Forgotten Legacies Collection

Chapter 11

The temple towered before them, the huge pillars, which would once have stood so spectacularly to guide the worshippers to its magnificent entrance, now stood crumbled like the outer buildings which surrounded it. The pathway was broken, cracked by the half dead weeds which fought their way to the surface in the foolish hope to find light. The air here seemed darker than the canopy of trees and cloud cover should have allowed, almost as if the once holy shrine now emitted an aura of darkness so powerful that even the plants around it withered and died, despite the strength shown through their escape.

“This, is it?” Eiji"s voice was filled with disillusion as they walked the path of what once would have been a spectacular monument. “I expected somethin" a little less decrepit.” He gave a disappointed sigh as they walked slowly to the large dark oak door. It seemed to be barely held in place by the wrought iron hinges. It was a magnificent piece of carving, or rather, it would have been. Around the outside of the door was a thick deep groove. The top half of the door was carved with an intricate design, its meaning or relevance lost as parts of the detail had, like the temple, decayed into ruin. Still visible on the bottom half of the door, even despite the moss and rot, was a picture carving. Although unclear, it seemed to be a picture of what the temple had looked like back in its prime. The stonework around the door was plain and lacked the creative touch of the person who had designed the door, it too was aged and would seemingly crumble at the slightest touch.

The door itself, although it would have once been strong enough to withstand a small barrage, looked barely solid. Elly pushed at it and took a few backwards steps, almost as if expecting it to c***k, fall, or even open, yet it didn"t waver. Despite its unstable appearance, it stood as firm as ever.

“It"s sealed by some form of magic.” Zo extended her hand to touch its surface, but retracted at the last second. The magic present felt slightly different than that in Abaddon, it felt more innocent. As she read it unconsciously, she realised one type of magic had been combined with one completely alien to forge the seal. “If we could get inside it could probably be opened easily, it seems only the creature can open this side, which, I guess, would make sense as it would prevent people from entering while it hunts.” Zo surmised, it wasn"t that she remembered having erected such a thing, it was nothing more than an assumption based on what she had discovered in the tale of how the creature was sealed. She knew whoever sealed it would need to make sure no one accidentally entered its domain, at least, she reasoned, that is what she would have done had it been her who had created and sealed the beast.

“So we need t"look for another way in.” Eiji stated, he had intended to say, "so we"ll just hafta leave then", but since he knew this was not an option, he feared another attack from Elly"s hand should he voice his thoughts of self-preservation. He knew, regardless of what may lie in wait, they would have to enter, but that didn"t mean the place unnerved him any less, in fact, knowing they had to enter, no matter the situation, made it more difficult. There was something sinister, almost evil about the time-eroded building.

Slowly, carefully watching their steps amongst the tangled debris of stone and decaying plant life, they walked the perimeter of the holy monument. Despite the decrepit condition of all which was built around it, this central building stood firm, there was not the slightest c***k or window they could exploit to gain entrance. Finding themselves once more at the door, Elly tapped her foot impatiently.

“These buildings quite often possessed escape tunnels in case they came under siege, perhaps we could find—”

“Over here.” Daniel called from the distance; they could just see his figure standing beside one of the crumbled outbuildings, leaving them to wonder when he had strayed. He gestured for them to join him, all the time glancing inside.

The small crumbled ruin was nothing more than an entrance to what would have been a sleeping bunker, perhaps for the guards who protected the shrines. Rotted pieces of blankets, thick with slime, formed from the exposure to the elements, were carefully spaced upon the stone floor. In the shadows of the far wall lay a mound of bricks, the rubble covering the floor outwardly, almost as if something had dug its way through. Not one of them, on seeing this, failed to consider that with such a clear escape route it was possible the hold on the creature was no longer in place.

Hesitantly Zo approached the gaping hole, the air smelt heavily of earth and decay. Inside was dark, in fact, dark was an understatement, as they looked in through the hole they could see nothing at all, not even a ray of light from outside seemed to penetrate the empty void.

They had deliberately avoided the mention of the creature as they had made their way here and still they spoke no word on the matter, but it was impossible not to consider it, especially now they made preparations to enter its domain. An uneasy air spread amongst them, none of them wished to voice their fears on what they may face, nor could they even imagine what lay in wait. This was the first part of what had been referred to as a game; this would be their first encounter, their first understanding, of what it meant to be a player. The silence stretched on.

“Well, I guess we go in?” Zo swallowed her rising fear as she stepped closer to the gaping mouth in the crumbled wall, she leaned forwards slowly, in an attempt to peer deeper inside. She tried to get an understanding of what they would face, however, the uniform darkness continued to conceal all. “But we don"t even know if it will go inside the temple.”

“It will, given the consistent design of such places, this crevice should lead down into one of the chambers.” Elly stated confidently from the entrance. She had very carefully been estimating the distance, there was no doubt in her mind that this would prove to be the entrance into the creature"s lair.

“Y" could fall forever.” Eiji suddenly grabbed Zo, an act which nearly sent her tumbling through the fissure. She had been so focused on her attempt to see inside the belly of the beast, she had momentarily lost focus on everything else. “There"s no way of knowin" how far it goes down, there may not even be a floor.” He moved to stand beside her, as he too looked down into the eternal pit of darkness, unaware that by his actions he had very nearly made her test his theory a little sooner than she had planned. All the time he nervously passed a small pebble over his fingers as he thought of their options, or more specifically, his only choice, between death or death. If he were to leave now, Elly would strike him down for sure, he wasn"t foolish enough to assume he would be safe simply because there were others present. This in mind he decided to continue and try to prolong his life a little further, and enter. It would be better than being killed here and now, although his mind warned him if his instincts were correct, there wouldn"t be much difference between the two. He wondered if anyone else had noticed the strange scent of death which hung heavily in the air.

He took his hand from her shoulder as he continued to contemplate his non-existent options. Zo placed her hand on his to still the pebble, she smiled taking it from him.

“I didn"t plan on jumping in,” she stated, turning the small stone over once in her hand. “The sun"s rays are full of might, bestow on this the gift of light,” she whispered. She felt the warmth of the magic pass through her as she began to condense and change the power she had been granted by the surrounding environment. It felt different to normal, heavier, but she tried her best to control it. In the corner of her vision she saw Elly roll her eyes.

A small ball of light appeared, hovering in the air just before her. It was no bigger in size than a small plum, yet it shone brightly enough to illuminate the air around it as it pulsed in time with her quickened, nervous breathing. She glanced down to the rock in her hands and sighed.

Daniel, although he watched in awe as always, found a slight frown had crossed his brow to mirror the one on the face of his friend as she once more glanced down to the rock, then back to the ball of light.

“That"s not what I meant to…” Zo"s words were spoken with such a soft confusion they were barely audible. She couldn"t understand why it hadn"t worked as she expected, she had read the elements and requested the light to shine from within the rock, but instead, once again, her magic in this world had a consequence other than that expected, she couldn"t understand where it had gone wrong. It almost felt like being an amateur again, unable to completely control even the most basic magic.

