The Ansville Gatehouse - Chapter 8

Following the old man home, Daren gets the 101 on what is going on with a brief history. What he doesn’t expect is the awakening inside himself to memories of a mountain kingdom recalled as a child. More than this though, as he struggles with committing himself to what is revealed, Alicia forces herself to show him through the mind frame, her own dark and horrific past.

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This is NOT professionally recorded and is not intended to act like it is. This is a free audio recording of “The Ansville Gatehouse” short story. If you want to help support my projects and perhaps one day be able to make this professional, you can help by going to https://andrewnusz.com and clicking on the “Support Me” button. My hope is that you will enjoy this enough to encourage the writing and future publication of my writings.
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Daren and Alicia followed the old man through the winding path that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Daren didn't know what to think of anything at the moment. His mind was still reeling from what had taken place with the Swordsman. The old man had no weapon, was as old as dirt, and had stood up to the man. Or was he a creature? His mind was having trouble thinking about all this stuff. And now, they were following a stranger who Alicia seemed to sort of know. He sighed inwardly, feeling his body ache. He was dehydrated and by the looks of Alicia, she was too. She stumbled on the easy enough path and he held her up a few times. He got her signature glare of being helped and he just smiled and whispered, "I know you're not weak. Stop being so dang stubborn!"

Alicia gave a sigh and leaned on him.

"Now was that hard?"

"Yes!" She grumbled softly and plotted on behind the old man who just shook his head with a chuckle.

The path wound a few more bends before water could be heard splashing somewhere ahead like the sound of a waterfall.

Rounding the last bend in the trees, the view stopped them both short.

The path took a ninety degree turn as it exited the forest to follow a river. But it was what was on the other side of the river that caught their attention. An ancient sanctuary stood in an ethereal glow of sunlight. The structure, a masterpiece of forgotten craftsmanship, stood on a forested cliff rising from the river bank. Spired towers and arched windows of a sand stone brick structure spoke of a bygone era, where artistry was still part of life. Ivy and moss crept lovingly along its weathered stone walls.

Waterfalls cascaded gently from the high cliffside where large carved out caverns below the sanctuary emptied it's natural spring water into the awaiting river below. Sunlight glistened in the water creating a thousand shimmering rainbows. The sound of rushing water harmonized with the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

The main hall of the sanctuary stood out, its grand arches framing an open terrace above the caverns with delicate vines and blooming flowers covering its brick structures. To the right on a higher cliff, another tower loomed in the distance. Silhouetted by mist rising from hidden falls and a natural rock formation arching over the river, the whole scene whispered of fairies, of an enchanted place.

Even the forest seemed different. It felt alive with vibrancy. Enormous trees stretched their arms skyward, sunlight glistening through their leaves. Golden light pierced through the canopy, illuminating the many secrets of this place. It felt magical, as though time itself had slowed to preserve this sanctuary from decay.

Daren stood in awe, his eyes beholding a sight he had only dreamed. For so long, his world was underneath a sky city. Now, he was looking on a fairytale wonderment that shook his heart. He didn't dare step another foot nearer for fear the dream would shatter.

Beside him, Alicia broke the silence. In a whisper, she said, "Do you feel it?" She lifted her head and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. "There's magic here."

Daren smiled, letting her have her fun.

"I can feel it! It's...healing me!"

Daren's smile faltered and he looked at her puzzled. "We're still in Michigan. There is no magic in this land, just man eating monsters."

Alicia shook her head, focusing on him at last. "Feel it, Daren! I know you can! This isn't-" she frowned at this and turned to the old man who leaned against a tree, amused at the whole thing. "Where are we, old man? This isn't...this isn't natural. It feels..." she closed her eyes briefly, thinking of the right words to use. Her eyes snapped open, her expression knowing. "We're somewhere in between!"

The old man clapped his hands gently. "Yes indeed, my princess." He disregarded her shocked look and went on. "This has been my home for a few years now." He waved his hands to encompass the whole enchanting forest and ancient buildings.

Daren narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Where exactly is here?"

The old man turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "Would you believe me if I told you?" He chuckled softly. "You have the memories of your people now. Search them and know the truth of what I say." He only waited a few seconds for Daren's shocked look at realizing the old man knew of the transfer of knowledge he had been given. "This place you have stepped into is a crossroads, a very ancient place on Earth. Similar to the place you are going, this place overlaps with another world, sharing some of its own traits, namely, the magic of creation. You are partway in the fae realm."

Daren blinked, trying to comprehend everything going on. It was a bit too much. He was more of a realist, at least he was fighting to hold to this idea. He suspected that the life he had lived was disappearing fast with or without his consent. Where that left him, convictions, truths, what made him himself, that was the part he was grappling with, struggling to stay afloat in a sea of uncertainties, of things that made no sense to rational minds. And then there were the memories.

