Chapters 16-20

Chapter 16: Christopher

That mark, just like the one in that building in the city I was drawn to the other night. Here it was again, at the top of a mountain. I had no idea who that woman was, but if she knew about the skull and the magic, maybe she could tell me something... Or at least not kill me. I felt a little guilty abandoning Cynthia and Darkeen in the aftermath of the battle, but I needed answers.

As soon as the woman turned away I sheathed my sword and sprinted up the slope to follow her. My heart was still pounding and I was full of adrenaline as I reached the top and spotted the woman walking (no not walking, she moved to gracefully down the mountains steep slope) a little way down. I chased after her, moving as swiftly as possible without tripping and tumbling down the mountain face. I proceeded down through a combination of running and sliding until the slope swallowed out into a thick forest that nearly blocked out all the suns light.

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting and squinted ahead to try to spot the woman. I nearly thought I had lost her when I saw the bright blue skull a short distance ahead. I took off again with caution over the uneven ground. I dodged and jumped over boulders and large tree roots, eyeing the blue skull ahead of me with determination. I was gaining on the woman fast, pushing myself harder with every step until I emerged into a clearing.

The clearing was small and covered in short grass that seemed too uniform in length to be natural. Five large trees bordered the clearing equidistant from each other forming a pentagon. I gasped as the color seemed to leave the world around me reducing everything in the clearing to various shades of gray. The spaces between the trees turned pitch black leaving the clearing as the only thing in the world I could see.

A high-pitched sound that seemed to be something between a laugh and a scream echoed through the clearing and in the pitch-black area across from me the symbol of the blue skull began to glow. It grew larger and larger until the woman crossed the veil from dark to light. She was only a few feet from me and as she lowered her hood I could make out the features of her face. She actually looked quite pretty, except for the black eyes and sharp wine-red teeth. She pulled her hair back revealing, no it can't be, two pointed ears. "You're an elf!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

The woman chuckled softly and looked me over with her black eyes, "Not exactly Christopher. Not in the way you're thinking anyway."

"I just want some answers." I said bluntly, "That mark on your cloak-"

The woman cut me off. "Quiet now young one." She began to pace in a circle around me. "Do you really think I wouldn't know you were following me?" I remained silent. "I expected you to. You want to know about magic and my associates? Well I can start with some basics I suppose. My name is Violet Deseret, however most know me as 'the dark one' due to my abilities and I suppose the color of my eyes as well. My organization 'The Order of the Skull' has its roots traced back many, many, years. Now is your opportunity to ask questions."

At first, I was stunned, her voice seemed to soft and sweet for the harshness of her face. "What do I have to do with any of this?" I asked.

Violet clicked her tongue a few times before answering, "We've had our eye on you for a while now Christopher. Up until now, you've always served as a pawn, as a student, a captain, and even on a quest in which its purpose I'm not sure you understand. Now it is time for you to fulfill your role within our order."

I looked at Violet critically, "How am I supposed to serve a role? I know more about the journey I'm currently on than I do your organization."

"Ah yes, you have a right to be skeptical." she said in a relaxed tone, "However, do you really think it's a mere coincidence you were able to speak to one of the order's ancient elders? Some of our most adept mages fail to speak the ancient language of the spirits." I looked up at her quizzically, "Ha, you probably didn't even realize you weren't speaking English. You began to master the art of telekinesis overnight. That is unusual, even for someone whose blood rages with as much magic as yours. Fate has brought you here. Joining the Order of the Skull is your destiny."

"Liar!" I shouted angrily, "I make my own destiny!"

Violet sighed, "Is that so? Then come take a walk with me and we shall see." The black space next to where she entered the clearing glowed white and revealed a staircase. Violet waved at me to follow, "Let's go Christopher."

The top of the staircase led to a living room where a young couple were sitting on the ground next to their young son. I quickly recognized the rooms marble counters and stone walls. I pulled Violet closer to me, "How are we here?"

"Oh Christopher," she smiled, "This is all in your head, this is your childhood. Now listen."

The man turned to his son, "Christopher, it's been decided, you have to go to the academy."

"Do I have to?" The young boy said, looking up at his father before returning to drawing on a piece of paper.

"Christopher, you have to." The woman said, it's an honor, you'll grow up to be just like your father.

"But I don't wanna be a soldier, I don't want to hurt anyone."

An expression of anger spready over the man's face, "That's it, let's go" the woman stayed silent as the man took his sons paper and pencil away and lifted him up to the boy's dismay and marched him out the door.

The scene changed and I was watching myself once again but this time at the academy. I was being yelled at by the drill sergeant. His words stung in my brain until this day.

"You're useless Christopher!" He shouted, "Go, try again, you failure! You'll never be a soldier!" I looked at my young face trying to keep myself together, I didn't want to cry in front of the other recruits again. It didn't take long for the academy to reduce my emotions to nearly zero. Ten years I served in there before joining the army and fighting in the war of the eighths.

The sergeant started shouting at me again and I myself cringed before turning to Violet, "enough, let's go." Violet smiled at me and with a flash we returned to the clearing.

I glared at Violet, "What the hell was that?"

"I think you know exactly what that was Christopher," Violet said lightly, "I'm certain you remember your childhood."

"That's not quite what I was asking," I said angrily, "Why did you take me back there?"

Violet turned and stared me in the eyes, "You must understand your fate within the order. I know you didn't fit in at the academy. While you may have thought otherwise at the time, I could tell your peers and teachers were afraid of you and that was why you were treated poorly-"

"What do you mean you could tell?" I inquired, "You were watching me?"

Violet paused for a second, "Not me directly, but as I told you we've had our eye on you for some time now." She glanced over the worried expression on my face, "Do not be alarmed, this happens to all who join our ranks. Do not you see, Christopher? You don't belong in a place like that and you don't quite fit in as a soldier, you're destined for the Order of the Skull."

"That's a lie!" I shouted although there was some truth to her words.

"Come with me once again," Violet said and reached out her hand.

I took her hand and we were transported with another flash to the streets of Cyphol where a slightly younger version of me stood outside the stables talking to an older man in Imperial armor.

"Captain, what ever happened to magic?" the younger version of myself asked.