Stepping closer to the edge, until there was nothing left between her and the steep descent into the temple, she reached for the light, but instead of being able to take it in her hand to manipulate, her fingers passed smoothly through it. No matter how many times she tried she could not take it from its position before her, the weight of the stares from her comrades made her feel the need to excuse her mistake.

“I guess I"m feeling a little off.” This was the only justification she could think of for the strange occurrence. When it came to magic, she normally had no problems commanding its total obedience, yet for some reason, this time, it had chosen to ignore her will for the light to enter the stone, and instead took a firm residence in front of her, perhaps it was something about this world. Since arriving here, it seemed very little of her magic worked as she had planned. She could only assume she had missed something, everything here felt so different to their own world, perhaps she was just a few degrees out in her calculation of requirements.

She supported herself against the crumbling wall as she once more leaned inside the building. The light shone with just enough power for her to make out the marble floor about fifteen feet below the opening, the floor seemed a little uneven, parts of it seemed to trap and twist strange shadows, but it appeared safe enough.

“The floor looks solid enough,” she called back from inside the hole as she pulled herself out. There had been a moment when she wondered if the grey stones used to support herself would decide to crumble, but they seemed strangely sturdy despite the state of disrepair. Eiji moved to join her, in his hand he held one of the ropes they had brought earlier from Mr Venrent. Taking it from him she lowered it into the darkness, she leaned through just enough to be able to tell when it had reached the floor. It was too steep a drop for them to simply slide down and have any chance of returning, and if one thing was certain, they had to ensure they had an escape route, who knew what the darkness would hold.

Eiji took the remainder of the rope from her, moving to the left of the area he wrapped the rope around the sturdy, rusted iron gate which blocked their path to the next chamber. He rattled it before thrusting the force of his weight against it numerous times, to ensure it would not fall from the wall the second they made their descent. He wasn"t about to leave their escape in the hands of a small metal peg nailed into the ground.

He used the remaining length to fasten it not only around one section, but around individual parts and larger sections until no more remained, just to be certain it would not unwind, that way, even if the seemingly sturdy gate was forced loose, its size alone would mean they could still scale the wall to freedom. His mind warned him that even with these precautions, once they stepped foot inside, none of them were going to be coming out again. His mind recalled the images he had seen in the paralytic sleep, he reasoned by ensuring their exit was secure, at least there was one less thing that could go wrong.

He gave it a few more tugs to ensure there was no chance of it unfastening itself, perhaps several more tugs than were actually necessary. By the time he had reached them, Zo had already started to descend into the unknown territory of Aburamushi"s lair.

As she reached the bottom, a wave of tiredness swept over her, for a moment her legs became weak, forcing her to lean against the damp wall, her back and hands pressed against it firmly as she tried to obtain a better view of her new surroundings.

A strange pain radiated through her, it felt as if her entire body had been engulfed in flames. Every part of her flesh felt as if it were burning, during that fleeting moment, through the agony, she truly believed she had triggered a curse, perhaps an ancient magic which was sealed within the chamber to ward off intruders. She bit down on her lip to prevent herself from crying out. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to rush down before she knew what they would face, besides, to cry out would surely serve no purpose aside from alerting something unpleasant of their arrival.

The pain grew more intense as the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, she feared her chances of restraining the agony any longer. She crossed her arms before her letting the wall take her weight as she tried to restrain the cries. Then, suddenly, it was as if someone had released her from the spell, as quickly as it came, it had vanished. As the tension drained from her body she almost slid to the floor, had it not been for the wall at her back, she knew she would have no longer been standing.

After taking a few moments to regain her strength, she quickly scanned the area for curses, whatever it was, it had felt like it had targeted her life-force and magic, but aside from the heavy incantations and wards which surrounded the building, there was nothing she could feel that would affect anyone who entered. Perhaps, had there been more light, she would have understood the pain better, then maybe, she would not have been so quick to signal safe passage to her friends.

One by one they entered, she was relieved none of them had seemed to suffer the strange affliction she had, perhaps, she reasoned, it was a warning meant only for people with Hectarian powers, after all, the magic which surrounded the temple seemed to feel as if it came from a Hectarian source.

Daniel moved to position himself next to Zo, which was not difficult since she was the only source of light in the area. They all stood near to her, barely daring to take a step into the darkness. Through the pale light all colour was lost, only shadows of the paths before them were visible. Acha moved a little closer as Eiji finally finished his climb down.

They had emerged into an antechamber, to their immediate left, barely visible, stood the crumbled wastes of a passage. The stonework which once formed the entrance arches was now nothing more than an obstruction as the corridor had collapsed. Moving forwards, stepping through the dried, crumbled water feature, they could easily see their desired path, one which would lead them closer to the central building. Darkness enshrouded the area sealed by the huge cast iron gates. Approaching them, Elly searched for a lock or other means of access, but it seemed this path was one no longer open to them. There was just one other exit from this room, and that was down the crumbling passage to their right.

It was unbelievable how little difference the light made to the eerie darkness. It was almost like the glow of a small candle, only lighting objects in its close proximity, which made everything else seem darker. Daniel tried to calm his thought as he swore the twisted shadows just outside the light moved, from the corner of his eye he saw movement, he turned only to find another shadow flickering in the light. Something about this place made him feel uneasy. It was understandable, he reasoned, after all, they had just entered the monster"s lair, they were in its territory now and it knew its home better than any outsider.

The central chamber was magnificent, the parts of it they could see through the shroud of darkness revealed it to be a large empty space. The few soft, rotted seats seemed to have melted into the floor from years of neglect. This room was as damp as the others, their footsteps slow and careful as the water on the floor made walking on the marbled surface treacherous.

At the rear of the temple stood a statue, the deity it honoured no longer distinguishable as the defining features and symbols had long crumbled. From the shape, it seemed to be a female, the only discernible feature a large shroud which wrapped around her. The altar before the statue where the priest or priestess would address the followers seemed prominent against the gentle sloping of the area either side. One side however, seemed to shrink deeper into the shadows than its twin.

“There"s nothin" here.” Eiji whispered, his eyes panning around the vast open space in which they found themselves, suddenly he started to feel extremely exposed. There was nothing untoward about this area, could they have been wrong? There were a few other explorable passages, but he had been certain whatever they sought would be found right in the heart of the temple. The stench of decay seemed to have been growing increasingly stronger the more they advanced towards the central point.

“I would not be so certain.” Elly"s footsteps echoed as she approached the altar. It was a few seconds before Zo realised everyone else had begun to move. She hurried to catch up with them, for some reason, she couldn"t shake the overwhelming tiredness which seemed to stifle her. The infrequent drops of water, which dripped somewhere near them, seemed almost hypnotic as she tried to decide where they came from, they were too distant to be within this room.

The shadow from the light danced over the unearthed, cracked marble tiles, where something had burrowed deep into the bowels of the temple. The heavy stench of decay emanated from the piles of sodden earth which lined the area around them. As they stood examining yet another descent into a dark void, Elly secured her second rope to the statue. Often she was thought overly cautious, bringing multiple ropes, but she liked to be prepared for situations such as these. She lowered it into the depths and waited for Zo to descend. After a few moments had passed, and she still remained staring unseeingly into the hole, Elly gave her an encouraging nudge. An action which seemed to startle her, but it had the desired effect as she began her descent.

