The Brotherhood of the Abyss

CHAPTER IV – THE FABLE

Supposedly Duncan will be finishing his articles later that morning. But following the encounter with the False Spectres, Duncan found it hard to concentrate on his work. In fact he never made a decent article for his mind is clouded with unexplained worries. Yes, he knew that what he saw are mere False Spectres, just harmless images induced by rare and unusual phenomena. But Duncan had nasty feelings about those things he saw. Eventually Duncan left his article unfinished to patrol the city just to make sure everything is still in order. He makes a periodic observation in the sky, the likely place any intruders from another World may appear. So far the False Spectres never showed up again. But when Duncan returns by noontime, he hastily locks his doors and shuts every windows of his house. He then rushes upstairs towards his private study, and drags his box of magical items from underneath a loose floorboard. Cautiously he checks his surroundings several times before performing a magical spell.

     “Operio,” he said deep in his mind. The effect of the spell is immediate. The room rattles as something unseen spreads itself in every corners of the house. Now anyone trying to break in will fall unconscious and suffer from memory loss. With the house secured, Duncan opens the box of magical items and rummages for a seal and a roll of thick yellow paper. The paper seems to have a life of its own, for it responds to Duncan’s touch and unrolls itself flat on the desk. At first he hesitated as False Spectre sightings don’t really count as serious threat. But Duncan decided it would be better to inform what he saw to the Order. Duncan places a finger on the bottom of the paper and dictates his report. The paper will write his every word in black ink;

     “To The Order,” He started, “This is to inform of a possible threat spotted this 24th of September, Thursday Morning, 10:00 A.M. at the City of Saint Jude in the World of Men.

     “The incident involves the sightings of a phenomenon known as False Spectres. Though generally harmless, the False Spectres had taken the shapes of weapons of war, namely the Iron Beast and the Windsprite. Malevolent magic was also detected during the incident. This raises concerns of a possible illegal activities being conducted in the neighbouring Worlds. For your reference the Memory of the incident is attached below.

     “Regards to the Order, and Glory to the God and to His People…”

     As was mentioned in his report, Duncan will be including his own Memory. Using three fingers he pulls an ominous glistening marble-sized ball from his head. He embeds the ball of Memory at the bottom of his letter and it turns into a large red dot. He then sealed the letter with his Coat of Arms; the Crossed Black Feathers. This is a standard practice in the Order when relaying confidential messages. The use of the Coat of Arms in place of names ensures that the sender will stay anonymous in case the letter was intercepted.

     “Make a copy,” Duncan commanded and the letter magically reproduces three copies of itself. And like clay being moulded by invisible hands the copies morph into white swallows.

     “Now, address yourselves to the Grandmaster, to Velruthiel and the Captain of the 107th Squad,” Duncan again commanded before magically conjuring a small spiralling black hole. The paper swallows flutter away towards the spiralling hole and disappears. The reply from the Order is swift. Another black hole opens to let another messenger swallow enter his room. It makes a soft landing on his desk where it transforms into a letter. The reply is brief and direct:

      To Duncan,

                       A Mirror Conversation is requested.

                      Thank you.

     The letter bears the symbol of a staff impaling a dragon, the Coat of Arms of Kane, their Captain. Duncan reaches for a mirror with a stand from his box of magical items.

     “Enlarge,” Duncan said to the mirror. And the mirror magically expands to a size of a large television screen. In the Order, Mirror Conversation is a type of long distance communication using a looking glass. Though other means are possible such as thoughts, Mirror Conversation is more preferred for it allows you to see your correspondence. Mirror Conversation is also possible with any reflective surfaces but Duncan will be using the Mirror issued to him to save him the troubles of finding shiny objects in the room.

     “Show me the Captain of the 107th Squad of the Order,” he commanded. The reflected image in the looking glass distorts into a formless mass. When the image stills a masked figure in pelt cape now stares back.

     “Regards Duncan,” his Captain makes a greeting.

     “Same to you Sir,” he replied.