Closing his eyes, he fought back the sudden anger growing inside. "Do I even have a choice left in the world? Or will I be led by invisible chains to a destiny I never chose?"

Alicia turned, her eyes rising considerably. "Are you wanting so bad to go back to the life you were living? I saw it! How could you possibly feel like this is you being dragged by chains? Look around you, Daren!"

He glared. "You don't get it."

"No! I don't!" she glared right back. "You have a rare gift, something so completely different than anyone else here. You have a chance to do something big, something with a purpose. But you'd spurn it because you want...what? What is it that's so important to you that you despise everything you see?"

"Free will," Daren said simply. "I want that more than anything. And it's being taken from me."

From ahead, the old man turned to glance at him briefly. "Perhaps you would have liked to stay in a city, having no purpose." Looking ahead again, he added, "That is the problem with most people these days. Nobody sees a purpose, living day to day, sitting in a chair with a gun to their head, wishing life would end." He paused and shook his head. Maybe you should look at this as an opportunity to escape that reality, a way to finally have purpose, have meaning, to be able to stand up and be proud of something." The old man stopped walking, turned to Daren with a knowing look. "There is a darkness in this world that has blinded man to truth. It is deliberate as it steals the hearts and minds of meaning. It grows and poisons this Earth so that soon, nobody will have the will to live. They will beg for a savior and find it waiting in the hands of the gods who plotted and manipulated this course to its dark worshipful end." He let the silence fill the air for a second or two. "No, Daren. Free will is not what is being taken from you. It's your purpose and meaning of existence that is being taken by force. You are free to see the truth others will be blinded to."

Without another word, the old man trekked on, making his way easily over moss covered cobbled stones as a walkway appeared, leading down to the water's edge where a small raft lay in the water.

Motioning for the two of them to get on, the old man took a long ore fastened to the edge of the raft and slowly paddled them across the river to the cliff walls that held the caverns and waterfalls.

A small landing appeared inches above the water's edge and the old man tied the raft off before climbing steps hewn out of the rockface.

Daren held Alicia tight as she climbed unsteadily up the rockface, holding onto a thin railing. When at the top, he let go of her and together, stared out at a colonnade entrance of an ivory covered two story building. It's windows were stained glass with a jutting tower in the middle of the ancient place. The whole place was something out of a fairytale in an enchanted autumn realm.

Following the old man to the building, they came at last to a giant iron door that seemed unmovable even by the toughest man.

The man simply raised a hand and the door slid open without a sound.

Daren opened his mouth, blinking dumbly at what had happened. Before he could ask a question, the old man waved his cane, indicating for him to step inside. Already, the atmosphere changed with a sweet smell of apple blossoms and warm lighting.

***

The main hall consisted of lighting from orbs of light high above and murals of men and women of some type of royalty, decked out in fine robes of office. A red carpet lined the middle of the hall to intersecting halls that split to different sections of the place the old man called home. Decorative items of every type had their place while looking as though they were ancient, like they had stepped into a museum of artifacts never seen before.

The old man turned down one of the halls before entering a large, spacious room. It was decked out in high-backed chairs and red cushioned couches that looked to be dated from a time long before even the wars dividing the country. From old fabric cushions to simple items that sat on a mantle of a fireplace, the entire atmosphere felt as though they had stepped back in time even before the industrial age. To one side, an arched opening in a wall led to a small kitchen area with an iron stove heating a pot.

The old man motioned to the cushioned couch, saying, "Sit down and relax for a bit." He made his way into the other room with a basket he had been carrying. At the stove, he opened the covered basket and produced several flower pedals and dropped them into the steaming pot. In minutes, the whole sitting room smelled of a tangy fruit mixed with a strange flower.

Daren gave Alicia a hand as she tried lowering herself to the couch. The amount of walking till now taxed her to where she struggled to even stand. She slipped from the walking stick into his open arms. Gently, he lowered her into a seating position where she gave a sigh of relief.

Seating himself next to her, he looked about the room, taking in the strange outdated house. To Alicia, he whispered, "This is a strange place. What do you make of it?"

Alicia shrugged. "It's cozy and inviting." She watched the old man pour tea into three mugs on the stove and leaned back, closing her eyes. "It feels....like home."

"I thought you were running from home," Daren gave her a puzzled expression.

She shook her head. "I don't know how better to describe it. "I'm just...home."

Daren gave up on understanding and watched the old man return with the three mugs on a tray. He sat the tray on a table between them and drew up another chair, sitting down. He took one of the mugs in hand, sat back, and lifted the mug to his face. Closing his eyes, he took in the smell for a second, savoring it before sipping.

With a knowing smile, the old man said, "Ah, the wonders of Elrosian flowers and citrus fruit." He sipped the tea before eyeing his two guests. "Go on, drink up. Its properties rejuvenate you in many different ways."

