Chapter 5A- A Fading World

“Halt stranger! Who are you and what do you want with our fair city?” a man pointed his spear at the cloaked figure walking out of the fog.

“Apologies for startling you,” Airen took off his desert cloak and mustered a smile. “I was traveling on the road and then encountered a heavy fog. I seem to have lost my way and heard a bell tolling in the distance, so I followed it and came here.”

The guard looked over to his partner, and then back at Airen.

“Young lad, how old are you? Where are your parents?”

“Sixteen.” Airen lied. “My parents died before I was born and I was taken into a group of traveling mercenaries.”

“You? A mercenary?” The other guardsman scoffed. “If you’re a mercenary, then my son must be a lord!” Without a word, Airen whipped out Force and stabbed it into the ground.

“If you would like to prove me wrong, then be my guest.” Airen lightly patted Force on the hilt, he had no intention of being looked down on.

“Interesting!” The arrogant guard shouted, tossing aside his spear and shield while drawing a black straight blade. “Your sword is beautiful, but is it actually yours and not stolen from the body of a merchant?”

“Stean, you shouldn’t be so rude to our-”

“Shut it Jun, we haven’t had a visitor in ten years thanks to this fog, and now we have a boy who seemingly ‘lost his way’ and wandered towards our fair Osperica?”

“Boy, if you lose, then you will forfeit that sword to me and leave this place. If you win, I will personally introduce you to our town’s leader. I’ll have you know I’m the son of a noble!” Stean shouted out a wager.

“Surely you jest.” Airen retorted. “My blade is forged from a legendary silver, and if you’re a noble, than you hardly act like one.”

“Silver, like hell. It’s probably a fake initiation at best.” Stein shouted back. “But to humor you, I’ll wager my sword as well. It’s one of the best blades made in Osperica.”

“I don’t have time to play games with you.” Airen drew Force from the ground and walked a few steps back. This man’s attitude had irritated him, and he did not want to waste precious time. It had already taken him two days to walk around the lake towards the castle without rest.

“Stein...” Jun warned. “The captain isn’t going to like this.”

“It’s alright, I won’t kill the boy.” Stein grinned as he brandished his sword. “I’ll just ‘check’ his things and deliver it to the captain for interrogation.” He walked away from the gates and made rude gestures towards Airen. “Anytime you’re ready, ‘boy’” he spat out the word with malicious intent.

Airen’s anger cooled as soon as he saw the man enter his range. So many openings, he thought. He pointed Force towards a spot behind the man, and shot out a magical kinetic bullet. Stein’s arrogant smug was wiped off as a shock wave blasted him off his feet from behind, throwing him towards Airen.

“Sto-” Stein began to shout as he saw Airen raise his sword high into the air, the silvery-white blade glowing with unnatural pale light. In a feeble attempt to block the incoming attack, he raised his black blade.

“Six Petaled Blooming” Airen mumbled quietly as he closed his eyes and swung down. The continuous ring of metal striking metal sent a ripple out towards the lake. When Airen opened his eyes, the back of a large man with a wide greatsword was in front of him. Airen quickly leaped a few feet back as the man stood up and turned towards him. Behind him, the cowering body of Stein was sprawled on the ground, and the dirt was wet beneath him.

“My apologies for my sub-coordinate’s behavior. Warrior.” The large man clasped his hands together and bowed towards Airen. “It has been long since we had a visitor and due to… situations, some of our people are suspicious of strangers. Please allow us to start over and extend our hospitality towards you.”

Airen nodded, the blood lust and irritation quickly dissipating. He wasn’t confident in gauging this new individual’s abilities. “Please. I simply wish for a place to rest for a while. If there is an inn where I can stay and perhaps have a hot meal, that is all I ask. I am Airen, a wanderer.”

“Well met friend, my name is Teruk.“ the man shot a look towards the remaining guard, Jun, and he signaled to the sentries to open the gates. “Welcome to Osperica. Jun will show you around and tend to your needs. I would do so personally, but I-” He shot a glance at the figure on the ground beside him. “-have some business to attend to.”

“Gratitude.” Airen walked towards Stein. As he approached, Stein slithered backwards.

“Wha- what do you want?”

Without even sparing a look towards the pitiful man, Airen knelt and picked up the man’s black sword. “This is too

good for the likes of you.” With the sheathed weapon in hand, he followed Jun into the city.