     “Now let’s make this quick. According to you, you just saw something suspicious in your World.”

     “Yes Sir, two magical anomalies. False Spectres to be exact...”

     And Duncan began narrating every details of that incident. His Captain listens while examining the Memory he sent (the Memory can be viewed by pressing the red dot on the bottom of the letter).

     “Dark magic then False Spectres, curious indeed,” his Captain muttered.

     “Excuse me Sir, but what’s curious,” Duncan asked.

     “You’re not the only one seeing strange shapes lately child.”

     Duncan’s expression darkens.

     “You mean incidents like this are happening everywhere,” he then said after briefly going silent.

     “Messengers from our informants are flying non-stop, each reporting how they saw menacing shapes in the sky. But your case is different. The False Spectres you saw comes with strong magic.”

     And Duncan didn’t liked what he just heard. In a low and worried voice, he just said, “so, it’s possible that it was induced by destructive magic.”

     “We would soon find out. But seeing the shapes of the False Spectres, it’s likely that this is the work of someone in the Mirror World. As we all know, Windsprites and Iron Beasts are only used in the Mirror World”.

     “It happened before; the Fifty Vagrants are also after my World. Do you think Sir that the incidents are connected?” Duncan asked.

     “But I don’t think this is the work of any criminal groups this time, nor it had any connections with the Fifty Vagrants. For one thing, words had reached us that every bandit in the Mirror World now distrusts Earth Demons, the only one capable of sneaking into other Worlds. They attributed the Fifty’s downfall to the Demon’s treachery. For another, the Vagrants are still in prison and no bandits could afford a complex vehicle like a Windsprite.”

     “Would it be possible then that the Empire is involved,” Duncan said, remembering that the Windsprite is one of the Empire’s main arsenals. And suddenly a terrible vision of an army marching from a parallel universe swims to the back of his mind, making his spine tingle.

     “We are not sure, but the theory sounds. The Empire’s nobilities are known to mingle with forbidden magic to show off power and prestige.”

     “They are wasting their time and resources then. There is nothing interesting or rewarding in the World of Men.”

     “What made you so sure? Your World could have hidden secrets. Sporadic and scattered magic was once detected in your World and the lack of magic had made it an easy prey for invaders. Remember the Fifty Vagrants?” His Captain replied which made his stomach turn.

     “Our World do holds vast resources after all,” Duncan said bitterly.

     “But whether the Empire is involved or not, that’s yet to be confirmed.”

     Duncan’s set his gaze at the closed window, as if longing to head out and hunt the perpetrators himself.

     “Before everything else child,” his Captain said suddenly, “we need to discuss the security of Saint Jude.”

       And the nervous knot tightening around Duncan’s throat seems to loosen.

     “We will send two of our members to guard your place. The rest will help track-down the perpetrators,” his Captain added

     Feeling grateful for the help that just arrived, Duncan then muttered in a low voice, “Sir, there is one thing,”

     “Speak of it.”

     “I want to help Sir?”

     His Captain considers his request for a moment.

     “Planning to go back to work?”

     “If my service is needed Sir,” he said, wondering what his Captain had been thinking.

     “Ready to kill again,” his Captain asked sternly.

     And without hesitating or recollecting the bitter memories he had in the battlefield, Duncan then replied with such fierce sincerity, “If killing is what would make my city safer Sir, I’m ready.”

     Again, his Captain went quiet for a few minutes.

     “You now had the reason to fight again, but should that be enough?”

     Duncan never understood what his Captain meant. Duncan could feel his eyes boring through him, as if he could read his thoughts even though they are Worlds apart.

     “You go on with your vacation child, you would need it,” his Captain said suddenly.

     Duncan looked down, partly disappointed on what he heard.

     “But I could still do non combative role,” he suggested.

     “A stubborn one huh, go ahead, do what you must then. But don’t get in a fight understand?” his Captain growled.

     “But that’s something I could not promise. Anyone doing harm to my home will have to go through me,” said Duncan fiercely.