"It's not here so stop asking questions." The captain said bluntly, "Magic is gone. Stop poking your nose around looking for answers, you'll get in trouble." Young Christopher nodded and mounted a horse. "Your duty is to serve and nothing else."

Young Christopher rode away on his worse and the captain went into the stables leaving Violet and I alone on the street. "What did happen to magic?" I asked Violet.

She turned her head towards me, smiled and spoke, "Magic never truly disappeared, it was just suppressed. For the masses, its power appeared to disappear completely. Only a few groups such as The Order of the Skull managed to keep a magical spark alive throughout the continent-wide disappearance."

"What caused its power to wither away? How did you keep it alive? Why can I use it? Is it coming back?" I had so many questions. I still didn't trust Violet, but she was the only person I had met who seemed to have any answers about magic.

"Calm yourself, " said Violet, who hesitated before responding, "It is not entirely known what led to its disappearance, however, it is often thought to have something to do with the fall of the elves. Many of us in the order were powerful mages and our organization managed to hold on to many ancient elven and magic artifacts. Although our power was weakened, we were strong enough to keep our power alive. You can use magic because like many of us you have powerful magic in your blood that has sparked because magic is beginning to come back. There are stories about some surviving elves who might still be able to wield powerful ancient magic and return magic to the land, perhaps it is your elven friend, perhaps she is not among them."

"And what do you make of these stories?" I asked eagerly. Thinking about what a world with magic returned might look like.

"While I am skeptical, I keep an open mind." Violet replied coolly.

"I do have one other question," I began, "Why were you on the top of that mountain?"

Violet sighed, "I needed you to find me and my organization. I knew you would be on that mountain. The Dragon was a bit of a surprise but I knew some of the elders had trained you well."

"That dragon nearly killed us all!" I exclaimed, "If you were there why didn't you intervene?"

"I couldn't draw attention to myself." Violet stated calmly, "I needed you and only you to find me. Anyways you were easily able to combat the creature with your newly acquired telekinetic abilities. However, our time is nearly up, it is time for you to join our ranks and take your power to new heights."

"And if I say no?" I asked with a smirk.

"Christopher do not play with fate, you are more important than you realize." Violet said in a frighteningly serious voice before grabbing my arm.

Another flash and we arrived outside the gates of Cyphol, however it was not as prosperous as I remember. The city's keep was crumbling and there was rubble where the wall once stood. Smoke and screams rose from within the city. The lush forest that once surrounded Cyphol had been reduced to ash. Thousands of bodies, both civilian and military, were strewn across the landscape, swords, daggers, and arrows stuck out of their limp bodies. There was so much blood the air seemed to have a red aura. I turned around and saw the city guard clad in silver imperial armor scream as a tall soldier covered in black armor from head to toe plunged a longsword through the guard.

"God help us," I turned to Violet who had a dark, serious expression on her face, "What happened here?"

Violet spoke slowly and seriously, "You didn't come to the continents aid, and the Order of the Skull could not keep order. Magic corrupts men Christopher, we need you to help keep the control of magic. The Order of the Skull exists to keep a peaceful balance, can I count on you?"

Maybe I was just terrified by the horrific scene I had just witnessed, but I nodded, "Yes."

17: Cynthia

Darkeen had bandaged my foot and helped me to my feet after I slipped my boot back on. The dragon carcass sat still in the rocky debris and a light breeze bit my skin on the already chilly mountain top.

I paced back and forth careful to avoid putting pressure on my foot before asking, "Do you know where Christopher is?"

Darkeen pointed to the steep slope across from the dragon's body, "He ran after the woman atop the slope about a half hour ago, there's no trace of him now."

"Well we need to go find him," I said matter-of-factly and I folded my arms in front of me.

"I don't think that would be our best course of action." Darkeen stated, "There's a dense forest on the other side of the mountain, even if he was close by trying to find him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"Well than what do you recommend we do?" I asked and threw my arms up into the air, "We can't just leave him out there."

Darkeen took a deep breath before replying, "I'm afraid we may not have another choice. Christopher can handle himself but he may have lost his way in the forest, or even been killed."

"By the woman?" I asked quickly with a raised eyebrow, "Who is she? Why is she here? She killed my parents!" My heart started racing again and I nearly fell over.

Darkeen reached out to grab me but I regained my balance, "I'm as surprised as you are Cynthia. The dark one was thought to be dead, I have no idea how she is here. I know she killed your parents and your people. I am certain she still must be weakened from the war's end, but I believe we would be safer if we left this place as soon as possible."

"We can't abandon Christopher." I pleaded much to Darkeen's dismay.

"Perhaps, we will find him another time." Darkeen said, "However, right now, we need to leave, head east through Southern Werdyn, get far away from this place."

Before I could argue any further Darkeen lifted me to my feet and helped me with my injured ankle begin the walk to the base of the mountain. My head rung from the fall from the dragon and the heat of the battle, not to mention lack of sleep. By the time we reached the mountain's base I could hardly keep my eyes open and my head was spinning with the events of that day. Our horses were fortunately still at the bottom of the mountain and Darkeen helped me onto my horse because of my ankle before lifting himself up to his own horse. We rode hard through the dark until we were about halfway back to the City we had departed this morning.

I shouted to Darkeen that I was too tired to go on and he reluctantly slowed to a halt and we set up camp. I barely crawled into the blankets before I fell asleep.

. . .

The next morning, I was awakened by the bright sun shining in my face. I pushed myself up and walked around a bit, a few moments later Darkeen awakened and peered at the sun. He appeared dazed at first and then alarmed. "We've slept far too long!" He shouted and quickly rushed to roll up the blankets and stuff them back in his bag.

"Calm down, we don't need to rush." I chuckled slightly.

Darkeen turned to me, clearly distraught by my words, "We do need to rush! There's no point wasting time here. We need to go to southern Werdyn."

I replied slowly, "And, why do we need to go to southern Werdyn?"

"That woman on the mountain," Darkeen said, "The black eyes, the red teeth. There was a town in Southern Werdyn called St. Cory where humans and elves lived together. The town reported elves who would disappear into the woods and not return. After Cyphol lost contact with the town the guard went to investigate and found the town completely deserted. The bodies that remained had black eyes and red dagger teeth. This happened nearly two months before the fall of Evanuan."