“And this is our local inn and tavern.” Jun pointed towards a large house with several open ended doors and tables on the outside balcony. “This will also be your lodging for as long as you’d like to stay, free of charge of course. I’m sure Anice would be really glad to have a customer for the first time in well… decades.”

“Is there a reason why there hasn’t been any travelers?” Airen asked curiously from beneath the cloak’s hood. He wanted to evade prying eyes.

“Reasons? Where do I even start...” Jun grumbled. “About twenty years back, the fog started to cover the lake, obscuring us from the outside world. Many of us had tried to leave, but we would just end up back at the gates. Some people vanished entirely.”

“Did something strange happen twenty years ago or something?” Airen inquired.

“I… I don’t know. My memory is very hazy past that time.” Jun said slowly. “ You’re our first human traveler in a long, long time..”

“…” Airen was deep in thought.

“Sir Warrior?” Jun’s voice broke his chain of thought. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I was just thinking about something.” Airen quickly replied. “Jun, can you keep a secret?”

“...If it does not interfere with my duties, then I will gladly do so.”

“Well, it’s not much of a secret anyway.” Airen started. “I was sent here from the outside to put an end to things. If I succeed, chances are the fog will vanish. Will you help me, Jun?”

“Gladly, Sir.... But why are you asking me this instead of one of the Bell keepers or Captain Teruk?”

Airen thought for a moment how to answer. Since he refused to read the memories contained in the book Fieluri had given him, he was left to his own resources and had no clue who Jun was mentioning.

“Because it is my suspicion as well as that of my peers, that someone in Osperica is causing the fog.” he made up the story instantly.

“I…. that’s a grave accusation, but I cannot refute the possibility” Jun replied, gripping the shaft of his spear. “How can you be sure?”

“I am not.” Airen whispered. “Which is why I need your help to verify the situation before dealing with it. One month, or to be precise, twenty-seven days. That is how long I can stay before I must go.”

Airen glanced around, people were starting to give the two of them strange looks. His attire clearly stood out, and everybody was curious about the stranger that walked amongst them.

“Jun, do you think you can come visit me later? I don’t want to attract too much attention” Airen said quietly.

“Of-of course, sir.” Jun, quickly picking up on the situation, saluted him and walked away.

“Just call me Airen!” he shouted at the retreating figure before walking into the tavern.

The well oiled wooden gates opened without creaking, but the sound of a tinkling door-bell announced his arrival.

“Welcome!” A woman in an apron stood behind the counter turned and greeted him. “Oh, you’re not one of our patrons. Welcome to the Guardian’s Refuge! What can I help you with?”

“I’m a traveller and I heard that I can rent a room here for a little while.” Airen put on his best smile, which he hoped would cover up his young age.

“A traveler? It’s been so long” Anice’s eyes clouded over momentarily, but she quickly adjusted gears and returned Airen’s smile. “Please, stay with us as long as you’d like.” She unhooked a key from a board on the wall and walked over to Airen.

“Here you go, your room is on the second floor, at the very end of the hall. It’s our best room at the moment.”

“Thanks.” Airen accepted the key.

“Would you like to eat something?” Anice returned to the counter.

“As a matter of fact, I would love to.” Airen nodded. Before deciding to add on to his fake backstory. “One of my goals of traveling is to sample all the dishes that the world has to offer. You can say I’m a bit of a wandering chef.”

“Oh? I better whip up something great then so you won’t be disappointed!” Anice replied as two small pairs of eyes peered out from behind the counter. Airen felt a tug at his cloak and when he turned towards the source, a small girl, likely aged eight or nine, stared back at him.

“Hey mister, did you really come from the fog? The adults say that humans can’t walk through the fog...”

“Liz! Be nice to our traveler! My apologies Mr?”

“Airen. My name is Airen.” He pulled back his hood.

“Airen, is it?” Anice repeated. “You seem pretty young.”

“It runs in the family. I’m actually sixteen- soon to be seventeen” Airen lied.

“Ah, that must be nice.” Anice accepted the excuse without question. “I’ll go ahead and prepare your room for you. If it isn’t a bother, would you appease the children's’ curiosity? It’s been a long time since we had a newcomer.”

Airen turned around to meet three pairs of eyes. They.. they multiplied.

“Hey, hey. Is it true that you’ve traveled a lot?” the youngest of the three spoke up.

“I suppose so.”

“Tell us a story!” Liz said while the boy marveled at Airen’s sword.