     His Captain eyed him; his expression under his mask is hard to read. Duncan can’t tell if he is irritated or angered.

     “As what the Grandmaster reminded me when he saw your letter, you could get violent if Saint Jude got caught,” his Captain said then.

     “Saint Jude is my home after all, the last place I became human.”

     “But your fellow members are more than a match to any invading armies. They will have no problems protecting Saint Jude.”

     “I always trusted the Order Sir, but I felt that it’s also my personal duty to ensure its safety.”

     After some silence, his Captain finally said, “Then promise me you won’t do anything rash. Remember the terms of your leave.”

     “Understood Sir,” Duncan replied, feeling thankful for the Order is there to help him.

***

The Order’s response is swift.  Within minutes, the promised help arrives and Duncan later saw two black figures gliding unseen among people. Their trained hounds disguised as stray dogs will help patrol the whole city, while the birds of prey will watch the sky. As an added protection, the Order will be using defensive spells to help ward off outside intrusion,

     The vigil of the Order continues overnight. And while the others tirelessly prowl the vicinity, Duncan stays awake in his house, all senses alive and vigilant.  Every hour he will go out and patrol the city himself, sometimes checking if the hounds have found something. At some point, he thought he saw the False Spectres reappearing, or spotted a Demon lurking in the corner. Yet those are mere products of his agitated mind or simple trick of the light. Thankfully everything seems to be okay and Saint Jude remains safe and quiet by daybreak.

     The first thing Duncan did that morning is to visit the hounds. He found one resting in the City Square, and it waged its tail as soon as it saw him. When he made an eye contact, the animal reveals its hidden form. Duncan is now looking at a wolf-like creature bigger than a bull mastiff. People walk past it, unaware that it could kill an elephant and crush iron with its jaws.  

     “It is Friday morning. Fancy having a walk,” said Duncan to his animal, “You know I’m thinking of asking our Captain if I could take you to our neighbourhood.”

      The dog gave a friendly earth-shaking bark.

     “After your mission we will go hunting deer. Our place has lots of those,” he then said as he pats the fearsome creature. But Duncan saw another dog peering out intently from the fenced bushes beside the road. The animal never breaks its stare, and Duncan seems to understand that it’s calling him. Duncan’s hound neither barked nor growled.

     “Now make a round here, if you see something suspicious you know what to do,” he reminded the hound before setting it loose.

     Duncan jumped over the fence to follow the dog. The sound of the scurrying people in the City Square dies as the dog leads him towards the dense backwoods beyond the road. Deeper and deeper they plunge until they reach a clearing where they stop. From the relative dimness of the woods the dog steps into the light and a terrible animal is revealed. It could have reduced all the hounds of the Order into fluffy kittens. Thick shaggy coat blacker than the darkness of the night covers its great body and two yellow eyes blazing like twin fireballs stares from a wolf-like face. The beast is armed with large canines protruding from sides of its mouth and dagger-like claws.

     Slowly the wind began to pick up around them, gradually spiralling into a gentle whirlwind with Duncan and the dog in the middle. The wind had magical properties. It will make them invisible to normal humans. And the dog did something creepy; it talks.

     “I saw you speaking with your animal out there and I thought you might need someone to talk to,” it said in a low growling voice.

     “I just found talking to an animal much preferable, at least they don’t say something behind your back,” Duncan replied.

     Steam starts to rise from the dog’s snout, but not due to anger.

     “Clause is right. I first thought that you are jerk, you don’t talk too much,” it said to him.

     “I just couldn’t find a good listener, that’s all.”

     “I’m never been a good listener myself. In my youth people seems to avoid me.”

     “Funny, in my case it’s me who avoid people back in High school. There is no such thing as a true friend back then,” Duncan darkly reminisces.

     The dog or Simoun as he is called growled in a canine laugh.

     “And another thing,” Duncan continued, “seeing something strange around here lately?”

     “Nothing more dangerous than a wolf playing with its cubs in the forest floor, and so far everything is normal. Except for the three of us I supposed.”