I raised my eyebrow at his story, "You think there's some sort of connection?"

"I certainly believed so." Darkeen said softly.

I crossed my arms and turned to face him, "We can't be the first people who've pieced Evanuan and Cory together. Maybe there's nothing there."

Darkeen looked to me hesitantly, "The legion that found the town deserted, only one soldier returned. He was then killed in his sleep. A few others went after to the town and did not return. After a few months, no one dared explore."

I gasped, "How have I not heard of this? What's taking or killing these people?"

"Werdyn suppresses the information so people don't get bold." Darkeen spoke seriously, "I have no idea what's there, maybe it's creatures similar to the woman we saw. I think they're trying to protect something in the area if I were to guess, all the more reason to see what we can learn."

My curiosity faded and was replaced with logical reason, "Wait, you want us to go to an abandoned town where unknown creatures have slaughtered entire legions of men. Maybe I'm tired but that sounds like a bad idea."

"Perhaps we don't have a choice." Darkeen said, "You're one of the few elves left, more are being hunted and killed every day, this is not the time for caution, it's a time for action. Besides, your one of the stealthiest and most efficient assassins on the continent. I'm sure you'll be fine."

I sighed, "Alright, but I am by no means happy about this."

We quickly packed up camp and rode hard east. As we began to cross the border to southern Werdyn the landscape slowly changed from the rocky barren landscape of Drakkrif to a lush landscape full of trees, vines, and lots of wildlife.

The sun was beginning to set after several hours of riding and we dismounted under a large tree. Darkeen lit a small fire and we sat around it. There was a long period of silence before I asked, "What did you do before this?" Darkeen raised an eyebrow at me and I quickly continued, "I don't believe you've always had a desire to restore elves to their homeland."

Darkeen sat silent and unmoving for a moment before responding, "I was in the army. I served during the beginning of the war of the eighths."

"You fought against Werdyn?" I asked surprised, "For how long? Millions died in that war!"

"Four years," Darkeen said in the same unmoving position. "I lost a lot of friends to that war, it was brutal. I can't fathom how to describe it to you, I was drafted right out after I finished my education in the capital. I was barely 18 and barely had an idea of how to hold an axe."

"I wouldn't have guessed from the way you fight." I interjected quickly and half-smiled at Darkeen.

Darkeen sighed, "Fours years serving on the front lines of a war where nearly all frontline combatants were killed will harden your resolve." Darkeen's voice turned low and he spoke solemnly, "It'll turn you into a lethal weapon."

"You sound disappointed," I raised an eyebrow at him, "Don't you enjoy being one of the finest on the continent."

"It's different for me than you," he said in a slightly accusatory tone, "You wanted to do this. For whatever reason, you made the decision you wanted a life of inflicting suffering and pain. For me, I never wanted that. I never wanted to serve in the military, but after that war, there was no returning to a normal life, that opportunity was gone."

I peered at Darkeen, focusing on the first part of what he had just said, "Are you saying I'm a bad person because I get paid for what I'm good at?"

Darkeen sighed, trying to hide his annoyance at my comment, "Whatever you might think of me; I don't fundamentally believe violence can create peace, Cynthia."

I spoke distraughtly at what I just learned, "Then why are we here, Darkeen? We've had to kill to get where we are now and I'm certain we'll have to do it again. Inevitably, we're going to have to fight no matter what."

"And, that's the sad truth isn't it." Darkeen spoke lowly, "It's all the world understands, and thus I have to accept it. So even if I don't believe in it, I will continue keep my axe close and I will use it as necessary."

I patted him on the shoulder, "Perhaps... Once this is over, you will no longer need the axe."

Darkeen looked like he wanted to say something, but then held back and just smiled at me, "Let's hope so."

Despite the creeping darkness of night, I continued to ask questions, "So how'd you end up involved with elves and all this?"

"This was also during the war," Darkeen spoke a bit more light-hearted this time. "I was contacted by a group of elves who wanted to enlist my help against a threat. I refused, I knew little about elves and wanted to try to return to a normal life. The elves told me of a prophecy about the fall of their kingdom and the arrival of a foreign threat, something not from this universe. Something that poses a threat to this world." Darkeen paused for a second and chuckled, "I didn't believe them for a second, not until the Battle of Farenkeen. I-"

I cut Darkeen of and exclaimed wide eyed, "You were at Farenkeen? How? - There were no survivors, some kind of chemical explosion decimated the town."

"That's what was reported," Darkeen stated, "I was there. A large group of us went to investigate the town after there were reports of people disappearing and bodies showing up charred in the streets. We arrived at the same time as a human legion who were searching for a woman who had apparently killed and conducted experiments on hundreds of people."

"Who was this woman?" I asked quickly, "Was it the woman on the mountain?"

Darkeen quieted me down and continued his story, "We were prepared to fight against the human legion as it was in the middle of the war, however before we engaged a woman with similar features to the one on the mountain appeared, she levitated towards us and began summoning demon-like soldiers from the ground. It was hell on Earth. Demons would charge us and we worked with the human legion to try to survive as earth exploded and burned all around us. We started dying one by one and I was a coward, I lay still, under all the bodies as people were killed all around me. The woman left with her demon army and I ran as fast as I could, I looked back to see the whole town burning."

I nodded slowly, "You were smart, you wouldn't have survived otherwise."

Darkeen just frowned, "I'm still a coward."

"Well we're not throwing a pity party for you," I said a little harshly, "You're here now and that's what matters!"

Darkeen winced, "Yes, yes, you're right. Anyway, after that I contacted the elves and deserted from the army, vowing to help them defeat the evil that had come to this world."

"And we will defeat it," I said with a smirk, "Tomorrow we'll go to St. Cory and find whatever we need to beat the s**t out of her. However, now, I sleep. I've heard it's unhealthy to go on suicide missions without at least eight hours of sleep."

18: Christopher

Violet and I materialized in the middle of a heavy jungle, the trees blocked out the sun's direct rays but the air was still very warm and humid. The area was bristling with the sounds of wildlife. I had no idea where we were, there are no jungles like this in Werdyn or anywhere on the continent I could think of.