The area they encountered was as black as a moonless night, once more they found themselves huddled around Zo, the light so pale against the looming darkness. The solid marble floor stretched around them. They had expected some form of burrow, instead they found themselves in yet another room. It was from within these walls the infrequent sound of dripping had originated. Acha wiped a drop from her skin wondering how a place so far below ground could possibly be so damp.

“It seems like this temple has secrets of its own. If we could see more, I am certain a place like this would have a main light source.” Elly stated, it was rare a temple would have its own hidden chamber, she could only guess its purpose. It could be anything from a solitary study to storage of unique or even dubious artefacts. Even with all her adventures she had rarely beheld places like these.

“Huh?” Zo shook her head, suddenly aware Elly had addressed her. She looked to her friends cautiously, could it be that the creature had somehow penetrated her magical ward? She stifled a yawn behind her hand, the rest of them seemed fine, but she felt as though she barely had the energy to take another step.

“I was saying, if we could see more then perhaps we could find a way to light the area,” she repeated watching her carefully. She could read her well enough by now to know something wasn"t quite right. Her skin seemed pale even in the limited light, she looked to her a moment longer as she waited for her words to register.

“Oh, yes, of course.” Daniel also looked at her questioningly as she answered, she was clearly distracted, but by what he was unsure. He glanced around as he wondered if perhaps her senses had told her something they had missed, but from her actions, he had to wonder if she was even really in the same room, she seemed so distant. “A tiny flame can burn so bright, enhance us now this power of light,” she muttered. No sooner had she finished her unenthusiastic words, a blinding flash encased the entire room, a light so bright it hid things almost as well as the darkness had. They moved quickly as Zo focused on maintaining the light, her body seemed rigid. As the light expanded and grew they spread out to make the best use of the moment. They groped around the damp walls as they tried to locate anything they could use as a permanent light source. Since Elly was certain there was one, not one of them doubted they would succeed in finding it.

The tension left her body, causing the light to fade as she fell to her knees gasping for breath. It receded quickly leaving her to watch as her friends were swallowed by the darkness. By the time it had vanished completely, they were too far away to notice their friend"s distress.

With all illumination extinguished they could only trust their memory of what they had seen through that brief flash to guide them. The sound of something moving was heard through the darkness. Each one of them unwillingly froze, convincing themselves the footsteps that approached belonged to one of their group. Acha covered her mouth as what she could only assume to be a large drop of water fell down her back. It felt like something had traced its finger down her spine. A gentle breeze teased through her hair, she closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to move on through the darkness. For a moment, she swore she had heard something behind her, she turned quickly towards the sound, despite knowing that, through this darkness, she had no chance of seeing it.

A breeze once more came from behind her, she began to panic. The noises of the room somehow seemed louder, closer than before. A rough scraping sound echoed around her and a strange hiss filled the air as the wind teased the hair around her ears. She let out an involuntary scream which she soon silenced as she became aware of the growing light in the room"s central point. Elly stood near a large brazier which now roared and crackled with the freshly lit flames. The light was only faint but served its purpose.

This room, this secret place, had been used for unholy acts. Instruments of torture littered the floor and hung from the walls near raised marble slabs, but this was not the cause of their alarm, the cause of their shock came from something far more grotesque.

Acha stood in paralysed horror; the perfectly positioned light ensured they saw more than they had possibly wanted to. Looking around the chamber, the answer to one of the questions asked repeatedly had been revealed to everyone. Everyone, that is, except Zo, who was bent over on her hands and knees unable to catch her breath as she slid to the floor. Above them, the riddle of the missing town people had been solved.

“By the Gods it"s some kind of…” Daniel stopped unsure exactly how to finish the sentence; another red droplet fell from above, it seemed to fall in slow motion to burst on impact with Acha"s skin. The flickering firelight acted like an amplifier to the horror they saw, the lighting just perfect to create the most horrific scene they had ever set eyes upon.

Everywhere their vision turned was human flesh, ripped and torn to breaking point, forced to stretch beyond the realms of possibility by either the fine hooks or the strange webbing of silver saliva which seemed to support each of its victims. At least a hundred bodies hung suspended in grotesque, unnatural, positions, their bones disjointed, their flesh twisted where the hooks had penetrated. Despite the time which had passed since Aburamushi had taken them, not one of the bodies seemed to have decayed. They hung like fresh corpses, blood still dripping slowly from their open wounds.

Dark ringed, bloodshot eyes seemed to stare towards them accusingly with a piercing gaze which chilled them to the bone. It appeared as if these figures watched their every move from their twisted, disfigured, positions. In the flickering light, it seemed almost as if the congealed walls bled. In contrast the stone floor seemed almost dry, as if it had soaked the fluids into it like a sponge, leaving only the stains that were evident under each body. The figures watched them closely with what appeared to be a look of anticipation.

The red droplets of rain had started to fall more frequently, almost as if their presence had excited them, it fell now like a gentle shower. It was easy to convince themselves the movements they thought they saw were caused by the flames as they danced, but then, something happened which completely destroyed their comforting logic, they heard the first chain move.

It was a slow sound, it rang through the temple like the toll of a bell. It was only seconds before another joined the chilling chorus. The noise was quiet at first, perhaps a trick of the wind they reasoned, trying to ignore the rational side of their mind which told them, that down here, there was none. Then all fell silent once more, everything grew calm as the silence returned to reassure them what they heard, had indeed, only been a trick.

They walked the room carefully as they looked for whatever it could be that had brought them here, searching for a symbol, a key, anything they could be here to collect. They had to find it, they knew time grew short and not one of them wanted to join the ceiling artwork.

A hand reached down suddenly to swipe at the air before Acha, with this single attack, the room once again sprang into life. The chains above them began to shake as those held suspended started to fight and struggle, the death-like moans and screams of the tormented choir, echoed through the temple as they fought with quick unnatural movements, which stretched their skin further and further.

Acha became aware of another strange noise, a noise which did not belong to those suspended within this place, a noise which was neither chains, the dead, nor the crackling of the fire. A noise she should know but couldn"t place.

A loud c***k echoed through the air as Elly struck her, the action itself causing strange sparks to briefly appear in the air around them. It was only then, when the noise stopped, Acha realised it had come from her. Everything once more descended into an uneasy silence, but for how long, was a question none of them wished to ask.

“Do you want to join them,” Elly hissed, nodding towards the ceiling. Acha"s eyes were wide in terror as she shook her head slowly in reply. “Keep that up and you will be, or are you forgetting, there is a monster in the vicinity. It probably already knows we are here. Let us just get what we came for and go, before it decides to add us to its collection.”

“We can"t just leave them here, right?” Eiji looked between his friends for support. The screams they had released, those tortured cries, were the same as those he had heard when Aburamushi had come for him. He knew to leave them here would be wrong, inhumane.

To him, there was nothing more horrific than the thought of leaving those bodies to hang from the ceiling forever. His senses alone told him they weren"t dead, not really, perhaps they were intended to appear that way, but there was no room in the realm of dreamers for beings who belonged with Hades. It was clear they were simply displayed this way, perhaps as a secondary punishment for their crimes.

