“Yes, there it lies,” he said.
To my surprise, Devin clasped his hands together and he softly chanted words I couldn’t understand. When he opened his hands, there were small flames in his palms. He walked toward me and placed the flames on my right shoulder.
“This should help your coldness,” he said. My body warmed up instantaneously. My clothes were dry, and even my hair was no longer damp.
“We will rest for a while and then we fly,” I said. Devin grunted. I knew he was not fond of the idea of flying again, but we had no other choice.
“Would you rather go on foot?” I asked as he walked away from me. He didn’t answer.
I wanted to arrive at Aloisio without much delay so that we could unite as many people as possible to fight against the Darkness, but my heart felt troubled and restless. I had not been able to read Devin when I needed information during the appearance of the red lights. Were my powers failing me? What were those red lights? Despite all the rushing thoughts in my mind, I knew I needed to rest for what was to come.
I slowly reclined my head against the statue and closed my eyes.
I saw myself walking through a forest. The vegetation was dense. My feet sank into the muddy floor. There were no sounds of the wind blowing nor of any animals. I used my sword to cut the branches and the foliage that blocked my path. An unexpected mist enveloped me. Distant whispering voices spoke undecipherable words into the air. As I journeyed through the mist, I caught a glimpse of a castle. Three colossal towers stood on their own, surrounding the front of the castle. I was surprised when I saw a lion statue in the middle tower. I looked intensely to be certain I wasn’t hallucinating. The closer I walked to the castle, the more visible the details of the castle became. This was the castle of Justicia.
The place looked abandoned. There was no light coming from the windows; the white walls were cracked and the moat had been reduced to piles of rubble. I flew toward the entrance, slowly stepping inside. The white marble floors and huge columns were still intact, along with the captivating staircase. All was quiet and ostensibly calm.
From behind me I heard footsteps. I glanced over my shoulder; my hand grasped onto my sword’s handle. Demetre appeared from the darkness, holding the Diary, slowly walking in my direction. My body froze; I stood speechless.
“You cannot escape, Isaac.” Once again, I heard voices whispering around me. In a flash, Demetre’s body melted like ice under heat and from the remains of his decomposed body, his fallen form, Corbin, arose. His piercing red gaze struck me with fear. I saw Nephele walking out from the shadows. Her blue eyes were fixated on me. Her skin was as pale as snow.
“I will always find you, Isaac.” Her voice was deep and ominous. “Your blood is ours. The Dark One owns your mind.” The images in my mind dissipated instantly.
“Isaac…Isaac…” I could hear a voice faintly calling my name. I opened my eyes to see Devin shaking me roughly. I leaped out of his grip and reached for my sword; he retreated.
“What is wrong?” he asked, shocked at my recent action.
I shook my head.
“Um…nothing…just a bad dream,” I replied, letting go of my sword. “Been having a lot of those lately.” I thought it best for me not to mention my dreams to him. Even though my heart was greatly troubled by them, I did not want him to worry any more than he already was.
“Should we take off now?” I asked him.
He stood to his feet. “Can you handle it?”
I nodded my head. We both took flight, leaving behind the gigantic statue. I felt an increase in my speed since my last ascent.
As we flew, images of the vivid dream seemed to be engraved on my mind. My heart was troubled by Nephele’s words. Devin was silent as he flew; his eyes were focused on Aloisio. The sky grew increasingly darker as we approached the Kingdom; the air around us felt colder. Without using my powers, I could sense that something dark was at work in the atmosphere.
Devin changed course, heading toward one of the hills; I followed behind him. Shortly thereafter, I noticed Devin descending in the direction of a valley located on the right side of the Kingdom’s wall. Again, I followed.
“Why are we landing here? The kingdom is still far ahead of us,” I asked him, bewildered.
He paced through the woods hastily, heading in the direction of Aloisio. “You don’t want to get near those walls with wings on your back, Isaac. Guards are positioned on top of them, watching day and night. This kingdom has always been known for its amazing skills in battle. They might think we are enemies.”
Because we were unaware of the situation here in Aloisio, I had no other choice but to agree with him. I trusted him. He had been around for some time and had extensive knowledge of these lands
After some time trekking through the woods, we found ourselves standing at the foot of the wall. Before us stood a massive corroded iron gate. Wooden spikes extended above the top of the gate about six feet. As I gazed up I saw two heavily armed guards chatting.
“Look there!” one of them exclaimed to the other. “Walkers…”
“What brings you here?” one of them shouted with a heavy accent, bending down to get a better look at us.
“We are simply travelers passing by. We would like to come in to buy some food and find a place to rest so we can be on our way,” Devin shouted.
“Wait there!” the other shouted.
Soon enough the gate opened and two other guards headed our way. Their armor was made of silver and underneath their chest plate they wore a red cape that covered most of their body. Their arms were heavily armored, and strapped around their waist was a beautiful silver sword. Both guards had blond hair and deep green eyes.
“Follow us,” they commanded. “Don’t ask any questions now.”
I hesitated. I could see Devin was also doubtful.
“Why should we follow you?” I asked. I looked up and noticed two more guards looking down at us.
“Hey!”
a guard shouted from atop the gate. “Is ev’rything alright?” His accent was also heavy.
“Yes…yes, everything is alright. We are just taking them in for quick questioning,” one of the guards with us replied. The guard turned around and continued to stand watch of the gate. Right away, I heard commotion coming from the wall above.
“Denali…they killed Denali and Fridverd. They are impostors!” he alleged.
Devin and I looked at the two guards standing next to us. “You will want to come with us now.” The one to my right gestured for us to follow them.