"Umm, where are we?" I asked Violet who was muttering to herself.

"Damn it, just a couple kilometers off," she spoke quickly under her breath before turning to me, "We've travelled a great distance, we'll have to walk the last couple kilometers."

I followed Violet through the forest silently, I still didn't trust her, no matter what she said. After about a kilometer we emerged from the trees onto a massive grassland. The sky was bright and blue and the grass was a beautiful lush green. A large mountain sat against the sky so massive bits of snow could be spotted near the peak. However, the most breathtaking thing of all, was the massive complex that lay in front of it. Massive marble walls extended all around it and in the distance, partway up the mountain, was a massive emerald castle. I had never seen anything like it before.

Breath taken, I turned to Violet and asked again, "Where are we?"

Violet smiled at me, "Welcome to Evanuan," she then grabbed my hand and led me towards the gates before I could say anything else.

. . .

At the gates, I managed to plant my feet and stop Violet from pulling me along, "Did you say Evanuan?"

"Yes," Violet chuckled softly, "why is that so hard to believe?"

It all seemed a bit surreal to me, "Two questions then; First of all, how? And secondly, why?"

Violet's facial expression stayed the same icy cold as she told me, "Well we materialized here, silly." She laughed at my confused expression, "It can't be that hard to believe Christopher, very recently you've accepted the fact that there is magic, accepted you have the power of telekinesis. Why is it so hard to believe magic could be used to move from one place to another?"

"Fine," I said bluntly. She did have a point, "Well why are we in Evanuan? And wasn't the city destroyed?"

"No, never destroyed." Violet spoke softly, her empty, black eyes almost looked a bit somber in the bright light. "Just broken, and we, the Order of the Skull, have restored its glory. You're here to become part of the order, Christopher, that's why we we're here."

"We'll see," I said cynically, "I've no full reason to trust you yet."

Violet nodded slowly, "I understand, we're foreign to you, we're strange. A group of mages who've been biding their time in the ruins of a fallen kingdom." She smiled at me, "And I've no doubt my appearance is off-putting."

I failed to choose my next words smoothly, "Yes it's very odd," Violet looked at me and I tried to recover, "Not that I mean it's a bad thing- I mean, you're not odd, you're great, beautiful even... Sorry, I didn't-"

Violet stared at me for a second with her dark eyes and I bit my tongue as she started to laugh, "Now that was funny to watch, I think you didn't do too much damage." She laughed again, "You'll be an excellent asset to this organization, Christopher."

I smiled back at Violet and let her lead me further into the city. To myself I wondered whether the decision I had made was for the better or the worse. I had nothing to go on about the Order of the Skull other than the creepy robes that taught me to control objects with my mind. What about Violet? I know she isn't exactly an elf, and certainly not human or anything else. I don't know what to make of it. Is it magic, a disease, what could it be? Even now walking behind her, not seeing her face, there was something strangely off putting, yet somehow attractive that radiated from her presence.

My thoughts drifted to Cynthia, s**t, I was only know fully realizing I had abandoned them and their quest, I had to eventually get back to her and Darkeen, finish what was started. I really wanted to talk to Cynthia, we hadn't had a chance to tie up loose ends after what happened that night I'd crossed the line. I could see it now, the flowing brown hair, the glowing blue eyes, all the sarcastic remarks, and the powerfully attractive aura that comes from someone who smiles at you with the knowledge they could skin you alive.

Violet stopped us at the door of the emerald palace and pulled me inside before my thoughts drifted and farther. The interior of the palace was extensively decorated with colorful paintings and stain glassed windows. Up a curved staircase sat a pair of desks, one small one nearest us, and upon a ledge against the window stood a massive, decorated desk for a council to sit. Two men sat on either edge of the council podium and Violet motioned for me to sit at the smaller desk while she sat in the center of the council.

Violet looked left and right, nodding at the men on either side of her before beginning to speak, "Christopher, we are the council of the Order of the Skull." I remained silent, "As you know, we've had our eye on you for a while. We believe you will be an invaluable asset to our cause. We want to keep you temporarily in Evanuan where we can train your abilities to their maximum potential to help bring peace to the chaos in this world. I must warn you, if you take this path, the path of magic, you may encounter dangers unknown to you, and far more powerful than you could imagine. This will be your one and only available time to leave Evanuan and never return if you wish."

As she said that the room seemed to become cheerful and happy and even as I thought of Darkeen and Cynthia I didn't feel the need to leave. I wanted to stay, I wanted to be in this cheerful place.

"Wonderful," Violet said and the room returned to its normal state before I could fully comprehend what happened, "We'll begin immediately then."

Violet smiled at me and led me out of the room and down a long hallway on the east side of the palace. She brought me to a large room complete with a fireplace, bookshelf, and bathroom. "This is where you'll stay in Evanuan. Feel free to make yourself comfortable, I'll come get you for dinner in a few hours, we'll start training you afterward."

I nodded and Violet left me alone in this massive room. I was still wearing most of my armor from fighting the dragon earlier today, I don't know how I was still walking in it. The bed had a clean black tunic and pants neatly folded on the corner. I removed my armor and placed it on a rack in the back of the room. I then removed my old clothes and just left them on the floor as I changed into the clothes. The cloth fit comfortably against my skin and did not interfere with mobility at all. I kept my sword at my side. I know it probably wouldn't do much against a bunch of powerful mages, but it made me calmer.

I proceeded to the bathroom and scrubbed the dirt from my face. I looked up into the mirror to find my matted hair in a mess and a long scar scratching across the side of my face. I sighed and walked towards the bed. I lay down and tried to get some sleep but my head was still spinning with the idea of the dragon, and magic, and Evanuan.

After a few hours, as promised Violet showed up and knocked on my door, "Let's go Christopher." I pushed myself up from the bed and walked into the hallway where Violet was smiling at me. We walked to the dining hall where we were served a delicious smelling stew.

I sat across from Violet at a small table, "So who's training me?" I asked curiously.

"That would be me." Violet chuckled softly, "This was decided before you even arrived at the city."