     The two look up and a large eagle flies by.

     “How about Boniface, I been seeing his birds flying around here.”

     “Even he didn’t find anything except . . . “

     “Yes I know; Worldly Wanderers live in the surrounding forest.”

     As Duncan learned from the Order, Worldly Wanderers are non-human beings inhabiting remote places such as wastelands and forests. They are the remnants of the War of Heaven, a conflict fought by God and the devil Lucifer during the beginning of time. Worldly Wanderers are angelic beings who had once sided with the prince of darkness. They had now chosen to stay in the mortal worlds, detaching themselves from human contact and condemning all forms of violence as an act of atonement from their wrongdoings.

     “They are generally peaceful and shy creatures that would rather go into hiding, I don’t reckon that the False Spectres are their doings,” Simoun added.

     “Neither do I and I know the feel of Dark Magic when I sensed it. But did you considered asking their help, they might know something.”

     “It will be a waste of time, most are too scared to even lend a hand. They had too much experience with armed conflicts anyway although Boniface had reported that a large population could be found at the foot of the three mountains.”

     “The wilderness is their preferred hiding place. It is no surprise if you find a nation there.”

     Simoun then began noticing something about Duncan.

     “You are wearing a Human Skin aren’t you,” he asked him.

     “So what if I did.”

     The Human Skin is an artificial disguise which allows the wearer to appear as full human.

     “Don’t tell me that you never mastered shape shifting,” Simoun snorted, for Human Skins are only used by beginners in the Order.

     “Not quite, I just want to feel more human,” Duncan answered readily.

     The bells from the Cathedral then echo across the woods like a cry of a massive bird.

     “The morning Mass must have ended.”

     “You know, our Cathedral had two belfries; one facing the east, and the other . . . “

     “Facing the west?” Answered Simoun, but Duncan just went silent.

     “The west . . . it flew westward,” Duncan began to mutter to himself.

     “Are you saying something?”

     “The west . . . no, it can’t be right.”

     “Hey are you okay there,” Simoun growled.

     “Tell me Simoun, is the area near the mountains been searched?” Duncan asked after coming back to his senses.

     “That’s beyond our jurisdiction. We are only permitted to search the city and the surrounding woods within a five mile distance from the outer wall.”

     “I see,” Duncan again muttered. He fumbles for a notebook in his pocket to scribble something.

     “Now, where I should start,” Duncan whispered while jotting down a few notes.

     “How about sharing your thoughts Duncan,” Simoun snorted.

     “Not now, after I’m through with my research work, this might sound ludicrous though.”

     And he darted forward leaving the doggy form of Simoun wondering.

     “If only we are allowed to read minds,” Simoun shouted at the departing Duncan.

***

As soon as Duncan reaches his house, he again hurriedly locks the windows and doors and turns his laptop on. This is his usual habit when doing research. He preferred working in isolation, away from the noise and distraction of the outside world.

     “West, it flew westward,” he kept muttering to himself as he scans the internet for articles. He just came to realized that the False Spectres had flown westward, towards the direction of the Urduja’s Hollow. He had a funny feeling that the place had something to do with those images he saw. As a child he was told that there is a hidden world deep in the Urduja’s hollow; a secret realm inhabited by strange beings 

     “Interesting,” he said to himself as the False Spectres swims back in his mind. And crazy thoughts began to rush; most are disturbing rather than silly. Like what if the hidden world mentioned in legends is actually a gateway to the Mirror World? This could explain the shapes of the False Spectres and Duncan did not like the sound of that. He always feared the Urduja’s Hollow during his childhood, but later on he will visit the place to verify his theory. But he needs to do some research first about the history of the Urduja’s Hollow so his visit won’t be a waste of time.

     “This is stupid,” Duncan muttered. Surprisingly, articles about Urduja’s Hollow are scarce. Most are childish rubbish and there are only brief mentions and footnotes. Overall he never obtained anything useful from his thirty minute of surfing, and Duncan is taking the internet’s inability to give clues as personal insult. It never failed him before. And it struck him that he is looking at the wrong place. The answer had been in the city itself. All he had to do is to visit the library.