There was no doubt in his mind at all, the people here were the residents of Abaddon, those ensnared by Marise Shi, surely this was their only chance to free them, to return them to their normal life, undoing the horror which had been forced upon them. “Right?” he questioned again with a little more power behind his voice as Daniel and Acha turned to look at Elly, after all she seemed to be the one with all the answers. It was clear it wouldn"t be as easy as needing to find a way to unhook the victims. Not that scaling these smooth tiled walls wouldn"t prove a challenge, but if this was truly Marise"s doing, things would be far more complicated.

“Do you think Mari would just let anyone free her prisoners?” Elly looked straight at him in an attempt to ignore the urge to look again at the people above her. It reminded her of a twisted rendition of a famous cathedral she had seen as a child, but it, like most things, had been destroyed when the Old Gods" Era came to an end. If she were to make a reference to it, not one of them would understand, but she knew the placement of these bodies had to be more than just a coincidence, they were dealing with something very old.

“But she"s not here, she wouldn"t know,” he protested as he looked again at the mothers, children, and families suspended above them in their gruesome positions, certain now they really did watch him.

“Although she may not be here, her magic is. It will not be as simple as just releasing them, her work is always secure. Any who try to tamper with her workings would be certain to regret it. Besides, this place is just a limbo, if you truly wanted to help them you could not do it here, it would have to be attempted at the origin of the spell, correct?” Elly turned to look at Zo, suddenly realising she had been very quiet since their descent. It was only then, as her eyes fell on her slumped figure, she realised why. Acha was at her side instantly, she touched her shoulder as she lay on the floor, at Acha"s touch, much to their relief, she moved slightly.

sheIt seemed she had been there some time, the blood from the earlier rain covered her hair and back, she seemed to have lacked the strength to move. It had been as if her body had failed her, she hadn"t been sleeping, but nor could she claim to have been aware of anything which had transpired around her. Acha helped her into a sitting position.

“Zo,” she gasped. “Are you okay?”

“I think, I overdid it,” she whispered as she felt the familiar pain washing over her, similar to that she felt before but only on smaller parts of her body, parts which had been touched by the fresh blood as it had fallen. She managed to move her legs around to pull herself into a kneeling position. Acha helped her to her feet. It was a helping hand she had desperately needed, despite her previous efforts, she had lacked the strength to sit, let alone stand. The small orb shone dimly, following her every move as Acha helped her to regain her balance.

Daniel knew better than to crowd her, instead he carefully examined a figure which had caught his attention. She appeared so life-like, yet unlike the others she clearly was not. She had made no attempt to move or struggle like those above them had previously, this figure had stayed motionless the entire time.

The girl looked somehow familiar, her long golden-brown curls fell just short of her chest, her eyes, although filled with blood, still had within them the slightest hints of baby blue. He knew without a doubt she wasn"t a native of Abaddon.

In the few seconds of laying eyes on her, the image had robbed him of all those years he had believed it would be peaceful to die during sleep. He had not yet come to realise that which Eiji had previously. Had he, he may have executed a little more caution. Suddenly, her name left his lips, plucked from the air as he concentrated on her image, he knew it was her name, he remembered her.

“Liza.” As he heard himself speak, he realised why she looked so familiar, she had been on the missing poster board for perhaps two weeks now. A place he regularly checked in case, one day, it held a picture of his friend. She was the daughter of a well-known family, it was thought her disappearance may have been due to kidnappers, although there had been rumours she had run away to escape her world and live with the one she wished to marry.

Her body was suspended like the others from above by barbed hooks, but she was strung more like a marionette. Her feet dangled barely inches from the floor as she hung in a crucifix position, although the horror of the painful demise did not stop there, moments before her death, her stomach had been split, forcing all which rested within it to fall with gravity. The blood was fresh, Daniel was willing to wager her flesh was barely cold, but he lacked the stomach and courage to test his theory.

“I think, maybe that"s what we"re after.” Daniel pointed into the cavity created by what used to be the girl"s stomach. Within it was a small, circular, blood-soaked object. Even from a few feet away, Daniel could make out the symbol on the stone rune. “Sacrifice.” He looked to Zo as he spoke the words. “This whole place exists because of Marise, it makes me wonder if this Darrienia situation is her doing as well. It"s certainly twisted enough.” Daniel stepped back to give her some room as she motioned for him to step aside. It seemed she had now regained her composure.

“No, I don"t think so.” Zo responded in a quiet whisper as she moved within reaching distance of the corpse. Something about the symbol called to her, she knew she had to be the one to take it. Everything fell silent except for the pounding of her heart within her mind. It beat so loudly, seeming to increase in both rhythm and volume with each step she took.

Slowly she extended her arm towards the figure, the light before her ensured she saw more details, more pieces of the human anatomy, than she cared to. She closed her eyes tightly as her fingers sealed around the object, Zo cried out in pain as the girl"s blood dripped on her flesh, it felt like something restrained her while it tore open her stomach with its bare hands. She tried to will her body to move, but the pain rooted her in place. Something moved inside the girl causing a fresh flood of pain as more blood spilt upon her. With this movement, the figure"s head shifted, to turn sharply, unnaturally, to look at her, try as she might she could not move.

Eiji grabbed the back of her cloak pulling her back sharply, at least five of the hooks which suspended the bodies shot from somewhere to one side of them. It was only thanks to his quick reflexes, brought on by his understanding of this place, that only one had actually pierced her. They looked to its source as they heard the sounds of moving chains, unaware they had barely missed a glimpse of the shadow as it moved.

The girl"s arms swiped violently but due to the restraints holding her she lacked the mobility needed to strike, her hand passing just inches away from Zo"s horrified face.

“Stay still.” Eiji whispered as he looked at the blood running from Zo"s arm. The wire seemed to tighten as if it tried to pull her somewhere, he bent slowly to unfasten the knife from his boot, watching for any tell-tale signs of movement.

There was a sharp pang with an unsettling undertone of something soft and organic as the wire he cut recoiled. Elly took the rune from Zo, wiping the blood from her in one clean motion. No sooner had she stepped aside, the pain stopped. It was something Elly had done with such autonomy it made Zo question again the nature of their previous relationship. The sympathetic touch was something she kept private, most people, even those with a basic knowledge of magic, didn"t realise its existence.

“It has got to come out.” Eiji squeezed the flesh around the hook hard enough to increase the flow of blood. For the first time he felt genuine sympathy for her, he hadn"t realised it until then, but she had the healer"s curse. It made him wonder how Marise could have taken so many lives. The sympathetic touch would have surely made such acts unbearable. He looked at Zo, who was still trembling. The skill was powerful, but it never normally affected people in this manner. From what he was led to believe, they would be aware of the discomfort, but still be able to move and function in order to treat the sufferer. Perhaps, for some reason, this place interfered with her magic on a level they couldn"t understand.

“Erm, guys?” Daniel almost whispered, unheard by any.

“It"ll hafta go right through.” Eiji stated examining the serrated edge. He knew this was the only choice, it reminded him of the many times he had caught himself on a fishing hook. He would now do for her, what his master had done for him. There was something disturbing, organic, about its structure, almost as if each tiny spike was a tooth or claw from a greater creature.

