant one.

“I think she—” Elly began but her words fell silent as the area around them grew darker. It was almost as if in an instant summer had turned to autumn, an effect only seen within the area touched by Zo"s ward. The flowers withered and died to leave brown stems in place of those which just moments ago had been in full bloom. The trees shifted and changed to drop their once green leaves as if autumn had descended, the grass drooped and turned pale. In less than thirty seconds the entire area within the spell had first withered, then died, there was nothing they could do but watch the earthly sleep spread.

“Oh no.” Zo whispered sadly as she saw what she had done, somehow her spell had ignored the preservation rules. She didn"t understand how it was possible, even if she had asked for more energy than the place could give, with the magic she used there was no way she could do this harm. The very style meant she could harm nothing and take only that which was freely offered. “I"m sure I used the forces correctly.” Acha pulled herself to her feet slowly and approached them, it seemed, although delayed, she too was now recovering from the strange sleep. Unlike the area around them, the colour once more returned to her face. She joined her friends just as the shifting autumn had turned to winter, not a single flower was left in bloom, and not a single green leaf hung on the trees.

Zo quickly localised the magic to follow each person, hopefully in such a small area it would not harm the world around them. If it did, at least this small area was far better than them walking within a life-destroying field.

“I guess this place doesn"t like my magic,” she sighed. As she placed her hand upon the bark of a nearby tree she couldn"t suppress the shudder, it was almost as if her ward had forcefully torn the life from it.

“What happened? One minute you were fine the next we couldn"t wake you.” Zo offered Daniel a hand to his feet, he now seemed well enough and eager to stand.

“I"m not really sure. It was the strangest thing, one minute I was listening to Eiji, the next everything grew darker. I felt so tired, I"d go as far as to say I had fallen asleep, but I could hear small parts of the world around me, although try as I might I couldn"t move, or talk. Eiji are you okay?” Daniel looked to Eiji, who still sat on the ground, his hand still touched his chest, his eyes still wide in terror.

“Didn"t y" see it,” he whispered. “The creature from the darkness? It pulled some kind of silver cord from us t"attach it t"itself. Then there came the screams, the tortured cries of those life-forces it feeds on, each beggin" for mercy over and over again.” Elly grabbed his hand to pull him involuntarily to his feet, a motion which seemed to distract him from the memories of what he saw.

“I do not think we need to concern ourselves just yet.” Elly began, knowing in due time they would indeed have to face the creature as this journey"s destination seemed to guide them to its prison. “A ward has been erected to counter the enchantment, you should be all right, for now. What else can you tell us of it?”

“Nothin", just that it seemed really excited about somethin", and a name kept repeatin" in my mind, Aburamushi,” Eiji shuddered at the mere sound of the name, “but what I don"t understand is it saw us, but somehow y" evaded its vision. Why?”

“Lucky, I guess. Maybe it targeted a certain area.” Elly answered again.

“Maybe, but then how come Acha was unaffected?”

“I would not say she was unaffected, she just did not seem as afflicted as you. Maybe it prefers males.” Elly felt her foot land firmly on the proverbial shovel as she dug deeper. She would have hoped Eiji, of all people, would not have put her in this position. Knowing what he did meant he should know the truth and realise there was no way she could give them a straight answer.

“But surely this wasn"t an all-male town.” Daniel intervened.

“As I know its creator perhaps I received immunity.” Any guilt she had felt seeing the bright red mark across Eiji"s face had now vanished. Even if it was premature, it seemed he had been given just what he was due.

“What about Zo and Acha?” he questioned stubbornly.

“Acha has a different kind of life-force to most people so maybe it struggled to entrap her completely and Zo, well, she possesses a unique magic.”

“But so does Eiji.” Daniel was about to press the issue further when he heard Zo gasp. In that split second of silence it seemed to cut through the air like a knife. Elly studied her cautiously before trying to pinpoint what, in her line of vision, could have caused such a reaction. Whatever it was seemed to have momentarily paralysed her as she stood rooted to the spot, her vision blank almost trance like. Something was obviously wrong, but Elly knew just how to counteract it.