Airen scratched his head, and decided to humor the kids. Taking a seat by the tavern counter, he gestured for the kids to sit beside him. Liz was the only one bold enough to do so, the others hid behind her. With that he closed his eyes and started to recount one of the memories he saw in the Archive.

“There was once a knight who, in an act of mercy, granted an honorable death in battle to an old and decaying dragon. In return, the dragon gave him his blood, infusing him with dragonic regeneration, and even the ability to breathe fire. With his new found abilities, as well as the wisdom of the ancient dragon, he returned to serve his king. He gained fame and was renowned as a ‘Dragon Knight’, but as time passed his liege feared his power, and turned against him. Surrounded by his former comrades, he let loose a roar not that of a man, but of a dragon. In front of their eyes, his form changed into a golden drake, and their spears and arrows harmlessly bounced off his glittering hide. Unfurling and beating his wings caused a great gale that flattened his enemies. Yet he did not crush them with his new form, instead he gave his friends a sad gaze before he flew away.”

Dusk was starting to settle when Airen finished his tale and opened his eyes. There was more to the story, but he thought this was a good ending point for the children. He was surprised to see a crowd of people in the tavern, and they were all applauding him.

“A fine tale.” Anice commented. Several others voiced the same sentiment, and it was a while before the clapping stopped and the chatter returned. One of the younger kids, a small girl, had fallen asleep and was being held by Liz.

Anice walked over with a large serving dish and placed a large meal in front of Airen. The pleasant smell reminded him of his hunger.

“Please, enjoy. It’s payment for the story” Anice said. “Liz, take Cathy away and put her to bed will you?”

Liz nodded and turned around. After she took two steps, she stopped in her tracks and turned around to thank Airen before leaving with the boy.

“Are these your kids?” Airen asked as Anice returned behind the counter.

“No, but I look after them.” She replied. “Thank you for humoring their request. They are curious of the outside world, but the fog prevents them from seeing it.”

“Is there something wrong with the fog?” Airen frowned. “Sure, it covers a large area, and I wandered for roughly two days following the curve of the lake before I saw the town walls, but wouldn’t you walk out of it eventually?”

“Those that tried didn’t come back.” Anice murmured. “Perhaps they have gotten away, perhaps not, but we never heard from them again. Rumors are that the fog is a curse of some sort.”

“When did the fog first appear?” Airen asked curiously.

“Twenty years ago I believe.” Anice replied.

“Did something happen during that time? Fog usually occurs when there’s sudden changes in temperature if I recall correctly...”

“I… I don’t seem to remember.” Anice’s eyes dulled over for a moment as she replied slowly.

That’s what Jun also said when I asked. Airen thought, but that’s rather peculiar... As he spooned some of the orange soup into his mouth,, he recalled something Fieluri had told him before.

“Sometimes there are discrepancies in dreams Airen. An object that should not have moved suddenly vanished. A person that is there but the dreamer doesn’t know who they are. Tiny, tiny, flaws are always there, but in dreams heavily modified by the dreamer… there are some things that are rewritten, and false memories are created to fill their place.”

“So that’s how it is…” Airen mumbled, slicing a chunk of the barbequed meat and holding it to his mouth. “Twenty years ago, something happened, but what is the purpose of the fog?”

“Ah. Did you say something?” Anice’s voice disrupted Airen’s thoughts. “Is the meal unsatisfactory?”

“No, no, It’s great.” Airen cracked a smile. “This meat is rabbit haunch, and the sauce is a splendid mix of rabbit blood with a fruit sauce. The sourbread was splendidly baked as well and I can taste the nuts mixed into the dough. The soup was made from a type of dried fowl meat- I’m guessing pheasant?”

“You weren’t kidding when you said you traveled a lot.” Anice clapped. “Your assumption is correct, it is a type of pheasant that our forefathers had domesticated”

Without his mouth full, Airen could only nod in response. A few moments afterward, Anice went to serve another patron. Feeling curious stares on him, he quickly finished his meal and went to check his room on the second floor.

The floors were relatively worn, and every second or third step would creak. The corridor was narrower then he had expected, but widened as he reached the end. His room was well furnished with several chairs, a table, a barrel with a pail on it, a rug, paintings on the walls and even a queen sized bed. A pair of clothes was placed on top of the table.

Airen first went to inspect the barrel, only to discover that it was used for water storage and was half-way full with water. Airen sighed and dug around his pack for his bath cloth.