Alicia was the first to take her mug and sip its contents. As she did so, recognition filled her eyes. "This is freshly cut," she said in a somewhat astonished tone. She looked at the old man puzzled. "How did you come by them?"

Daren scrutinized his own mug before taking it in hand and sipped.

The liquid on his parched lips and tongue was inviting but it didn't compare to the taste that invaded his senses. Flashes of memories he never remembered till now sprang to the surface with lightning speed. He was seated at a long table in a massive hall filled with people laughing and talking. Beside him, his parents sat with smiles on their faces engaging in conversations with other people. The table itself was decked out in many different varieties of food.

Blinking hard, Daren took in a deep breath, realizing the tea had done this to him. The dormant memory was so vivid, it was like it had occurred yesterday! Just that one sip was like a kick that sent him reeling in awe. He blinked several more times, glanced at the mug puzzled, and took a longer sip.

"What is this!" he asked in awe. He looked at the old man in wonder. "This is..."

"A delicacy of the gods, some would say." The old man smiled at Daren's confused look. He turned to Alicia and said, "I have a few plants near the house I tend to while others have been spread out in the forest." He chuckled. "When I found you, I was picking some of the flowers." At her strange look, his smile grew even more. "I have had words with Queen Elrosa at times and she gifted me with a few of her flowers and replanted them here."

Daren looked from Alicia to the old man, feeling himself getting more lost as time passed.

The old man laughed at Daren's perplexed look. "I should not be talking without explaining things, I guess. My apologies, Daren. I just rarely get to talk as it is but more infrequent with someone who understands me." He nodded to Alicia.

Alicia turned her head slightly towards Daren. "He is referring to Queen Elrosa, queen of..." she pursed her lips, eyes wandering upwards, searching for the words. "You're still new to everything going on and I'm not sure how much of what was dumped into your memories can be dug up at once." She pursed her lips and asked, "Do you recall the realm of the Twilight Forest?"

Daren searched his memories, feeling like his head was going to explode from doing so. There was so much information, he didn't know how to access it. Shaking his head, he whispered, "Just give me a summary."

Nodding, she said, "The best way to explain everything is like this. There's a sister world to your world connected via the fae realm. Think in terms of ancient British lore, Celtic fairytales. In some versions, you have the British isles connected to the 'other world.' This other world is the home of fairies, dragons, whatnot. It's a world of magic." She paused. "Queen Elrosa rules the Twilight Forest on the furthest edge of the continent of Eden. It's a place of untouched mystery. This is where the Elrosa flowers grow, named after their queen."

Daren closed his eyes and for a moment, heard distant voices. One sounded somewhat like his father's. Images were blurry but the voices were clear though far away. He heard the mention of Queen Elrosa and a treaty she had signed with Dragonblood.

An image flashed briefly of a woman in regal, forest color clothing that demanded respect. Her stature was one of power and authority. Both father and mother stood in a court with enormous pillars and trees. Surrounding them, a crowd of people stood silent, decked out in strange flowing garb that resembled robes that matched the forest. Stepping down from her position on a raised dais, the queen, in flowing green and yellow colors, came towards father and mother with a sword in hand. She stopped short of mother and lifted the sword up in offering. In a singsong voice, the queen said, "May this be a gift to bring peace in dark times, a sign of an alliance between two houses, one that has been divided."

When mother took the offered sword, the queen said softly, "The sword is called 'Taurin' for it was forged in the Taurin mines, breathed on by the high lord dragon who resides there. It is a gift not lightly given except in hopes it can bring peace as you deal out justice to the Nightbreed that swarms this land. May it be a curse on the Garland house and their black rituals of depravity."

Blinking, Daren found Alicia looking at him strangely.

"Is the tea working on you?" She gave a thin smile.

Daren shook his head slowly. "I'm not going to get use to this. There's too much in my head. I can't...how am I suppose to know what to do with it all?"

The old man looked on him with a slight nod. "When the Cryptid Wars were over, everyone knew it wouldn't last. There were heavy casualties on both sides and a stalemate was drawn. There was peace for a time and man forgot his history." He glared, adding, "That forgetfulness has a source that is poisoning these lands even now." He paused and sipped his tea before returning his gaze on Daren. "Your parents knew this, knew they were not safe even in this period of time. There were agents secretly seeking out every last Dragonblood, killing the family lines. Returning to Earth was simply the only choice left despite the devastation and growing darkness."

Daren frowned, feeling lost. "How exactly do you know all this?"

The old man rose an eyebrow. "How would I not? They came to me seeking answers to what they should do."

Daren's eyes went wide, startled. "What?" He felt his insides twist and turn. So much of his own life was being twisted and pulled apart, things he thought he knew vanishing as if it was all a lie.