     The library is just a few blocks away and it is visible from the window of his study. Even at a distance, the library is recognizable due to its distinct shape. Duncan often thought it resemble something between a chapel and a mansion. And when he gets there a few minutes later, he found the place nearly empty.

     “Perfect,” he said to himself knowing he could do his research unhampered. And a familiar sweet scent fills the air, making his hair stand.

     “Oh no,” Duncan muttered as he senses someone approaching him from behind.

     “Duncan? Yes it’s you! What a lovely surprise,” said a gentle voice that belongs to Claire. Duncan turned and there she is, smiling sweetly at him. And Duncan could feel his leg turning into jelly.

     “H-hi,” he said as he raises a trembling hand, “just doing some readings, I guess.”

     Claire covers her lips so she won’t laugh. Duncan attempts a smile, but his twitchy lips only gave him a pained grimace.

     “A bookworm, are we? People don’t usually come in here these early hours. Most only stay here to hang out,” she chuckled.

     “Well, there’s not much to do at home, and I need to come up with new ideas for my articles,” he lied while rubbing his trembling hands together. Duncan instinctively looked at the wall to avoid her enchanting gaze, and saw something curious.

     “Wow, you’re finished with it,” he said while pointing at the framed painting of Urduja’s Hollow hanging on the wall. Claire had added extra details, from tiny figures of flying birds, to the looming Mount Urduja in the background.

     “Yup, just finished it yesterday,” she smiled appreciatively.

     “It’s nice, and that reminds me…”

     Duncan had almost forgotten why he is here. Seeing an opportunity, Duncan took a deep breath and said, “err, mind helping me research about Urduja’s Hollow?”

     It felt strange, like asking a girl to a date. Claire merely smiled and said, “A new topic for your article?”

     “Kind of, I mean I was told that there is a hidden world in Urduja’s Hollow. That will make for an interesting read.”

     “The Urduja’s Hollow. Nice choice of topic you got! You came to the right place Duncan. Just follow me in the folklore section.”

     “Do you have books about its history, just to add some realism to my article,” Duncan asked quickly, obviously tired of hearing nonsense in the internet.

     “Hmm, let’s see if we could find one. Its history is really obscure. And how stupid am I to leave a guest standing!” She said as he grabs Duncan’s hand and drags him towards a conference table made for two. Up close Duncan notices that Claire seems to be a bit paler than the last time they met.

     “Before we go searching the shelves, let me share you a story you might find intriguing,” she said, her eyes beaming. Duncan didn’t object; he had a feeling this will offer clues.

     “I love to hear it,” Duncan smiled awkwardly and Claire straightened her glasses.

     “Remember the last time when we first met?  I said there is a hidden castle in Urduja’s Hollow.”

     “Well, yes,” he said, knowing he didn’t remember much of their first meeting.

     “It’s a very ancient tale actually, and most believed it is connected to the secret world of Urduja’s Hollow.”

     “Err, do you think it’s just a variation of older stories,” Duncan suggested, thinking he is about to hear another version of the rubbishes he found in the internet.

     “Could be, though some folklorists believe it’s the basis of the legendary secret world,” Claire smiled, “anyway, it was said that the Castle was built by the Nature Spirit Urduja to deter the demons that haunted the forest. Inside the castle, as what’s indicated in various legend is an unknown entity that Demons feared the most.”

     And for the first time, Duncan is truly smiling. The prospect of a mysterious being living inside a castle deep in the woods is both mystifying and exciting.

     “Wow, I never found that in the internet,” he said dreamily.

     “It’s strange, but the story of the castle was rarely mentioned in other sources.”

     And reading the hungry expression in Duncan’s face, Claire laughs and said, “Sorry Duncan, but it was never mentioned in any sources what lived in the castle.”