I wasn't sure if having Violet training me was a good thing, I asked another question, "What will we be doing to train then?"

Violet smiled at me with her black eyes and replied, "If I told you that would ruin all the fun." I rolled my eyes and Violet laughed again. We made small talk for a few minutes as we finished eating. "Let's go then." Violet stated and pushed herself upward from the table.

We walked beyond the city walls out into the field. The sun was beginning to set behind the large mountain behind us and the sky was a brilliant shade of red. The field was empty, there was nothing to throw with my mind, or any sort of magical tools I could see. "So, what do you want me to do?"

Violet kept walking as she talked, "There are several affinities that mages tend to take hold of. Every mage has one particular affinity their power focusses on, however more powerful mages also extend their power through other affinities." She stopped and turned to face me, "The cloud you saw above the mountain. I have an affinity for pure dark magic. However, my powers extend to separate affinities. For instance, the cloud on the mountain was affinity for the storm." Violet lifted her hands and moved them in a circular motion, a dark cloud began to swirl overhead. She then slashed downwards with one of her hands, firing down a lightning bolt that made me jump, causing Violet to smile. She put her hands down and the cloud above dissolved.

"Will I learn to do that?" I asked Violet with a look of amazement.

Violet smirked, "You probably will have a separate affinity, a power for something else."

"I can use telekinesis!" I exclaimed. I wanted to be able to wield power like I had just witnessed. I could use it to help Cynthia, help the world.

A flower was lifted from the field and floated to Violet's hand. "Nearly all mages know how to connect their mind to the earth. You must find your affinity for yourself. Tomorrow you will begin your journey up the mountain."

I raised my eyebrow at Violet and looked towards the enormously large mountain a small way away. "You're shitting me, right? I don't actually have to climb it."

"You can climb it and you will." Violet said seriously without her usual banter. "On the other side is a cave that winds throughout the whole mountain and exits at the peak."

I sighed, "Great so I find my way through a tunnel and then somehow find an affinity and come back down?"

This time Violet sighed, "It's not that simple. The cavern will conform to the mage inside, you'll face challenges determined to test your will, several people who have journeyed inside have not returned."

I could tell Violet was completely serious and there wasn't really a way to get out of this. "Great," I replied sarcastically, "When can I start."

"You'll leave tomorrow morning." Violet said. "That was all I needed from you today. You may return to the city.

I nodded and began to walk away from Violet back to Evanuan. I looked to the mountain and wondered what could possibly be so dangerous within a mountain. However, so far, I had not seen a reason for Violet to lie to me, best to return to my quarters and prepare for a hard day tomorrow.

Chapter 19: Cynthia

As we approached St. Cory the trees became denser and the air appeared eerie. We passed a broken-down sign that welcomed us to St. Cory, "Somehow I don't feel so welcomed." I said to Darkeen.

"Quiet, Cynthia." Darkeen silenced me. He'd been pretty focused all day, no bantering or anything. A little boring in my opinion, but I suppose if it keeps us alive I can put up with it.

There was an opening in the trees and Darkeen stopped just before we got to it. Through the opening I could make out several old, worn wooden buildings through the dusk. "What are we looking for?" I asked Darkeen quietly.

"I'm not sure," he said with a frown, "How about you go find out?"

I raised an eyebrow and replied, "Me? Myself?"

Darkeen nodded, "You're a stealthy assassin, aren't you?" He took a breath as he looked at my unconvinced facial expression. "I'm a warrior, but I'm no assassin. I'd just make this riskier. The sun is setting now, you could go in unnoticed and take a look around without drawing any attention."

I took a deep breath, "All right. But if I get killed I'm totally going to come haunt you." Darkeen cracked a smile which was nice to see.

I waited silently five minutes for total darkness to envelop the town. I crept forward to the nearest building and scaled the wall so I was perched on top. I always felt more comfortable on the high ground. It might be a little riskier than staying low to the ground, but I enjoyed being able to look above my surroundings, and anyway it was much too dark for anyone to clearly see me atop the building.

I squinted my eyes and looked around but I couldn't see anything except for the blackness of the night and the faint outline of a few other buildings. A few buildings over there seemed to be a larger, central building. I swung down from the roof and dashed through the shadows before scaling up the wall of the central building. There was a busted skylight at one side of the structure and I dropped down into the building below. I strained my eyes to see and looked around but couldn't find anything of note. I crept into the next room, a larger one made of the same rotting wood the rest of the building was made of. A long table stood in the center of the room and banners hung on the walls around the room. I began searching for anything out of the ordinary, making due with what little moonlight the windows let in. I walked down the length of the room on an extravagantly decorated carpet. As I approached the end I could feel the pitch change under my feet. I almost missed it, it was so subtle. Only someone as well trained as me could have noticed it. There was a small part of the carpet where my footsteps became lighter. I lifted the carpet and pushed it out of the way to reveal a grate only a few square feet. Upon looking closer there was a crude stairwell carved into the rock. I froze briefly and was able to make out quiet voices, not too far away. It definitely didn't sound like Darkeen. The voices grew louder, I was standing in the center of an open room, nowhere to run. S**t! I could begin to make out words but I was too busy trying to come up with a plan. In a last-ditch effort, I pulled the grate open and climbed into the stairwell, closing the grate and pulling the carpet back over the grate as I went down.

Utter darkness. I couldn't see my hands in front of my face, just an empty abyss. The sound of footsteps echoed through the dark stairwell and I could hear the muffle of the voices. I strained my pointed ears to try to make out words, but the carpet muffled them. There was no point in staying here, fumbling around in the dark I managed to get my small box of matches I keep attached to my scabbard. I lit one and could still see nothing except the match and my hand holding it. I kept the match close to the ground, lighting a new one when the light ran out, and crept slowly down the stairwell. Nearly five minutes later I arrived to a flat hallway that I slowly began to walk down. Soon I realized the match I was using had gone out, but I could still see, and I could see more clearly as I walked farther. I investigated a wall and found strange markings glowing an eerie purple that made me shudder. I almost preferred the darkness to this unnatural light, far underground. The hallway winded back and forth what seemed like miles, bathed in purple light. I kept my guard up as I went, worried what I could find down here.