"They came to me," the old man said gently, "because of you. They wanted to protect you, shield you from those who would hunt you down." He paused before saying, "I gave them something to repress your memories so that your own abilities would stay dormant. They tweaked things to their own liking before planting implanting it into your mind." He leaned in close now. "Daren, you are of a house close to the royal bloodline, the right hand of the throne. Do not be deceived. The enemy knows you walk freely now. They will not stop hunting you down. You are a danger to them."

Daren scoffed, shaking his head. "A danger, huh? I know nothing...can do nothing."

The old man looked him in the eyes with a firm stare. "You are Dragonblood, son. Your race is born out of legends, of an ancient race created to be imbued with powers, designed to be elite warriors. The enemy knows you are a threat because he is the one who created your kind. Do not underestimate how much he hates the name Dragonblood. For it reminds him you escaped his clutches to turn on him by allying with the dragon lords as emissaries and guardians of these two worlds. Your place, your purpose, is to defend against the darkness. Your parents led the greatest portion of Dragonblood's warriors. The House of Cole is a name of honor and respect."

Daren lowered his head, feeling the old man's words bite deep. He saw himself in the alley, his parents laying in the street, blood pooling around their severed heads. He had done nothing, was helpless to do anything and lived in fear of those around him. He felt sick to his stomach as realization dawned on him harshly. They could have wiped out everyone around them easily. But instead, gave their lives so he could live in obscurity.

He blinked back a few tears forming and felt Alicia's hand slowly wrap about him. He tried to fight the feelings that flooded in and heard Alicia whisper, "It's ok, Daren. You don't have to hide the pain from me. I know you're thinking of your parents. You feel guilt, believing all this time they were weak. You believed a lie they created to protect you." She had hold of his hand and he realized she was inside his head somewhat. And right then, he didn't mind. He needed someone to know what was happening. He didn't want to be alone.

He felt her pull him towards her and he leaned in without resisting. It was a bit weird knowing Alicia was the one showing compassion but he accepted it willingly. Her arms were about him and they stayed this way for several minutes in silence.

The old man ran his fingers through his long beard before taking another sip of his mug. "I think it's time I tell you why you two are here."

"Huh?" Alicia looked up in puzzlement. She still cradled Daren in her arms. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't show up to rescue you by accident." The old man clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Five years ago, I was standing at the gate wards, guarding the way."

Daren immediately held up a hand. "Pretend I am ignorant of everything you're saying. Memories are one thing, understanding everything is something else completely."

The old man smiled and nodded. "I gave you my title name, 'drugiward.' This is the name given to a guardian of the crossroads between this and other worlds. Long ago but not as ancient as Celtic lore, the Garlands in their sciences, found a way to keep open a road from this and the other one. When Dragonblood escaped the clutches of the Emperor of Tausin, cousin to Alicia's father, they were helped by the lords of the fae, dragons, to form enhance on this idea, forming what is known as the 'Gatebridge'."

Glancing at Daren, the old man smiled again. "Are you following along?"

Daren nodded slowly. "I think I recall some of this from somewhere. Go on."

Alicia patted Daren's hand. "The Gatebridge is a man-made structure that stabilizes the crossing from this world to the next while inside the fae realm. If one gets lost in the crossing, the traveler will never find their way home again. It's a dangerous thing for humans."

"Then why cross at all?" Daren shook his head in wonder.

"Because," the old man said with a strange look in his eyes. "The wonders on the other side is what entices men." He paused as his eyes drew down. "It's what also causes the greed of men to reach heights never ventured before as well to become gods."

"My family..." Alicia looked down in shame at her clasped hands.

"Young lady," the old man shook his head. "There is blame enough to go around for everyone. Humanity is just that, corrupt. Given the right tools, even the best inventions will eventually see itself used for evil designs."

Daren shook his head. "What does this have to do with us now?"

The old man smiled mischievously. "Ah, now we come to the heart of things." He turned to the side and grabbed what looked like a marble globe off a side table and sat it between them all. Closing his eyes, he covered the globe with his hands for a second. When he pulled away, the lighting in the room dimmed, giving way to a pulsing light emanating from the center of the globe. It projected outward even as the remaining light in the room vanished. All that was left was what was projected from the globe.

Daren felt a gush of wind all about him. The couch he had been reclining in vanished. He immediately reached out for Alicia's hand and found their surroundings were gone.

"Don't think about it," Alicia said softly, her eyes slowly adjusting to a growing scene around her. "Let it take you on it's journey."

"You know what is happening?"

"It's called a 'journal map.' It tells you things you need to know about places and events." She placed her hand in his and squeezed.

The room around him was slowly fading away till all was various shades of grey. A few seconds later, color and light took shape till, with one startling glance, he knew he was staring down from the heavens.

An enormous mountain expanded before him with structures built into cliff sides with jutting towers and buildings forming small villages and roads leading to a massive palace sculpted out of the mountain itself.

In seconds, his heart pounded in his chest as recognition shocked him.