     “Probably a yet to be discovered creature, or some supernatural being…”

     “You have a vivid imagination you know.”

     “I’m a writer after all.”

     And this leads to an exchange of ideas on what they might find in the castle had it existed. Some are reasonable, others are silly. Many are simply fascinating.

     “A refuge for the missing in the forest,” Duncan said, amazement dawning in his face after hearing from Claire that the castle and the secret world could be unlocked by those in need of a place to stay.

     “As some legend suggest,” she added.

     “It think it would be great if there is really a secret world out there,” Duncan said just to impress Claire. In reality he didn’t want any hidden realms near his hometown that might be used by the Empire as a shortcut to this World.

     “But I’m already happy with this world, I never wished for a hidden castle,” Claire chuckled.

     This made Duncan laughed, something he never did when facing a girl. Claire checks her watch and both are surprise to know that a whole fifteen minute had passed.

     “Oh I almost forgot, here,” Claire said after scribbling a list of books on a piece of sticky note, “here are the books you will need. I hope that will be enough.”

     Duncan accepts the list with trembling hands.

    “Thanks,” he said, finding his stay with Claire enjoyable.

     “Now let’s go to the folklore section!”

***

“You said the False Spectres headed…”

     “Westward Simoun, towards the Urduja’s Hollow,” Duncan replied to Simoun.  They are back at their makeshift meeting area in the middle of the roadside woods, one of the places in Saint Jude private enough to discuss sensitive issues without being overheard. Duncan finds Simoun to be a good listener, and he never hesitated telling him what he is up to these days. Simoun’s yellow eyes flashes with curiosity at Duncan’s stories of hidden kingdoms, palaces, supernatural creatures, demons and every variation of the secret world of Urduja’s Hollow Duncan found in the library books.

     “And this place you are talking about, the Urduja’s Hollow,” said Simoun, his tail flicking, “you said there is a hidden world there.”

     “That’s only a legend actually.”

     “And you could also find a castle there?”

     “You mean the Castle of Urduja,” said Duncan clearly enjoying himself now he had a willing audience.

     “Yes, the castle of Urduja...”

     “Where something lives that the demons feared, that’s what I heard,” Duncan added, “and what if those are not legends and the stories had basis in reality. I mean there could be an undiscovered world or a castle in Urduja’s Hollow and the False Spectres are its indication.”

     “That’s an interesting theory, but you should tell our Captain about this.”

     “But we need solid proof first. So far what I found are no more than collections of children stories,” said Duncan while thinking about the books he got from Claire.

     “Hmm, let’s visit this place then, or send one of our hounds to search the place. But then…”

     “Yes I know. If something is in there we would sense it right away. Going to Urduja’s Hollow will be a waste of time.”

     And with a great sigh both looked up. The sky above is clear and inviting. It’s hard to believe that days ago it was haunted by strange apparitions from another World.

     “All seems well here,” said Duncan, followed by a sleepy yawn.

     “Well, the False Spectres never showed up, and we never sensed any magical anomalies either.”

     “Maybe, whoever is planning to enter my World had lost his nerves.”

     “I heard our Division is doing their own investigation right now. We would soon know.”

      And on that precise moment, a pair of white swallows appeared. They landed on a stone near Simoun’s feet and transforms into two sealed envelopes.

     “Look we got messages,” said Duncan while reaching for their letters.

     “Where’s mine?”

     “Dogs aren’t supposed to read so let me do the honour,” Duncan suggested. Upon reading the first paragraphs, every colour on his face begins to drain.

     “Our Captain Kane is calling for an urgent meeting. They just caught a group of soldiers trying to break into another World,” said Duncan. After hearing this, Simoun extends a paw to reach for his letter.

     “No way…” Simoun exclaimed after reading the contents of his mail.

     “To our house,” said Duncan, “and Boniface should be informed.”

     “He probably knows that by now. And Boniface had a nearby outpost in the forest. We could talk to our Captain there,” Simoun said as they rush towards the middle of the woods.