Quickly they led us through the gates. I caught a glimpse of a vast marketplace located at the entrance of the city. My attention was captured by the high towers of the colossal cathedrals and other grand monuments scattered throughout the kingdom. All the houses had golden roofs with etchings and designs on their walls. Every door and window frame possessed golden patterns that shone with great intensity.
We were walking amongst a crowd, trying to make our way through the busy market. After we moved past the crowded streets, we came to a graveyard that had been built near an abandoned cathedral. The graveyard was meticulously landscaped with many trees and beautiful statues that were erected near the old graves. The cathedral appeared old, unkempt and discolored; the stone walls were covered with mildew. The high tattered ceiling had become a dwelling place for birds and other night creatures.
“In there.” One of the guards pointed in the direction of an abandoned house located next to the cathedral.
I looked at him.
“Are you…do you really expect us to follow you in there?” I asked, looking at the state of the house. Half of the roof was missing; the walls had holes covered in cobwebs.
“If you want to know what Raziel has to say about the Gates you will want to follow us,” one of the guards alleged emphatically.
My eyes widened. Devin gasped. Without any resistance we followed the guards. I was eager to find out the secrets that Raziel and the Underwarriors had uncovered at the Gates of the Fourth Dimension.
The wooden floor creaked as we stepped inside the living room. Broken canvases hung on the remnants of the colorless walls. The floor was covered with shards of glass and broken pieces of wood. A massive hole stood where the fireplace had once been.
We continued to venture further into the house. Once we passed the living room, to our surprise, we faced an old, double iron door that to our surprise was wide open; the lock had been destroyed. We continued through the iron door and followed a dark stairway that led underground. The floor was no longer constructed of creaky wood, but of cobblestone. I felt water dripping down onto my head from the roof and looked up.
One of the guards lit a torch, but the darkness was still intense.
“Before we proceed, could you tell us your names?” Devin asked them.
“Danathaniel,” the one to my right responded. “Cresta,” the one to my left replied. I sensed distress in their voices.
“The Nephilin?” Cresta asked scornfully. “Why is he with you?”
“I believe I can speak for myself,” Devin contested before I could even think of an answer.
There was an unnerving pause.
“Why should we believe anything uttered by a Nephilin?” Cresta asked in an aggressive tone.
“Please, this is not the place, Cresta,” Danathaniel interrupted. “We are almost there. We need to discuss more urgent matters. Raziel already told me about Devin. Let us say that he is…different.” His voice was calm, but weary.
“Light them up!”
Cresta shouted. Many torches ignited around us, bringing clarity to the room. It was an underground prison. Skeletons were scattered around us and beside me, standing in the shadows between the torches were many dark human figures.
“I apologize for our choice of meeting space,” someone from the crowd of dark figures said aloud. “Please understand that in the current state of things, we must be extra careful, especially with your kind, Devin.” Devin shot the man a cold look. “My name is Tonma, I am one of the commanders of the Underwarriors. Raziel has sent us here to inform you of the things we have seen.”
Curious, Devin looked around. “Well then, please tell us. Let us not waste any more time.” Devin’s voice inferred agitation.
“The situation is much worse than we imagined. Since the fall of Justicia and the Council, creatures of the Darkness, Shadows, Beasts and Fallen Stars have infiltrated Elysium. They are now living amongst the people, pretending to be ordinary men and women. Some citizens claim to have seen strange creatures roaming the forests,” Tonma exclaimed with concern in his voice.
After a brief silence, he continued, “The red lights you saw are called Whispering Lights. We can sense their presence when they are near. They were sent out by Corbin and possess the power to torture the mind.”
Tonma walked out of the shadows and approached us. He circled the room with his gaze fixed directly on us. His blond hair cascaded down his shoulders; his thick brown cape dragged along the floor, covering most of his body. “Aloisio has been taken over by the Darkness. Men were called by the king from surrounding villages to destroy all of the kingdoms of Elysium. The men were instructed to kill every person in sight, in order to create a greater army of Shadows.”
“Please tell us something we don’t already know, Tonma,” Devin replied.
Tonma continued talking, ignoring Devin’s sarcastic request.
“The reason why your powers are decreasing is because the Nephilins have taken over this territory and have found a way to cancel your abilities in this region. We are not yet sure how they managed to do it, but it has been happening to some of us also.”
I was struck with fear; this information caught me completely by surprise. Cancel my abilities? But
the Creator himself gave them to me.
“But how…”
“Marco, king of Aloisio, willingly surrendered his life to serve Lucifer,” Tonma continued. “He now serves the Darkness.”
“Where is Raziel?” I asked.
“He is at the Gates of the Fourth Dimension, fighting and defeating as many Shadows and Beasts as he can alongside the rest of the Underwarriors, but the Fallen Stars are not wasting any time. They are infiltrating Elysium, preparing for a swift attack designed to annihilate all of the kingdoms and exterminate the human race.”
“But I decided not to shed my blood; I decided not to accept Nephele’s offer. Even if all of the kingdoms fall, the Diary cannot be opened,” I said.
Tonma chuckled softly.
“Isaac, you are not the only one of your kind, my friend. There are other bearers…others of the bloodline. There are four more that have been chosen.”
“Other…chosen…ones?” I mumbled, astonished at this newfound revelation.
The storm of emotions that stirred within me was almost impossible to contain. All this time I thought I stood alone on this quest to overcome evil. Loneliness was a strong enemy I had to unceasingly combat inside of myself daily.
“How will we find the others who were sent here?” I asked, hopeful.
“Unfortunately, that I do not know.” He sighed. “This war is just starting, and you will need all of the strength you can muster to redeem the kingdoms of Elysium.”
Silence filled the room.
We were all in deep thought, trying to think of ways to defeat or delay the Darkness.
“What must we do, Tonma?” Devin asked.