“I miss the hot springs already.” Airen said to nobody in particular as he wiped himself down. He changed into the provided clothes and hanged his own near the bed. Airen had thought about doing some training, but he fell asleep as soon as he plopped onto the bed.

The sound of creaking wood roused him from his slumber. Soon afterward, a pair of feet shuffled down the hallway, stopping in front of his door. Airen quickly sat up and stared at the door, ready to draw Force if need be.

“Sir? Apologies for the lateness but I just got off my shift...”

Oh right. I did ask Jun to come meet with me…

“Just a moment...” Airen quickly changed back into his original clothes and strapped on his sword. Then he undid the bolt and let Jun in.

“Airen, sir. What can I do for you?” Jun asked nervously.

“I just need a few questions answered to familiar myself with the town.” Airen reassured. “I had thought that the town had a castle near the center, but I didn’t see anything resembling it...”

“The old castle crumbled eighteen years ago.” Jun replied, glad it was a question that he could answer. “It seemed that some of the foundations were weakening, and as a result, we scrapped most of the castle and under the suggestion of one of the Bell-keepers, we erected a large bell tower.”

The painting showed a castle, not a tower… Airen thought to himself.

“Who and what are the Bell-keepers?”

Jun’s face brightened as he answered. “They’re the three maidens that tend to the Bell. We have an old legend in Osperica that as long as the bells continue to toll, our town would be blessed with fortune and be guarded from dangers. Because of this, we established positions to keep the bell tolling eternally. It’s the dream of a lot of men here to court one of the maidens...”

“I see...” Airen wasn’t sure if this was originally in the dream, or added onwards. “Did anything strange happen since the fog fell?”

“...I believe our town mayor had been afflicted with some horrible illness. Their skin would flake and wither away, revealing the flesh underneath. Many of those that served him also seemed to contract it. In the end, the eldest of the bell keepers advised us to quarantine them, lest the entire town be afflicted. They all died after a few days.”

“I see. It must have been tough without a leader all this time.”

“No… it may have been better that way. The previous leader was absolute scum that wallowed in his nobility and wealth. He abused his power and frankly, none of us liked him. It was probably divine intervention that he and his goons died away. The guard captain and the bell-keepers keep watch over the town now. The days have been mostly peaceful but...”

“But?” Airen urged him on.

“Something feels off.” Jun mumbled. “I have put things off from my mind, but now that I think about it I-”

“Jun?” Airen jumped up as Jun’s eyes dulled over like that of dead fish. He started to fall, but just before he did, his body jerked up and reoriented himself.

“Oh, hello Sir. Did you call for me?” Jun saluted Airen.

Airen stared at Jun in shock for a moment. “Are you feeling alright Jun?”

“I just got off my shift.” Jun repeated his words from earlier. “It’s rather late so I’m a bit tired.”

Airen nodded in response and made up his mind. “Sorry to bother you Jun, my questions were already answered. Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“Yes?” Jun replied hesitantly. “As you wish, sir...”

As Jun made his way back towards the door. Airen’s voice halted him.

“Do you remember about our secret?”

Jun turned around and stared at him. “Secret?”Airen stared at Jun again, and he felt anxious under his gaze.

“Nothing, good night, Jun.”

“Good night. Sir.”

Later that night, as dawn approaches.

Stean continued to mutter strings of curses as he walked the streets that his family once owned. “Why do I have to work as a common guard in the first place? My sword skills are one of the best in Osperica, there’s no way some child had the ability to defeat me. There was obviously some sort of trick, or he used some foul magic. ”

Stean’s angry footsteps shattered the peaceful silent night as he made his way towards the Guardian’s Refuge. Beneath his cloak, the silhouette of a dagger was well hidden.

“And how dare he take my father’s sword. That weapon has been in my family for several generations! Even Teruk did not dare to take it away from me!” Stein gritted his teeth as he recalled how Airen had said it was ‘too good for him’.

Like a thief in the night, Stean quietly pushed open the door. As usual, the general area of the tavern was unlocked. Stean eyed the stairs, but they appeared old and rickety to him. Taking great care not to make too much noise, he slowly crept his way up.

It took him ten minutes to ascend the stairs, yet nary a sound was made- a testament to his experience in creeping throughout the night. Stean’s eyes narrowed as he drew the poisoned dagger from beneath his cloak.

“I’m going to put you in your place...” Stean whispered as he turned into the hallway. Yet as soon as he did, a figure stood in front of him, barely visible in the darkness. In a panic, he stabbed wildly but none of the blows seem to connect, passing through the figure like as if it was smoke.