"I know this place!" He exclaimed in wonder. "This was in my dreams!" He turned without knowing how and his sight of vision took him closer to the mountain realm.

Even as he watched the scene play out, his mind flashed another memory. He was sitting in the seat of a train whisking down two long cables stretching from one mountain cliff to the next on a series of cables spanning through the realm. From the window, he saw off in the distance the towering spires of Dragonblood Palace high in the Whiteface Mountains. He blinked in startlement as words appeared with meaning. His mind leaped and sang as if remembering context.

The Whiteface Mountains were a long range of mountains that stretched from the far northern part of the continent of Elise to the bottom. Elise itself consisted of five human realms on Exodus where the mountains ran down the eastern side. Eden, as Alicia had just said, was the sister continent, consisting of mysterious and powerful races that weren't all human.

For long ages, Dragonblood stood as emissaries between the races, upholding justice and peace between humans and ancients, a term man gave the magic born races native to the world.

From his seat in the cable train, he watched in memory the palace built out of the mountain itself with towering spires reaching into the heavens. The train itself was part of a series of cable systems strung throughout the realm as a way to speed up travel within the many provinces that made up the kingdom. Within distant fog, an enormous wall jutted upwards with even small villages and roads built on the top. It expanded the length of his sight from one end to the other.

Turning his head slightly, Daren watched as just like his dreams, a war played out below.

Beside him, Alicia gasped, a hand coming to her mouth, eyes growing in horror. "No....this can't be happening!"

"But it has happened, dear child." The old man's voice echoed somewhere from behind. "The events you see are now part of history. While you sought to run from your family, these events played out.

"I don't understand," Daren growled in frustration. "What is it I'm seeing? Why was this in my dreams?"

"It is the fall of Dragonblood's kingdom. It is the herald of things to come both on that world and your world. With the fall, the instability of the crossroads is eminent."

This being said, the scene before them washed away like a wave of the sea being replaced by an old, homeless-looking man standing on the edge of a mountain pass.

"I saw him too!" Daren whispered, his eyes fixed on everything happening.

"Yes...but what you didn't witness is the fullness of what he said." The old man whispered. "Watch..."

The frail old man hobbled down a trail winding through the mountains with spiraling towers of Dragonblood's to his back.

Daren frowned and cocked his head to the side a little. He glanced at Alicia and she did the same. He wasn't the only one thinking it then. The similarities were striking.

With robes blowing in the mountain wind, the old man turned off the trail to stand at the edge of a cliff overlooking a valley below where a large bridge spanned. A river flowed underneath but from this height, it looked like a tiny creek with clouds floating by.

From behind, a group of councilmen ran, the same Daren had seen in his dream.

Turning to see the men running towards him, the old man stepped back onto the trail and lifted his arms in the air, staff waving wildly. "Behold, the hour of your fall is at hand!" He raved at the oncoming men.

The closest man to him glared. "Shut up, fool! I saw you trying to barge into the palace a week ago! Even here, we have allowed raving lunatics to infiltrate our realm! No wonder it is falling! Get out of my way!"

The old man narrowed his eyes and deliberately stepped in front of the council man. With a strange light illuminating him, he pointed the staff out.

A great crack of thunder sounded even as the old man's presence glowed.

The councilmen faltered in their steps, terror filling their eyes.

"Now listen as I pronounce doom on your heads, oh mortal man!" The old man's voice sounded like thunder. "You who were sworn to the Sword and the legacy it held. You have damned yourselves for your betrayal and Elyon has lifted His hands from your lands. Judgment is on your doorsteps. Now hear the prophecy of dragons." His voice growled menacingly.

Turning to the cliff, he cried out, "Hear me, children of the Midlands! Listen to my words and hold them to you. For in the days to come, you will be scattered across the stars. Heed my words lest you perish and all men with you. You have forsaken your God and his laws. Now hear my prophecy!

Three will become one and challenge the night.

A sword of flame will call the world to war but must be true in the hand of the believer.

The gods will make war and the worlds of the fae will shatter.

The exiled prince will be pierced and the night will steal his heart.

Night shall come on the clouds of death and blood will betray blood in dreams.

The world will split and the magics of death and life will collide.

The empty dragon's hearth will have a daughter who shall reign the night

And the sword in her hand will awaken the dark power within.

She shall be the empress of night and make war on her own blood.

And he who was bound between worlds shall be set free to return.

His eyes shall be set on destruction though his name be forgotten.

The bonds will shatter and the twin worlds shall watch in horror as each other collide.

Prepare the way crippled prince, renew your strength lest these things come to pass.

These are the messengers: an exiled prince, the lord of forests, and the emperor's blood."

The old man lowered his arms and turned to the frightened councilmen. "Heed my words, all of you who will scatter out of cowardliness. You have broken faith and doom yourselves even now. For no place you run to will save you from your own failing hearts. But prepare your people for the hour of time has not come yet."