I entered a circular room with no clear exit other than where I had entered. In the center, in strong purple light, was a sort of statue, of a woman, an angel perhaps, her robes were elegant, suggesting nobility, but the halo around her head and the way she seemed to glow more brightly seemed to be something more divine.

I walked up to the drawing and smoke began to shoot out all around me, blinding me. I jumped in surprise and reached for my daggers. The smoke cleared and behind me stood a tall man. I spun around and thrust my dagger into his stomach but it passed right through him and the force of the thrust of my dagger pulled me down with it. I stood up quickly and backed away. I could see know, the man himself seemed to glow a faint purple, his figure was opaque and I could faintly see the mossy wall behind him. His face seemed old, but seemingly more from stress than age. His ears were pointed in the same fashion as mine own.

"Why are you here?" The man said.

"Does it matter?" I replied bitterly. The man remained silent so I calmed down and continued, "I'm searching for something, something that can help us save the Elven Kingdom, and Evanuan. What is this place?" I almost thought to lie to the elf, but he didn't seem to be able to harm me.

"This is the last remaining temple of Longevity on this continent." The man said, "Perhaps I may be able to assist you." He paused for a second, you already have the first step, don't you?"

The first step. That was the paper I found in that cave full of skeleton like people. "How did you know?" I asked.

"The steps are not a natural phenomenon." The elf began. "The Longevity scattered them throughout the continent as a failsafe-"

"A fail safe to what?" I demanded, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"A fail safe to the corruption of this world." The elf said monotonously.

"What does that mean?" I asked impatiently, "Is the world being corrupted, what do the steps do? Where are the others?"

In the same calm voice the elf replied. "We could not predict what would corrupt this world, although we feel the corruption growing. The steps provide a failsafe, a way to end the corruption. It is unknown how exactly it will work, with each individual being so different. There are three steps. The first one, in the northern region of the Orc kingdom, lies in a cave that most would not notice, and is filled with dangers nearly all men would perish against. The cave can also only be detected by an elf. You are not the first to enter the cave, but you are the only one that has entered and is currently still alive. The second step lies here, in the longevity's most secure temple, and I will allow you to take it if you're mission seems true. The third step, unfortunately lies in the hands of someone beyond the reach of the Longevity."

Well it seemed simple enough, just have to convince a spirit looking thing that my mission seems true, "Well I can assure you my mission is true, so how about you give me the second step?" I had several questions concerning Evanuan and the steps, but I didn't want to fret in this cave for too long.

The elf smiled at me, "How can you be so sure?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed to my ears poking out from beneath my hair, "You really think an elf is here to destroy what little remains of what our kingdom was?"

The spirit stared off sadly at the wall behind me, "Perhaps your spirit remains true, but perhaps the corruption is too great, perhaps it will make no difference."

Anger pierced through me as I strode up to the elf, "Listen, I don't give a s**t about what you think might be going on, you've been trapped in a cave for eternity for all I know. If you go up there," I pointed above us where the earth's surface lay, "Up there, life is continuing as it has for years, armies of the dead aren't invading the continent, and the world isn't tearing at the seams. I'm not here to save the world, I'm here for myself, to right a wrong that happened a long time ago. Give me the step and I'll be on my way."

"Fine," the spirit said slowly, "It isn't quite that simple, once you obtain the step, the magic holding this temple together will begin to fade and this place will collapse."

"I've survived worse odds." I smiled devilishly to the spirit's dismay.

The spirit waved its hands around and the large statue in the center of the room extended its hand, a piece of parchment resting on the palm. I reached out and grabbed the paper but didn't even have time to read it before the ground started to rumble beneath me. The spirit looked at me in panic, "It was as I feared, beware the Order of the Skull, Cynthia."

The spirit vanished but my vision was transfixed on the statue in the middle of the room. The white marble and halo of the angel melted away and the stone dissipated like water into the ground. From where the angel stood emerged a new figure that made me gasp. A black statue shown magnificent apparel worn by ancient elven mages. The apparel seemed empty, but a skull sat within the hood, it's blue glowing eyes staring into my soul. A long boney finger from the sleeve emerged and pointed straight at me.

Another tremor echoed through the temple and brought my focus away from the statue. I began to run towards the entrance of the temple where I had come in. A large pillar fell in front of the entrance and I vaulted over it and kept running through the long hallway. As I ran, rubble began to fall from the walls and the tremors sent me staggering all along the pathway. I made it back to the end of the purple hallway and felt my way as quickly as possible up the staircase to the grate that led to the main building in St. Cory. I felt the grate above me and tried to push it upward. It wouldn't budge. I began to panic as I strained to push the grate open. The grate seemed stuck on the carpet and the tremors were getting worse. I yelped as another tremor sent me partway down the staircase. Slowly I crawled my way back to the top and pushed the grate. I shouted in agony as I tried with all my might to push the grate upward.

Someone pushed the carpet off an I smiled upward. I thought I saw Darkeen above me but as my eyes focused it wasn't even an orc smirking at me. Shoot first, ask questions later, was my mentality as I swung the grate open at full force, catching them in the side of the jaw and sending them flying backwards. I pulled myself out of the grate and quickly examined my surroundings. There were two people in the room, one of them looked at me scared, and the other, well, was in a little pain from being hit with a grate. I drew a dagger and forced the uninjured one against a wall and held the dagger to his throat. "Who are you?"

"P-please don't kill me!" He said in hysterics.

"Answer my question!" I shouted and pressed the dagger harder against his throat.

"We were just supposed to scout the area!" he said, obviously still terrified of the thought of me killing him.

"Who sent you?" I asked, wondering if they had anything to do with the Order of the Skull. The man hesitated for a second, "Don't play this game." I said bitterly.

"Umm, the Order of the Skull sent us." The man said, confirming my suspicions.

"What are you looking for?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" the man shouted, "Our officer just needed a report of what was left of this place!"

"Where is your organization based?" I asked, "And you'll regret lying to me."