“Guys?” Daniel repeated a little louder, but again it seemed no one heard him, perhaps if they had seen the horrified look on his face, or his ghastly pallor, they would have paid more attention.

“Ready?” Zo nodded closing her eyes tightly as Eiji began to push and turn the hook, she bit her lip as the pain exploded through her arm, a pain with no comparison to that she had felt when she had taken the rune from the girl"s body, or unknowingly pressed her hands against a blood drenched wall, but it hurt none-the-less.

When the hook was removed he dropped it to the floor, unaware Elly had quickly collected it and slid it into her pocket. She was not so foolish as to leave something which could be used for enchantments in a place belonging to such a beast. Especially considering that if the beast"s summoner was to die in just the right way, it was possible it would be granted immortality, who knew what such a thing born from Hades would be capable of.

“Guys!” Daniel"s voice echoed around the temple as it bounced off the walls several times, by the time it had faded he had their full attention. He pointed towards the one detail which had gone unnoticed against the camouflage of blood. The fresh dripping trail, left by the inhabitant of this twisted nest, that had moved across the floor to mount the wall beside the hole, had never actually passed through it. “The creature never left the chamber.” His tone once more dropped to a lowered whisper, the same kind of tone expected from a child who was afraid of being caught doing something it shouldn"t. Not that his lowered tones really mattered, all of them had made so much noise it was impossible to believe they had been unheard.

A single drop of blood fell from above to smear Acha"s cheek. They knew the area they stood to be free from the suspended corpses. Their relocation had been a deliberate attempt to avoid further attacks. This single drop meant they could no longer deceive themselves into believing the attack on Zo had been nothing more than a trap triggered by her movements. Knowing this, all but Acha stared fearfully into the darkness above.

Although masked by the shadows, the pair of eyes looking down upon them from the ceiling were clearly visible. It was then they ran. Eiji jumped up and down as he tried desperately to scale the hole from which their rope had not only been removed, but kindly wrapped into a coil on the floor. Elly grabbed his arm pulling him towards a dead end, her hand striking down on a stone. Above them the grinding sound of moving rock echoed as Eiji"s waving arms beckoned the others towards them. Elly shoved him up the appearing staircase as the stone wall slid to one side, revealing a spiral ascent. One by one she hurried them through to emerge beneath where the temple"s deity had stood.

Eiji fled to the door banging on it in the hope that it would open, yet, just like before, it stood firm. He rattled the handle several times, after all, hadn"t Zo said it could be opened from the inside? Meanwhile as they saw this path was blocked, Elly and Acha ran to the passage they had first walked to gain entrance to this central area, only to discover the same style of bars, which had blocked their way from the first chamber, now sealed all their exits.

Elly grabbed Zo, who had stayed completely still near the hole since their ascent, waiting for the creature to emerge, ensuring it was unable to make a move towards any of her friends while they searched for the exit. As Elly pulled her away, the creature simply sat and watched them, its eyes just visible through the depths of the hole. It followed their movements like a cat hunting a mouse. Elly pushed her towards the doorway, none of them could penetrate the bars, however, there was one of them who could breach the threshold.

“Sword, now,” she commanded shoving Zo ahead of them with a force which nearly made her lose her already fragile balance. Despite stumbling a few steps, the sword was drawn on command. A strange light filled the air momentarily as its blade of darkness and light formed, the glowing orb before her appeared to fade slightly as the blade was summoned.

The door seemed to shatter even before the sword had touched it, although she was sure this was just a figment of her imagination, something about it disturbed her. It hadn"t felt as if contact had been made with it at all. She had a very bad feeling about what had just happened, one which started deep in the pit of her stomach. As the strike followed through the sword faded into a fine wisp to leave her holding the drawn hilt.

“I would keep it drawn, just in case.” Elly stated as she hurried them out of the temple.

“It"s not like I had a choice.” Zo gasped as she started to run. As always, Daniel grabbed her hand, but she started to fall behind. He glanced towards her, wondering if this was really the same girl who could easily run for miles, for her, this level of exhaustion was unnatural. It was almost as if every step she took was an enormous effort, he seemed to be literally dragging her along after him, his lead forcing her steps.

He didn"t need to glance behind to confirm his fears, yet for some reason he still did, the creature had followed them. There was still a good distance between them, but this gap was closing quickly. Its movements were as unnatural as the tangled mass of bones and muscle which constructed it. Despite its awkward build, it moved swiftly in pursuit. It was not a creature of their world, but they already knew that, they knew it was a creature pulled from the very centre of the underworld, a summoning. But knowing the thing that chased them should never be, knowing the very principal of it, scientifically speaking, was impossible, did not comfort them at all. The creature was neither human nor beast, and they were in Darrienia, the very place monstrosities like this could freely roam.

From the brief glimpses they caught as they ran, they saw it held the appearance of a skinned creature, and no matter how illogical or unreal the creature was, it did not change the fact it pursued them. As it gave chase its organs moved, trembling with its every step. There was something playful in its movements, and despite its awkwardness it gained, yet then, as if toying with them it slowed, allowing them to increase the gap between them.

The twisted form of man merged with beast pursued on its hind legs, running with a canine gait, baring its enormous, jagged fangs in a wicked snarl. With the imbalance of the strange limbs it seemed at times its rear would overtake the human hands used for forwards balance. An alteration of its unnatural stride quickly amended this, despite the apparent clumsiness of its sprint, its speed was remarkable.

“How come it left the temple? I thought it was restrained.” Eiji gasped as he put in a little extra effort to stop himself from falling behind. It seemed last place in this race for life belonged to Zo as Daniel pulled her along desperately. Eiji reflected on how they seemed to have done nothing but run since they had first arrived; first from that dragon and now this.

“It seems its creator released it.” Elly answered, avoiding the urge to glance behind them. She had known by having Zo break the door, any restraints which bound it would have been broken, but she hadn"t expected it to pursue them with such intent. She had thought on gaining its freedom, in an attempt to avoid being banished, it would have simply retreated. “I warned you Mari encrypted things, or maybe it is hunting, after all, it is free to hunt.” Eiji knowing what he did, already knew more than he wanted to. He turned his vision forwards and suddenly noticed there seemed to be a sixth member to their group, a figure who seemed to lead their escape through the forest barely a few paces ahead of them.

The creature remained in pursuit as they ran. When they had entered the forest earlier, they had only seemed to have walked for minutes, yet now it seemed to stretch endlessly before them. It was clear, not only were they lost somewhere deep within the forest, but the creature merely toyed with them, allowing them to think they had a chance of escape when clearly there was none.

It knew eventually it would have them, it was the same thought that raced through each of their minds as the gap began to close. How could you fight such a creation? It should be dead, yet it lived. As a being summoned from the underworld, it would live until its creator banished it, it discovered a way to become immortal, or the binds of the spell which summoned it were severed, or decayed.

The distance between them began to close, a gap this time they found difficult to widen as the creature drew closer by the second. It seemed it had stopped playing.

“There"s no way we can outrun it.” Daniel gasped. The energy he expended as he tried to keep Zo with him had begun to take its toll. Her hand suddenly jerked from his as she tripped and fell. He skidded to a halt, as did those who ran before him. Zo sat up quickly, turning her body to face the creature. “Zo!” He turned back towards her, hoping he could reach her before the creature did, but before he could even move it was upon her.