Spinning faster than believed possible, the old man caught himself in his robes and vanished out of sight.

Daren blinked stupidly. "I don't understand..." He looked to where Alicia watched, her eyes fixated in horror.

In a whisper, she said, "How long? How long do we have?"

The old man's voice echoed, "It is not permitted to know the time. However, events are taking place even now that if it fails, will change the course of history and what fragile alliances still held, will shatter."

Daren leaned back and looked at the mug in his hand. He hadn't drunk half of it and it made him see things powerfully.

Beside him, Alicia sat with her head bowed. She slowly looked up to where the old man stared at her with compassionate eyes. "I'm not sure what to do now." The worried expression returned to her face. "My quest is now...failed." She looked downward, anxiously. "How do I escape my family if the only place they couldn't touch has fallen?"

The old man got to his feet slowly. "Come with me. I want to show you two something."

Daren helped Alicia to her feet and they followed the old man into a narrow hall to the left. This led into a dimly lit room with black tiled flooring. The ceiling was domed and in the center held an enormous black sphere. It glowed with lights at intervals with a strange pattern all over it, lines within lines, almost like a broken wheel.

"What is it?" Daren asked softly. He felt energy as soon as he stepped in the room. It hummed all around him.

"This is a representation of the connecting points of this world, the other world you are slowly recalling as well as multiple other worlds, all connecting within the wheel." He waved a hand in the air and the sphere of connecting lines began to slowly spin, giving off a blue hue where the lines were. Tiny sparks of colored lights dotted the sphere at intersections.

"The lights that color the sphere are the different worlds one can cross over to." The old man said softly, his eyes lost in the colors. "This is what the fae born call, the realm of Extal, of which we are part of."

For a time, the old man said nothing else, all eyes fixed on the spinning globe of patterns and worlds. When he did speak again, his voice was shallow. "With the passing of Dragonblood and Eskaver's Sword from its hall, the protection of the worlds has also faded. It was a known condition as the Gatebridge was man-made and crafted within the physics and laws of Extal. It is the closest man has come to bridging the world of the mortal and spiritual realm. As it is a place between worlds and Faelivrin's ambition so great, the drugiward was made to bridge the gap as gatekeeper to ward the way, to keep closed the places of the darker realms." He turned to face Daren again. "What do you know of the line of Faelivrin?"

Daren shook his head, eyebrows scrunched together. He tried to bring the name to memory but couldn't.

Nodding, the old man said, "James Faelivrin is cousin to Alicia's father. He is credited for being the man who colonized Exodus with a group of explorers in another age and time." He paused, eyes growing dark. "But in his heart, greed and hunger for power caused him to see the world he discovered as a means to becoming a man-god, a deity of power. Listening to the voices of the darkness that followed him there, he learned the dark arts and poisoned the once pure realm of magic, throwing it into chaos and death. His greed knew no bounds and spread war and mayhem, bringing with him a darkness that threatened to destroy the fabric of Extal.

"The story is long and dark. I won't tell you it in full but in the end, Dragonblood rose up and defeated him at a great cost with one being the ripping apart of the world as it once was for Elise and Eden were once whole. The war destroyed continents and life to never be what it had been. The ancients decreed in unison to bind all humans to a spell, never to remember this dark age or the technology they had gained that destroyed the world. And as for the Emperor Faelivrin, they cast him out of the world, to the far reaches of Extal, binding a spell around Exodus barring his return forever."

The old man sighed and looked again at the sphere. "Humans are sneaky beings, always finding ways around bans, listening to the voices in the dark who always want to see humanity bleed. Through the ages, empires rose and fell, the White Council of humans binding themselves to the gods, the spirits of old who on Earth are written of."

He looked to Alicia then and in his eyes, sadness was plainly seen. "Your quest you are on leads you north of here. But I will warn you. It is no place you want to go." He turned his face away. "I no longer control the fate of the gate...or who comes through."

"I don't understand," Alicia blinked. She saw something in the old man that worried her. "What are you saying?"

The old man laughed softly. "Alicia, my dear...I am dying. I have lived a long life, longer than most have ever lived, and have seen empires come and go on many different worlds. But now, the fate of Extal has been sealed by a prophecy culminating in the primary world of Gontha, or as humans call it, "Exodus."

"You can't die!" Alicia's eyes grew round. "That would mean..."

"Ah, but I can." The old man chuckled dryly. "My fate has always been tied to the fate of Dragonblood. It was sealed in the time of the first colonies who had escaped in fear of your uncle's monstrous creations on Tausin, now a dead continent. When dragons took pity on man where they didn't belong, they were sworn to uphold the laws that governed the Lords of Gontha. My place was in the Gatebridge to protect Gontha and the rest of Extal from your uncle but ultimately the ones he served, those who gave him his dark necromancies. They have always seen man as those that needed to die in ignorance of who they were. If they could teach man to destroy themselves more efficiently, they would do it by whispering in the ears of our leaders.