"We aren't told where the highest-ranking officials are based." The man said and from his expression I could tell it was the truth. "We came from an outpost just east of Skyllian, near the elven border." Clearly these two were very low-ranking in the Order of the Skull, I wasn't going to get much more from them. "Can we go?" the man asked hopefully.

I smiled, at him, "Someone once told me to beware the Order of the Skull." He barely had time to react before I slit his throat. His partner looked at me in terror but didn't make a sound as I did the same to him. I cleaned my dagger off quickly before leaving the building and heading back to where Darkeen should be. I don't regret killing those men, I've killed people for a job for many years and those two were working for a bad organization, I think. I think it was necessary.

I arrived and found Darkeen just where I left him. His eyes widened as I approached, "Thank god. I was getting worried."

I smiled and pulled the second step out of my pocket and Darkeen nodded, realizing what is was. I finally had a chance to read it, "Through the darkness, bring the light." I thought of what the first step said and read the two together, "Enter the darkness of what has passed. Through the darkness, bring the light."

"What do you think it means?" Darkeen asked with excited curiosity.

"Hell if I know." I said with a smirk, "What I do know, is that you need to pack your bags. We're going to Skyllian."

Chapter 20: Christopher

I stood at the entrance to a large cave at the base of a mountain. "I just go straight through?" I asked Violet who had accompanied me to the mountain's base. She nodded. "How will I know where to go?"

Violet bit her lower lip as if distracted, "Just go through the back of the cave. I think you'll find the mountain will guide you." I raised an eyebrow and Violet smiled, "It isn't as ridiculous as you might think. You're just going to have to trust me, again."

I scoffed, "I'm pretty sure that's all I've been doing since I met you."

She put her pale hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye, "You'll be fine Christopher."

I nodded, "Well I better get going then." Violet nodded back and I walked forwards towards the cave, her hand slipped from my shoulder as I walked away. About fifty feet into the cave I looked back at the entrance but Violet was nowhere to be seen. Nothing else to do then, just keep moving forward through the mountain.

Nothing significant happened as I started my journey, the light dimmed and I noticed the temperature drop sharply as I approached the back of the cave, but there wasn't anything magical or supernatural going on. At the back of the cave I examined the wall but couldn't see another way forward. Upon closer inspection I found three identical, large rocks protruding from the otherwise flat cave wall. I wasn't sure what I would find behind any of them, but I felt there would be something behind at least one of them. I thought I'd split the difference and with some mental focus and a flick of the wrist, I threw the rock from the middle of the wall and rested it against the wall adjacent to it. As I thought, there was something behind the rock, a hallway, blue lights lined the ceiling guiding me forward.

At the end of the hall I emerged into a large room, the war room of a keep. Not any keep either, it was Cyphol's keep. Where I had spent the majority of my military career. The ceiling was high and the walls were made of stone. Several heavily armed soldiers stood around the room, a tense and weary look in their eyes. At the war table a man and a woman, each as heavily armed, argued with each other intensely.

"We have to leave now!" The woman shouted, "If we stay here any longer we're dead! We should push for the ocean."

"There's nowhere left to run!" The man shouted back, his eyes seemed bathed in flame, "We have to hold this keep, it's our safest bet. There's sure to be those things guarding the ports anyway."

"Just stop and think--" The woman's voice was cut off by an ear shattering tremor echoing through the room. The woman's voice changed from anger to complete terror, "Oh god, they're already here."

"What's going on?" I tried to shout but the wall across from me burst open and... something... came through the opening. They seemed to be people, but their skin was rotted away and some had no flesh at all, just a nightmare of muscle and bones. Their eyes glowed yellow and their high-pitched screech struck as much fear as their appearance.

The initial blast killed several of the soldiers before they could even draw their swords. Those who remained began slashing at the onslaught of creatures who jumped at them, tearing the throat from one of the soldiers, chewing and clawing straight through his armor. I gasped, unable to even move as creature and soldier fell all around me. The woman fell to the ground, covered in the animated corpses, the man slashed at them and the few corpses still here attacked him. He tried to shove them away and stabbed a few but they began to chew through his legs and one of his arms. He stabbed the final one and, bleeding profusely, turned towards me, "Run! Now!"

Before I could ask why, the soldiers' decaying, mangled bodies began convulsing on the ground, a painful screech echoed from their throats and their eyes glowed yellow as the dead soldiers began to push themselves up from the ground. I swore and pushed open the wooden door behind me. I looked up and down the hallway and more corpses noticed my presence and ran towards me. I sprinted for the exit, sword drawn, stabbing the dead as I ran. I burst through the door onto the street and found myself surrounded by a seemingly infinite number of living corpses. The sky burned red and I panicked as the corpses turned towards me. I shouted and scaled the wall across from me, corpses grabbing at my feet, I pushed open the door to a guard tower and closed the door behind me, breathing hard.

I stepped backwards from the door as I caught my breath and my foot landed in something soft and cold. I looked down to see snow on the ground and I turned around to find a seemingly endless forest and a few feet away, next to a small stone structure, stood Cynthia.

Cynthia turned around and smiled, seeming to light the forest up. "Hello Christopher." Her eyes sparkled in the shallow moonlight.

I didn't know how I'd gotten into the forest where we had almost kissed, but I knew that we couldn't be safe from those... things. "Cynthia, we have to go now!" She looked at me quizzically, "Behind that door there's-"

"What door?" Cynthia asked in her calm, enchantingly beautiful voice. I spun around and pointed at the door but it had vanished, replaced by the vast expanse of forest. Cynthia walked towards me, "There's nothing wrong, Christopher... there's just me, and you."

I met her eyes as she rested one of her hands on the side of my neck and pulled me towards her. I slipped my arms around her waist and closed my eyes as our lips met. It was just as I had imagined it would be, but I knew this couldn't be real. Despite what I was seeing, there's no way Cynthia could be here right now. Our lips were still pressed against each other and I felt something sharp poke my lips.

I pulled away and tensed as Violet looked up at me with her black eyes and pale skin, she smiled at me and exposed one of her fangs, "Sorry," she muttered and looked away from me. I stayed frozen, unsure of what to do, she met my eyes again and tried to pull me towards her but I stepped backwards.

"Where did Cynthia go?" I asked, searching the forest surrounding us.