A loud c***k rang through the air as she slapped her. She slapped her so hard it had not only startled the silent birds from their nests in the trees, but had almost forced Zo from her feet. Without even time to blink, Zo had slid her foot backwards to regain her balance and thrust her weight into a counter attack as she retaliated. Her clenched fist stopped barely an inch from Elly"s face, Eiji unconsciously rubbed his throbbing cheek as he let out a sigh of relief, unseen by anyone Elly smiled.

“Lee.” Zo"s voice spoke quietly as she unclenched her hand to touch the side of Elly"s face gently. “You see the problem here,” she subtly glanced in the direction of the three unwanted guests.

“What problem?” Daniel, although unable to hear anything, had sharply picked up on the word problem. She turned to look at him, for a second he could have sworn there were remnants of something hidden within her eyes, something he couldn"t quite place. As Zo touched the place Elly had struck her, she noticed Eiji almost mirrored her actions, he hadn"t realised it until now, but his face really hurt.

“A problem?” Zo was aware she had spoken, but was unsure exactly what she had said. “Oh yes, I remember, we still need to find the temple and it"s getting late.” Elly gave her a puzzled look before a flicker of understanding crossed her mind.

"Don"t worry Mari." Elly thought to herself, she understood the problem perfectly.

Don"t worry Mari.“So my daughter has awoken,” the cool voice stated, although quiet, it commanded total attention. Night paced around the cauldron, which he kept for sentimental reasons more than anything else, his dark hooded robe trailed behind him on the floor. Within his hand he held a small crystal, through which he watched the figures as they went about their business.

“Yes, my lord, only as yet the outcome is somewhat uncertain. It may take longer than anticipated to see the desired effects.” It was impossible to tell who the voice could belong to, the style of communication distorted it beyond any possible recognition.

“And what of the old man, did he fulfil his side of the contract?” Night asked as a mere formality. There had been much preparation to ensure everything proceeded as planned.

“Yes.”

“And the machine?” He lowered the crystal to place it into his pocket, watching the travellers no longer interested him. The answer to this question, unlike the others, was one he could not predict. What they had touched upon was an ancient technology which had been long forgotten, resurrected in a time which was not prepared for it. It was difficult to say how it would function now. To be recreated after such a vast time phase, who knew what the outcome would be? There were many aspects which were fallible, over time he had encountered, and rectified many of them, but the materials needed for repairs and modifications were becoming scarce. Even the Research Plexus encountered difficulties when creating the components from what was available.

“There are no problems,” the voice from the cauldron responded with very little delay. “As for your daughter, I imagine that once Darrienia takes its toll…” the voice trailed off, there was a slight uncertainty in its words. “What if they should fail?” A sharp sound of realisation echoed through the voice, when this had been planned their failure was never an option, but now, things had taken unexpected twists, unpredictable influences now had to be taken into account.

“Then they will remain there forever, the boundaries of the worlds will vanish, and havoc shall be freed upon the earth.” Night smiled at the thought, but this unique form of peril was not exactly what he had in mind, he had much greater aspirations.

“A lot is at stake, my lord, should they meet with misfortune.”

“Then see to it they don"t. The mind is a tricky thing, things forgotten can seem second nature. I believe they will be safe, all things considered. The Oneirois can only be released by my victory, there is no other way. I am not worried, or, do you forget exactly who it is we are dealing with? My daughter will be fine, the company she keeps will only add to the entertainment.”

“Entertainment? My lord, I feel they are the ones who hinder our progress.”

“As I said before, I am not concerned, I would not be surprised if they do not have their uses. Tell me, have you gained further information on the location of the final Grimoire?”

“No, but I promise it shall be delivered to you personally. Although I do believe the location which you initially believed is the most plausible, but as yet we remain without confirmation.”

“Very well, continue as planned. This is a good opportunity for me to utilise the patience I have developed in my many years of waiting.”

“Or you could remind people your true power, they seem to have grown more insolent.”

“All in good time, besides, I do believe it is time to fulfil my contract with the old man.”

“Are you going in person?”

“But of course, you know the Epiales cannot approach him, the blind have senses which repel them, forbidding them to draw near. It will be interesting to see how they react when his senses have faded. All those years of teasing them shall not go unpunished. I cannot stand a man whose favour can be so cheaply brought. At least I can gain enjoyment watching as my army draws closer when he is no longer protected by the unseeing eye. Besides, I believe I may have a further use for him yet, who knows, let my minions have their fun, and if he lives, then I will consider his options.”