"Now, as man enters the fourth age on Exodus, they have all but forgotten who they were both in origins on Earth but also in matters of who they were designed for. This is ultimately the goal of the gods. They will not permit man to know these things while enslaving us for their own dark purposes. They watch as you dance to your nature and base corrupt desires and are content, or they were. With the Gatebridge having no ward, the darker realms of madness can enter other worlds. It has already happened here."

At Daren's frown, the old man gave a knowing look. "Don't you wonder where Sinvin comes from? Where do the nomad traders originate? Nobody asks these questions because they are enraptured with the properties of the crystal even though it has never been part of this world till now." He eyed Daren hard. "I will tell you their origins. It is a place on the edge of Extal, a dark realm no human can live on. When James Faelivrin's empirical rule came crashing down at the end of the Chaos Wars, he fled to the whispers of his god, arriving at the edge of Extal where he sets up his residence on a place called 'Neverworld,' where necromancy and nightmare dreams thrive. Kall, his god, whispers plans in his ear, and James, who thinks himself an emperor god in his own right, fulfills these dreams as one who will one day conquer life itself and destroy humanity as a whole.

"Their supply of Sinvin is endless and their way here unhindered." The old man slowly pointed upwards. "Once, before the Cryptid wars destroyed this world, a giant Gatebridge was fashioned to encompass vast ships Dragonblood built to guard against the Emperor's return. That bridge is up there, in the stars, close to this world. In the Pacific Ocean, there is a secret base built by Sherwin's ancestors, always weary that one day, he would return. Ansville has always been watched, always guarded, for it is the key to opening every gate."

The old man looked Daren dead in the eyes now. "So...what is Sinvin?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It is poison. It's sole purpose and design is to change humanity. It is in essence, a trojan horse, as was called long ago. Introduce it to the masses and let them find it's strengths, it's wonderful properties." The old man leaned in with a sinister glare. "And before anyone knows what is happening, their desires and purpose for living, their very will to exist will be changed, their whole structure repurposed to become a slave to a master race, the ones who created the poison. There will be no resistance, no will to fight, but an all consuming will to bow at the feet of gods."

Daren shook his head slowly. He felt sick to his stomach. He knew that Sinvin was always a strange thing but it was deliberately introduced to enslave humanity? Shaking his head some more, he said, "That is an interesting story." He looked on the sphere in front of him, its pulsing lights where worlds existed. A few weeks ago, he would have laughed in the old man's face and tell him he was a lunatic. Not so much now. His worldview had shifted dramatically. But again, where did he fit in? And more importantly, did he want to?

Alicia was looking at him, her eyes calculating.

"What, Alicia?" he whispered. He knew that look and it unnerved him.

"You have doubts still. You are questioning whether or not...not that you believe but rather if you should get involved."

Daren sighed and looked at her concerned look. Her eyes were piercing, fixed on him. A strange feeling swept over him and he instantly knew it for her. She was doing something to him. He glared, feeling she was cheating somehow. But in that moment, he felt something he remembered on the airship. It was that same feeling, a feeling of fear or was it terror?

He looked up to meet her gaze and whispered, "What are you doing, Alicia?"

A sudden resolve pushed its way forward and she took a deep and shaking breath. "For years, I was tortured as part of a ritual to the gods." She halted and her eyes turned down, twitching as if dragging up buried memories too painful to visit. "I was abused because my father wanted to experiment and see how far he could go in controlling my mind by giving me over to the spirits. At least...this is where it began. I latched onto them early in my life because I believed I was unworthy of anything else."

Blinking, her voice began to shake as things locked away surfaced from her speaking. "He raped me and told me I was to blame for it all, that I was no better than a whore." Tears began spilling down her face and visibly shook from the memories. "I was ten years old when he held a knife in my hand and forced me to kill my brother..." Her voice trembled now. "My world ended before it could begin and believed my father as he tortured me and raped me over and over. He said that this was the beginning of an alliance, a ritual of appeasement to the gods. The killing of my brother was a binding seal on me as a gift to the gods." Her eyes fixed on nothing then, staring straight ahead. "I was told there was no forgiveness for what I did, that I was guilty and now belonged to whichever star would claim me."

Alicia shook, refusing to look at Daren at all now, eyes locked ahead, unblinking.

Daren glared. "Stop this! You don't need to tell me any of this. I see it's hurting you. Please stop!"

Alicia shot a darting glance at him, eyes narrowing. "No!"

"Why!" Daren glared. He saw the pain searing into her from her memories.

Forcing herself to keep looking at him, she sniffed and wiped several tears away. "You're unwilling to engage, to go beyond what you're comfortable with." She glared. "I'm going to show you something now that will be etched in your mind forever. Perhaps this will make you stop hiding, to recognize you can't be on a fence!" She reached over and gripped his wrist hard, not letting go.