Night appeared before Eryx Venrent, who immediately rose from the old beaten chair which stood before the recently lit log fire. Eryx had been wondering how long it would take for one of his minions to pay him a visit, but for Night himself to arrive was something he had not expected. He ran his hand around the back of the chair, willing his old bones to move to face the area he felt the unmistakable power radiate from. A tired smile crossed his wrinkled brow as he faced the direction he knew the god stood.

“You truly are a man of your word. I thought maybe you would have had your minions descend upon me, after all, they"ve been watching me for some time now, ever since I…” The elderly man paused deciding it was better not to proceed with the direction of the conversation. “Yet, you stand before me smelling of promise.” The old man gave a slight respectful bow.

Night did not speak, he simply watched for a moment. Time had not been kind to the man who stood before him. He and Eryx had once been great friends, until the day he had betrayed him, an act he would never forgive. For this, Eryx had paid a heavy price, Night had taken his vision and had vowed to complete his revenge when the time suited him. Although this did not mean when they were in each other"s company things were unpleasant between them, in fact, Night was quite civil. He addressed the business at hand politely, but one day, Eryx knew he would make true his threat, it was a day he awaited.

“I have to wonder, what a mighty power such as yourself could want with a child like our Zo.” Eryx asked the question, he knew but part of the answer, he knew part of the reason Night would seek her, but even without his sight, he could see there was something more to this than he knew.

“All in good time old friend, first I have to deliver that which I promised in exchange for your service.” Night was beside him before Eryx had even felt him move, he felt the draught of air pass before him as the god gestured his hand before his sightless eyes. As he did so something changed, he felt it start deep within him, then all at once the darkness became a little lighter. “Do not strain yourself, to see after such a long time is a shock to the system.”

The old man felt his way back to sit in his chair. He could almost make out the flickering light of the fire before him, this was more than he had seen for over twenty years. Anticipation filled the air around him, he could already distinguish colours, shapes, everything was coming back far quicker than he first expected.

“Tell me, what are your plans for Zoella?”

“I"m sure all will become clear in time, first a drink.” He touched the old man"s hand guiding his fingers around the tall glass. “Your promised youth will be found at the bottom of this, the process may take an hour or so, maybe less.

“As for sweet Kezia"s child, she was born for one true purpose, to serve me. It has been some time since you have seen her, correct?” Night smiled, passing a picture to the old man. Eryx squinted finding a slight amount of focus on the parchment. As it became a little clearer, he stared at the drawing open mouthed. She was almost the reflection of her mother, her long brown hair held the same warm red glow reflecting the warmth and kindness of her heart, it was tied back loosely, the shorter layers fell to frame her face. Her eyes however, unlike Kezia"s, were a stunning blue, a trait that without a doubt came from her father.

She knelt by a cabin, a trowel in her hand, she smiled brightly as she tended to the garden. She had her mother"s smile, a smile so warm and friendly it reflected in her eyes. No matter how you felt, whenever Kezia had smiled there was nothing to do but return it, just seeing it would brighten the darkest day.

“I was surprised by how quickly she had matured, I never thought a year"s training would have been adequate, but something happened which proved me wrong.” The old man passed the picture back to him and smiled, maybe a girl of such pure heart and soul could bring a softness back to his eye. It was clear how much he cared for her, maybe she could ease his temper and calm his rage.

“Gods rest my heart, she looks just like her mother, how Kezia would smile to see.” He took another mouthful of the sweet tasting liquid, it reminded him of a fine mead he had once sampled in his younger days.

“The resemblance is remarkable, this was done six months ago when we were looking for her. You see, she somehow vanished from Blackwood"s care and ended up in Crowley, no memory of her reign.”

“Reign? What a strange word you choose to use.”

“Indeed. Anyway, I must depart, I have many things to attend to old sir.”

“Forgive me for asking, but for this favour is my debt cleared?” The old man shuddered as he heard Night laugh, it was a deep haunting laugh which could drain the life from his very body if that was his desire.

“Cleared? I have paid you for your favour, this is no more than an exchange of goods for a service. Surely a trader such as yourself should recognise this. The Epiales have watched you for some time plotting how to carry out my revenge. Of course, they could not approach since you could sense them. You"ll find with your sight restored that sixth sense of yours will quickly vanish. With your new-found youth, who knows, maybe we will have another lifetime to continue our games.”

With those final words Night vanished, leaving the old man with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew one day he would have to answer to Night"s judgement and he had just been deceiving himself in believing this single act would atone for what he had done. He had fooled himself into believing their friendship of old may offer some redemption, but considering what he had done, he knew he deserved whatever he was dealt.

The old man sat back on his chair, his mind wandering back over the day. Before he knew what was happening, voices ran through his mind, he had no choice but to listen.

"I have about a ten-year gap… I awoke in an unfamiliar place." Her voice echoed in his head as images of the past began to race through his mind. He travelled back eleven years. It was Zo"s twelfth birthday but she wasn"t to have a celebration, no one wanted to be acquainted with her kind. Instead she left for the Blackwood academy. How her mother had shone with pride.

I have about a ten-year gap… I awoke in an unfamiliar place."She somehow vanished from Blackwood"s care and ended up in Crowley."

She somehow vanished from Blackwood"s care and ended up in Crowley."No memory of her reign."

No memory of her reign."No memory at all of the last ten years."

No memory at all of the last ten years."I never thought a year"s training would have been adequate."

I never thought a year"s training would have been adequate.Just over ten years ago Marise Shi had first appeared, she had been a child of thirteen and deadly beyond her years, it was rumoured she worked for a lord by the name of Blackwood, although those who uttered the accusation only spoke it once.

He awoke in a cold sweat unaware of when his consciousness had left him. As he lay on the floor in front of the extinguished embers, his entire body shook. He was unsure where those dreams had come from, but they had brought with them a deep terror, one which gave birth to a feeling of dread as he realised what he had been too foolish to see before. Night didn"t care about Zo for the reasons he had first thought, he cared about her because of her power. If he manipulated events carefully he could not only obtain the Grimoire, he could use her to train his armies as a commander to his reign. Was this really the truth behind why he sought her?

“By the Gods, what have I done?” He raised his once wrinkled hand to cover his face, a face which now possessed the texture of youth, but even youth was of little comfort to him now he knew the price of his actions. “Why didn"t I see it before?” he questioned. “The dates were there, but this old fool was blind in many ways. Too blind to see the awful truth that lay before me so clearly, what curse have I bestowed upon Zo, upon our world?”

In his hand he still held Night"s elixir. Standing at a speed his old bones would have defied he cursed, smashing the glass which had housed the poisonous temptation into the fire. Had he realised this before, he would never have agreed to the proposition, he now knew the true terrors he had helped to release. He had but one choice, and that was to try to stop her before anything happened. He wondered if perhaps she would listen to reason, the Zo he knew would, if it wasn"t already too late, he had to tell her everything.