Violet sounded a little hurt as she spoke, "She isn't here, but I am Christopher. What's wrong with me?"

"Is this real" I asked her wearily.

"I think you know as well as I, that this is all in your head, or in the mountain for that matter." The hurt had left Violet's voice and her cynical sounding rhetoric had returned. "However, if this is your imagination, then you have some very strange feelings for me." Violet laughed and I bit the inside of my cheek.

I answered defensively, "I do not!" And, I really didn't think I did. "If this shows me anything it's that I have some sort of feelings for Cynthia."

"And yet you ended up with me." Violet said with a smirk, "I believe you have things you need to figure out, Christopher."

Violet, or my imagination of Violet, walked away before I could say any more. I didn't understand this mountain, throwing me into Armageddon and then pulling me away to be swept into thought about my thoughts for Cynthia, or even Violet. She disappeared behind a tree and a door opened about a hundred yards in front of me, a bright light shining from it.

I walked through the door into a blizzard of a snow-storm. It seemed I might be close to the top of a mountain, but I wasn't sure what was and wasn't reality anymore. I began to shiver violently as I trudged through the snow. If I didn't find shelter, or get out of this false vision soon, I was going to end up frozen, if I could freeze in this mental labyrinth. As if on cue, in the distance a dark structure appeared. I was able to get close enough that I could tell it was a small cabin and I pushed open the door, sealing myself in this one room cabin.

This time the world didn't change as I closed the door, at a table sat an orc, only he was too small to be an orc, and his skin much paler like that of a human.

"Have a seat." The person said to me with a smile it's voice sounded like a collective grouping of many voices.

I sat down across from the person and asked, "Who are you?"

The person's smile faded and its eyes drooped as a sad expression exposed itself. "You don't remember, Christopher? Have we all been lost in your memory, mean nothing to you?"

I did not understand what the person meant. I wasn't even sure this was a real person and not my imagination. "Who are you?" I asked again, as calmly as I had before.

The orcs imaged flickered, briefly revealing a fearful expression and the scar of a sword. "Have you really become so numb to the act of taking a life? Killed so many you've forgotten that battle at the hamlet during the war of the eighths."

The reveal of who the person was cut into me like a sharp knife. "I do what's necessary." I said defensively. "I'm not a murderer. I'm proud to defend my people and my kingdom!"

"In your own head perhaps," the orc spoke in a philosophical manner, "But everyone has their own motives. One person's savior is another's villain. Perhaps you are the evil and corruption in this world, Christopher. Don't you remember what Cynthia told you about being part of the guard, serving the will of the corrupt nobility?"

"No!" I shouted at the person's unflinching face. "Everything I fight for is to help this continent, to bring about peace, I am a force of good!" I was nearly on the verge of tears, never before had I had to contemplate if what I had done was evil. God, I can't even remember the lives I've taken. I wasn't so sure the ends justified the means anymore. The collective mass of the lives I've taken was getting into my head.

The orc smiled and laughed slowly, "If you're so sure, strike me down again, if I must die in order for you to protect your kingdom." The person pointed at my eagle hilted swords at my hip, "Prove to yourself that we need to be removed from this world."

I reached down and grabbed the hilt of my sword but couldn't remove it from the sheathe. I wasn't so sure I had been doing the right thing anymore. Over a month ago I would've killed Cynthia on sight as a criminal, but she'd shown me the world isn't so black and white, good and evil. I removed my hand from the hilt of my sword and ran out the door of the cabin, the voices people I had killed echoing through my head as I exited the building.

The door opened not into a blizzard, but a thin cavern stretching in a straight line to a staircase in the distance. I walked forward and a woman walked out of the shadows and approached me, "Kill me Christopher, you know you need to." I didn't even know who this woman was, likely someone I'd killed or locked up in the streets of Cyphol and forgotten, a thought that made my stomach turn. I pushed the woman out of the way and started running through the cavern, her pleads for death echoed behind me. As I moved, more people, orcs and humans alike moved towards me, begging for death. I kept shoving them away and moving forward, refusing to fulfill their death wishes.

I made it to the staircase with a few tears streaming down my face, caused by the thought of how much pain I might have brought this world. I climbed the staircase and arrived at a circular platform. When I approached the center, columns of smoke burst from the ground all around me.

An old man with a long white beard and wearing tattered robes approached me and spoke softly, "Hello Christopher." Although he didn't beg for me to kill him my body still tensed, unaware what the mountain may challenge me with next. The man seemed to notice my body language and smiled. "There's no need to worry Christopher. You've made it to the top of the mountain. This is your final destination."

The man's words seemed to be true and I relaxed my muscles. "Do I get an affinity now?" I asked like an impatient child.

The man chuckled, "Yes you do. This mountain is designed to test your mind to locate your affinity. Even I, am a figment of your imagination that the mountain helped to create."

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "How could a mountain make me see all this? Make it all so real?"

"There's very little known about how this mountain works." he said, "While it's a useful tool in beginning training of mages, we don't know what makes this particular mountain special. Was it created like this? Was it enchanted by ancient elven magic? Or was there an ancient precursor race that came even before the elven race?" The man sighed, "While there are theories there is no concrete evidence to support any of them. How about we discuss what you're really here for." The man scrunched his eyebrows, "How is that possible?"

I perked up, "Is something wrong?" I wasn't sure what might be going on.

"Apparently not." The man said although he still looked concerned, "This must be some sort of precursor origin of affinity."

"What is it?" I demanded impatiently, yearning to learn what I was destined for.

The man took a long breath before speaking, "Since the beginning of time, dark magic, and light magic clashed, and although opposite to each other, they would cancel each other out, keeping everything in balance. Neither is inherently good or evil, they each exist to keep the universe in order.

"Different affinities can be traced to one side or the other. For instance, storm can be traced more closely to dark magic, while fire is closer to light magic. In rare cases, mages can directly wield either light or dark magic in its pure form."

I remembered what Violet had told me about having an affinity for pure dark magic. I still wanted to know what my affinity was though. "Just tell me my affinity."

The man made eye contact with me, "Christopher, it seems you have an affinity for pure dark magic, yet also for pure light magic."