Daren felt his insides explode as when she touched him in the mind frame.

"Feel what I felt!" Alicia glared, "and know what I saw...who I was and why...why the Nightbreed called me mother!"

Unbidden images flashed through Daren's mind harsh and unyielding, bombarding him like an enormous wave that didn't let him resist. He jumped back, startled but her grip was fierce.

***

She was thirteen, dressed in white robes. Her eyes held no emotions in them as she walked a pathway down a torch-lit chamber. She looked lifeless except for the animated limbs moving.

Ahead, the path opened to a large cavern with a natural pool in the center. Around the water's edge lined torches with red-robed figures chanting some unfamiliar language. In the background, drums beat low in rhythm to the haunting chants. A chill ran through Daren even though he was floating without a body. The unfamiliar words sent dread through him as though they were a summons.

On reaching the pool's edge, she knelt on a white carpet. Closing her eyes for a moment, she withdrew a knife from a pocket and sliced her left hand before cupping it, letting the blood pool in her hand. When it was enough, she lifted her hand and smeared the left side of her face.

Lowering her head, she looked down to where a puddle of blood stained the white carpet dripping from her legs. Reaching down, she scooped some of the blood in her right hand, getting up again and smearing the right side of her face this time. When done, she walked the short distance to the water's edge where she let the robes fall from her. Fresh wounds of a whip wrapped themselves across her naked back still bleeding.

The ice-cold water touched her feet and she flinched only a tiny bit before wading out into the deeper part.

When she was chest deep in the water, she lifted the hand with the dagger and cried, "I claim the right of a woman on her day of first blood! I, servant to Kall, will be his bride! He will be my master, my lover, my protector, and my god!" So saying, Alicia submerged herself into the pool of baptism and sworn allegiance.

On emerging, water still dripping from her hair, her eyes widened in fear and anticipation.

Daren watched and felt the terror of the child. Through her eyes, he saw the darkness take shape above the water.

She screamed as her body convulsed in spasms of pain, arching backward, her mouth open in an unearthly scream of torture from inside.

Daren watched in horror as he felt what Alicia felt, saw what she saw. As she withered away, her eyes caught sight of a ghastly figure translating to an image of light and back. It was tall and lean, without form but shadowy like a serpent weaving in and out of existence. It came to float above her with eyes boring into her with malice and glee, feeding on her terror.

In one swift move, it cried, "I accept!" It's formless shade swept forward, vanishing into her body.

She screamed out loud, head whipping back in a gutteral cry before falling back into the water as if dead.

Two of the robed figures standing near the pool waded in and took hold of her and carried her to the edge of the pool.

The chanting had stopped and everyone looked on.

Slowly, her eyes opened, tears streaming down her face. In the span of a second, they turned hard as ice.

And Daren, for being only a spectator, felt his heart clench in absolute terror, knowing beyond doubt, the blackness of Alicia's heart.

The scene vanished from sight and he gave a gasp of relief, feeling like he had escaped death narrowly. As another scene unfolded though, his heart leaped into his chest. The image was of a temple, pyramid in structure as a beam of light pulsed down from a reddish hue in the heavens, swirling as it gave off the most nauseating feeling.

His sight or her own guiding him, sped him up the temple as long drawn out gongs of a bell was heard. He was whisked into an inner chamber open to the sky above. Runes were etched in the walls, on the partial ceiling and stone floor with arcane symbols. In the middle of the chamber, an enormous bed lay out, decked in the finest linen of royal colors. A pool bubbled in the corner with a table filled with fruits in another corner. And in the middle of the bed, Alicia lay sprawled out, bleeding from open wounds, her eyes dark and cold. From high above, thunder cracked from the open ceiling where a bone chilling laughter echoed as though a god was pleased.

Daren felt the stabbing coldness with an undying hunger he had never experienced before. The hunger was an insatiable need for death directed towards everything that had a heartbeat. And somewhere, locked away behind a cage, a girl screamed in absolute terror of having an inhuman master occupying her body.

From memories of old, he listened on as a council deliberated with his parents. A book lay open in the center of the council table, drawings of cryptids and notes filling the pages. It was a page of the book open to his eyes that flashed in his mind as he stared horror stricken at Alicia, half naked in a temple bed.

On the page, the same drawing was etched out. A pyramid ancient scholars had called a Ziggurat temple. It was believed it was here cryptids were made as was the Nephilim of the Bible. The abominations had a beginning as old as time. A name surfaced. They were called Watchers, spirits who had defied their natural abode to do the unthinkable.

And Alicia...

Daren felt his stomach want to heave. As much as he wanted to believe none of this was true, Alicia was sharing with him her darkest secrets. He cried out, feeling the child inside her scream.