From the distance he felt them, Night"s minions still watched, he had to rectify the situation before the sense repelling them faded. Mere hours had passed and already his senses had become so much weaker, then again, knowing Night as he did, he doubted his revenge would be instantaneous, after all, as Night himself had stated, he could have another lifetime of waiting.

Zo felt its sickening breath upon her face as it sniffed the air around her, its hands resting on her shoulders as it pinned her down with the weight of its body, its hind legs straddled her. It glanced up towards her companions baring its teeth as it snarled viciously, warning them away.

“What should we do?” an unfamiliar voice whispered. They turned to look at the stranger, his short brown hair dishevelled from their retreat, yet somehow still looked styled in its chaotic form. His questioning eyes seemed so dark against his pale complexion. He stood amongst them almost as if he had been there all along. “We have to kill it before it harms her.” Eiji stepped forwards to the challenge, as he began to focus a light breeze began to rise around them.

“No!” Elly commanded grabbing his arm in order to break his concentration. “Wait.” As much as she feared what this could mean, she had to trust in the creature, trust it would know its creator and consequently still its aggression. They knew for certain Zo lacked the energy to repel it, her poor attempt at their escape had proven that. She lay now, eyes wide in terror as she struggled for breath, yet there seemed to be a certain calmness to her. A single tear left the corner of her eye as she looked upon it. It was almost as if they shared a silent understanding, a conversation hidden amidst the chaos.

Obeying Elly was their only option, her guidance was respected as her decisions and reasoning so often proved infallible, they could only hope this remained true. The creature snarled and growled as it repeatedly sniffed the air. Eiji shifted uncomfortably as he waited for a signal, for a command which meant he could do something, anything, to get the horrific creature away from them, away from her. Despite who she was, at this moment he felt the need to protect her. The girl who lay restrained was not the murderer Marise Shi, regardless of the things he didn"t understand, she was not that assassin.

The creature looked at Zo as it tilted its head to one side to study her carefully. Its white eyes seeming to absorb every detail, her copper low-lighted hair, her fearful blue eyes spilling with tears. It took in everything to the smear of blood on her right cheek which she had, unknown to her, wiped from her hands to her face. It was the blood from inside the temple, the blood which had caused her the immense pain as she first entered, but it had dried now, as had effects of the sympathetic touch.

Without warning its tongue stretched out to lick her cheek, leaving behind a trail of saliva and blood, but Zo did not move, she did not make a sound. Her eyes simply gazed up in awestruck horror as her body trembled.

Then, for no apparent reason, it quickly dismounted moving to stand beside where she lay. It gave her arm a gentle nudge with its muzzle. She lay unmoving, simply staring up into the green foliage. She lay there long after the creature"s weight had moved, long after it had nudged her to prompt a response. She lay there until finally she found the strength to move. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, the creature seemed to watch over her as she pulled herself to her knees. There was something almost protective about the way it now behaved, it seemed eager for her to stand, refusing to stray from her side. All the time it continued to look towards the group, growling with murderous intent. It stood beside her for a moment longer as she regained her balance, her vision now fixed on the blood-stained grass, as she supported her weight against a nearby tree.

It glanced to her before quickly returning to its pursuit of her friends, who, for whatever reason, remained rooted to the spot as the creature advanced towards them. For a second, Zo could only stare at the place the creature had been, but then, all of a sudden, like coming out of a trance something inside her snapped.

“Enough!” she screamed, the echo of her voice ricocheted around the deserted forest. The creature stopped on command and simply stared at the place its prey stood. She looked to her friends before seeing the newcomer amongst them, the stranger"s eyes locked coldly with Zo"s. She found her hand rested on her sword"s hilt instinctively as the stranger glanced to the creature and back to her again. The creature padded the ground uncertainly and like the stranger, looked between her and them as if waiting for a command. Zo swayed slightly despite the tree"s support, the ball of light before her chest illuminated her ghastly pallor, her pale skin now further enhanced by the dark streaks of blood left by the creature.

Eiji seized the moment of confusion and completed what he had started, the air grew dense, darker, as a pale ash descended around them. It thickened the air until nothing could be seen. Zo felt an arm grab her, she tried to fight it, but she was too weak to resist.

Eiji led the way, parting the ash around them as they walked, finally they emerged from the forest near a deep, crystal clear stream. It made a soothing sound as the shallower parts of the water washed over the protruding rocks. Through the crystal waters, making their homes near the central most point, small, fragile looking fish darted frantically beneath the surface. They were fortunate the creature had not forced their retreat into these waters, for even the smallest creatures within this world could prove deadly.

“Who are you?” Acha was the first to ask what the others had been desperate to know since the stranger"s appearance. This was the first time, since he had mysteriously joined them, that they had a chance to breathe, and it was the first matter to be addressed.

“My name"s Abi.” Elly"s posture seemed to stiffen slightly at his words. He looked around the group, almost as if he expected to be met with recognition, he gave a boyish smile when he received none.

“Abi? That"s an unusual name for a boy.” Acha commented before she could stop herself, there was a moment of silence before he answered.

“It"s short for Gabriel, I never liked it much.” He ruffled his hair uncomfortably as he flashed her a charming smile. “I really ought to thank you for what you did back there, you saved me from that creature.”

“How?” Elly questioned suspiciously, her narrowed eyes clearly reflecting the emotion she felt. She wasn"t going to let him get what he wanted so easily, but at the same time, she wanted to see how this developed.

“You didn"t see me? I… I was hiding. You see, I got trapped in the temple. While the creature was on the prowl, I thought I could save some of the people, but I couldn"t get back out. It knew I was there, but it couldn"t find me.” He looked to Zo, squinting at the light which still shone before her. “He was so close to finding me when you appeared, if not for you and your distraction I never would have escaped.”

He moved to join Acha as she knelt by the riverbank, he watched her for a moment as she washed the blood stains from her skin. As Zo approached him, he shifted uncomfortably.

“I"m sorry to ask, but can"t you do something about that light, after being in the dark so long, it hurts my eyes.” He gave them a quick rub as if to enforce his words, turning her back to him she shook her head gently. Daniel looked to her, she didn"t quite seem like herself, she seemed troubled. He approached, placing his hand on her shoulder, she gave him a weary smile, which soon turned into a yawn as Elly spoke.

“We need to cross the river, who knows how long it will take for that creature to track us down again.” They followed her downstream, the sounds of the water as it raced over the rocky riverbed seemed to lull them. So much so they hadn"t noticed the distance they had travelled, or the time which had passed.

An old bridge arched over the river in the distance. It was the kind of bridge seen in children"s drawings, the perfect semicircle stretching from one side to the other. When they reached it, Elly was the first to cross, the stranger looked at it hesitantly a frown crinkling his brow.

“I can"t cross this,” he stated sadly looking to Acha, something about him seemed so young, so scared.

“What do you mean, is there something you need to do?” she questioned, hesitating just before the bridge.

“No, nothing like that, it"s just…” he gave a sigh. “How do I explain this? I know I"m asleep, that this is all within my dream, and somehow, since you turned up I have been lucid dreaming, but unlike you, I can"t walk into the boundaries of other people"s dreams.