“You should not have disturbed the peace...” Stean barely made out the words as a staff was thrust at him and he barely dodged by tilting his head. But then the staff was suddenly pulled back, and Stean felt a blade cut deep into his neck from behind.

Before he fell to the ground and lost consciousness, Stean’s last vision was an image of the figure pointing a pale hand at him.

Airen quickly woke up to the faint smell of something burning. Working under Lilrim had made his nose rather sensitive to changes in scent and smell. He quickly sat up and reached for his sword, while sparing a glance out the window. Despite the lack of vision due to the fog, a faint blue hinted that it was almost dawn.

Airen strained his ears as he carefully approached the door. He thought he heard some faint sounds but when open the door and peered into the hallway, there was nothing there, only darkness.

“...Did something happen?” Airen frowned as he checked the lock. The scent had also vanished but Airen was too disturbed to return to sleep. Something wasn’t right and his senses from his battles in the Archive confirmed that, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

Airen pulled open his pack and pulled out the black sword he had taken. With a small chant he called for a rift and tossed the sword in, as long as a few trinkets he had picked up while Jun was showing him around. When he finished sorting his inventory, he drew his sword, Force, and closed his eyes, prepared to do some mental image training. In his mind, a levitating blade challenged him to a duel.

A gentle knock on his door roused Airen from his training. Bits of sweats dripped down his face as he came out of the trance.

“Aunt Anice said that breakfast is ready and I should wake you up!” Liz’s voice called out from the other side of the door.

“I’ll be right there.” Airen shouted back.

“Ok~” Liz’s voice drifted away.

Airen bought out an extra pair of clothes from the pack and cleaned himself up at the water barrel. As he left the room however, he detected the faint smell of charred cinder again. He walked a few steps toward the stairs and knelt down, running his hand on over the aged wood.

“Ash…?” Airen mumbled as he pinched some powder between the cracks. “Was this here before?”

“Good morning. I didn’t manage to catch your name last night.” Anice greeted him behind the counter. Four meals were already prepared and Liz, Cathy, and the boy of the trio were already seated and appeared to have been waiting for him.

“My name’s Airen.” he said before he slid into the empty seats. “Apologies for the late introduction.”

“Hey, Mr. Airen. Are you going to continue the story from last night?” the youngest of the three, Cathy, asked.

“Cathy, you fell asleep!” Liz shouted. “And me and Kene had to carry you to bed!”

“I did not.” Cathy huffed. “I only fell asleep after the story ended!”

“Yet you were snoring so contently.” the boy Kene said. “Do you even remember how the story ended?”

“I… uh.” Cathy mumbled, clearly not aware of how the tale had concluded. “The knight.. um”

“Turned into a dragon and flew away.” Airen offered, amused at the spectacle of the young girl wringing her hands.

“Right! He turned into a-” Cathy recited, before her eyes widened and she stared at Airen. “What, no way...”

A round of laughter made it’s way around the counter. In the end Airen had to recall the tale for her, and he promised to continue the tale later that night. For now he excused himself, saying he wanted to do some sightseeing.

For a week, Airen investigated the town for clues. The town was rather small, and mostly consisted of farmland on the outskirts. Nevertheless Airen went around and gathered a few items to appease Fieluri when he gets back. A handful of brown-gray grains, a few potato-like tubers, a few dried packages of pheasant, boar, sweet fish and finally, some jars of pickled vegetables. He had offered to trade for the items, but most of the farmers gladly gave it to him for free.

“The people that live here are really kind.” Airen thought as he deposited the items into the Archive. It was a bit past mid-noon now and Airen munched on some fresh tomatoes he was given as he walked towards the city gate to find Jun.

Eventually the giant wooden doors came into sight. One of the sentries pointed at him and shouted some words down below. A few moments afterward, Jun was dashing towards him.

“Hello Airen. Is there something you need?”

“I was wondering if you can introduce me to the Bell-keepers.” Airen asked.

At his request Jun suddenly turned defensive. “Wh- why do you want to meet them?”

“Should I not greet them?” Airen asked. “Is there a problem with my request? If it’s too much a bother-”

“No no no no.” Jun waved his hand. “It’s not a problem per say… but there may be some complications. You’ll need permission from them to arrange a meeting.”

“How do I get permission?”

“That’s...”