“Yet I fear if you leave me, it will find me again. It will never let me escape, and I will never wake from my coma. I"m sure my family must be worried, I have been sealed in this area for what seems like years.” He wrapped his arms around himself as if the thought of the creature chilled him.

“For years, were you sheltering in there all this time?” Acha questioned with sympathy.

“No, I was hiding, running from that creature as it hunted, it"s like I have been trapped in a nightmare and unless my family can find the cure, the only way for me to wake is to break the seal of this dream, to cross from this boundary into a normal dream from which I can wake. But to do that I need the mark.”

“The mark?” Acha tilted her head to one side before she realised what he meant. “How… well what would you need to do to be able to come along with us?”

“I"m sorry, I bet this sounds silly, I mean I doubt you are trapped here, I"ve had a lot of time to think about what"s happened. Only those bearing the mark, like you, may pass it on to others so they can aid them in their adventures. I can be useful, won"t you take me with you? I mean I may wake once I cross the boundary, but what"s to say we can"t meet again in this world, or ours? Perhaps I can repay you then.” He begged. Without warning he took Acha"s hand in his, with no time to react she was once more grateful for the gloves.

“What do I need to do?” Something about the request made her feel uncomfortable. It reminded her of a story she had once been told, about a troll who had been sealed within a cave. The only way it could leave was if someone were to take its place. After much planning it had tricked a young boy into doing so. Leaving him sealed inside the cave while the troll took his freedom.

“That"s simple,” he smiled, giving her a small knife, “you just need to give me the symbol, then we can all cross the bridge, together,” he said as if reading her fears. Acha smiled at his answer, the blood had already begun to drip from his arm when Zo spoke.

“No.” Her voice seemed so weak, so distant, and despite her words, she was unsure the reasoning behind them. Her reaction had been one of tired fear. She was still trying to understand the events involving the strange creature. It seemed almost surreal and she was still having problems organising her thoughts. “I mean, do you think it"s such a—” By the time she had spoken it was already too late, they had started to cross the bridge.

“I don"t know how to thank you!” he exclaimed as he reached the other side. He ruffled his hair again and looked at Zo, who had just joined them on the other side of the running water. “I know.” He stepped towards her, as he did so she unconsciously mirrored his step in the opposite direction to his advance. She didn"t know why, but she felt extremely threatened by this stranger. “I know a few tricks. I"m sure I can put that light of yours out, if you wish.” He took another step, again she felt herself retreat. “It won"t hurt. It"s just a quick reversal. Please, it"s the least I can do after all you"ve done for me, and it seems to be causing you some problems.” His hands reached out to position themselves either side of the glowing orb. Zo frowned, wondering exactly when he had managed to gain ground on her. For some unknown reason, the idea of this light being removed did not appeal to her. Regardless how ill this particular magic made her feel. Despite the fact she was tired, weak, and unable to remove it herself, she didn"t trust him.

“Thea.” Seiken stepped from the shadows of forest beside her, she stepped back just before Abi"s hands closed around the orb. “Your magic here is very different to that in your world. It is connected to you. As the possessor of the sacrifice rune, every piece of magic you do affects you from the moment you entered this world. Although you did not possess it at the time, it is the rune you are here to receive, your key, you each have one.

“Take this illumination you created for example, it is not simply a collection of particles that emit light as it would be in your world. It is a light projected from your soul. If it were to be extinguished, you in turn would die. To destroy your magic, is to destroy you.

“Another thing you should be cautious of, it takes a lot more effort to sustain magic here. To use it for any length of time is potentially deadly. To be honest, I am surprised you have the tolerance to use it in this environment at all. Not many can outside their dreams so it didn"t occur to me to warn you.” Zo stepped further back, her hands moved to protectively shield the light.

“But Abi knew that,” she whispered as she looked accusingly at the figure, suddenly her mind seemed to clear. “You!” she snarled; he laughed seeing the recognition in her eyes. “That creature wasn"t after us, it was after you. It was the guardian, the being summoned to protect the innocent, to keep you in order,” Zo snapped, pointing her finger towards him. Her friends turned to look at the stranger in surprise.

“Pity it can"t cross boundaries isn"t it? I guess the great summoner never thought I would be released.” He took a swipe at the orb once more, his hand barely missed, thanks only to Seiken"s quick reflexes as he swept his legs from beneath him. Quickly rising to his feet, he looked to each of them in turn as if committing them to his memory, still smiling as he did so. “Again, I thank you for your help,” he laughed, dusting himself down. “In return, I shall spare you, this time.”

With those words he vanished like a dreamer waking from their sleep. Somehow, they knew this part of his life-force was being reunited with its ties to their world.

Acha, realising what she had done, felt the bloody knife slip from her hand. As it struck the ground, it vanished.

“I don"t understand what just happened?” Acha turned to look at Zo, her face seemed to show the reminiscence of a smile. She knew it was nothing more a trick of the light, that horrible light which, it turned out, was projected from her life-force. It was little wonder sustaining it had made her so tired.

“That creature wasn"t after us, it was after Abi. Aburamushi is a shape shifter. It can assume the form of most life-forms. Although Marise was cruel there was also another side to her. To ensure the summoning only posed a threat to a certain area a guardian was created. One which could scare even the bravest of men, because of this only the ignorant and foolish would venture into its lair,” Zo stated suddenly to the confusion of her friends. Elly and Eiji both turned to look at her sharply.

“Why didn"t you say anything before, when we were at the temple, or before I gave him passage through the boundaries?” Acha demanded, the guilt in her voice ringing clear.

“I didn"t know. The guardian told me its story. It tried to warn me, but I couldn"t understand what it was saying. It spoke in an ancient tongue. It"s taken me this long to translate,” she lied slightly as she glanced across to Elly. She had understood all too well every word it had spoken and considering the circumstances, why wouldn"t she have? “Maybe Elly should have told you about it.” As if meeting Zo"s accusation they all turned to look at her.

“I did not know.” She lowered her vision slightly to look at the ground as she spoke. “She never told me!” she snapped, turning away from them as she made her way back to the central point of the bridge. If what Zo had just revealed about the guardian was true, it was an action unlike the Marise she knew, it left her wondering what other secrets the guardian could have whispered. Elly glanced towards the sky, it had already grown late. Staying on the bridge would be the safest option, especially considering the area.

She“But why was it sealed away in the first place?” Acha questioned.

“You saw for yourself how manipulative it is. Unrestrained it could pose a great threat. To have something like that without boundaries would not be a good thing. It needs to be banished, or at least the original spell reversed to reduce its power.” Elly looked towards Zo who now sat on the edge of the bridge looking very tired. She turned a small rune over in her hands, staring at it unseeingly. Strangely, Elly couldn"t remember returning it to her. She felt in her pocket confirming both it and the small pouch she had stored it in had been removed.

“I think maybe we have done enough damage. It"s getting late.” Zo spoke wearily as she placed the rune into a small empty pouch which now hung around her neck. “I"m feeling quite tired.”

“My thoughts exactly. We should stop here tonight, and when we get home we should head for Abaddon,” Elly stated.

“And besides,” added Daniel as he moved to sit beside Zo. “If what Seiken said about magic is correct, the sooner we get back the better.” He smiled at her as they made themselves comfortable, each swallowing the berry offered to them.