“You’ll have to ask me.” A voice called out from behind Airen. Jun adjusted his posture and saluted Captain Teruk. “I am in charge of the town’s well being and security.”

Airen cracked an awkward smile. “Then I’ll ask you. May I meet with the Bell keepers to offer my greetings?”

Teruk eyed him over, his large figure easily dwarfing that of Airen. Airen could barely make out a pair of eyes through the slits of the helmet. After a few minutes, Teruk finally broke the silence.

“Very well. I will come for you after night falls. Leave your weapon at Guardian’s Refuge.” he said before turning and walking away.

“The Captain is a bit blunt, but he’s a decent person.” Jun apologized as the two of them watch him enter a doorway leading to the top of the walls. “But to be able to meet with the three maidens… I’m jealous.”

Airen scratched his head. “Honestly, I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t unnecessary. This town is very peaceful, and it’s inhabitants are kind. But some things must be done.”

Jun was confused by Airen’s words, but did not let it show it on his face.

“Thanks for your time.” Airen nodded. “Is your friend not here today?”

“My… friend?”

“That noble’s son that was with you when I first entered. Stean or something was his name?”

Jun stared blankly at him.

“I was alone when I welcomed you into the town. There’s nobody by that name.”

Later that night, at the tavern.

“The country started to search for the man they called ‘the dragon knight’. But they never found him, and as time passed, they all but forgot about him. But in truth, he had settled in a small town on the edge of their country. There he befriended a young and beautiful woman, whose bright personality would not leave him alone. The two of them passed years together in peace.” Airen stared at the expectant eyes of the kids, as well as the patrons as their body language urged him to continue.

“But peace never lasts forever. The nearby nation had set their eyes on annexing their small country. It wasn’t a particular unreasonable request, the larger nation was ruled by a kind and just king. He dreamed of uniting the warring countries to stop the era of strife. Nevertheless the king of the tiny country had his pride and refused to step down. It was a one sided war, the larger country easily wiped out their troops and as they marched towards the capital, they sent a messenger demanding unconditional surrender. In the end, to secure his own life, the king decided to send his one and only daughter to the enemy. Yet the princess had already died, from suicide after he tried to betroth her for his own purposes. So the king sought a look-alike substitute, and that substitute ended up being our dragon knight’s dear friend.” A series of angered shouts broke out as people protested the action. Airen took a sip of his drink before continuing.

“The soldiers took away the girl in the dead of night without our dragon knight’s knowing. In anger he unveiled his form for the first time, and flew straight to the capital. In one claw he grasped the king and asked for his whereabouts, only to find that she has already been sent away. Onlookers said that the king was burnt alive until his flesh was charred black.”

“It is said that the dragon knight made a deal with the dragon kind. What we do know is that on the day the dragon knight’s lover arrived at the enemies castle, the skies was buffeted with wing beats of great dragons. And the dragon knight approached the king to declare his intentions. What happens next is unknown. But the historian who wrote this tale speculates that today, there are those with dragon blood in their veins. So remember to be careful of invoking the wrath of strangers.”

A round of applause quickly surrounded him as he brought the week long story to a close, changing the ending just a bit. Fieluri’s books are complete, but not many are interested in the happy, sometimes sad, days of a dragon knight and his beloved, and certainly not how one outlived the other.

“Are you a dragon knight?” A small hand pulled at Airen’s sleeves. “Because you’re a stranger here right?” Cathy’s bright eyes were staring at him intently.

“Sadly, I’m not.” Airen chuckled as he rubbed her head. “But if I was, I promise not to turn into an angry dragon.”

“No no no, you should turn into a dragon and give me a ride on your back!” Kene shouted.

“Ehhh, no fair. I want to ride on the dragon too!” Cathy joined in.

Airen smiled at their remarks, but Anice quickly had them deliver meals to different people. In a way, they were the Guardians’ Refuge’s mascots. It was cute watching them tottering around carrying meals to their customers. It was a small town, and most of the patrons smiled at their actions.

“So, Airen, what do you like tonight? Meal’s on the house!” Anice asked him as she filled a pint from a beer tap.

“I have arrangements to dine with someone tonight, but I’d like a drink if possible.”

“Of course!” Anice quickly grabbed another pint and filled it at the tap, before placing it in front of him, the froth still dripping off the sides. Airen tried it, and he was surprised at the taste of root beer.

“This is pretty good!” Airen exclaimed aloud.

“Why thank you. My father brewed it.” Anice responded as she filled three more pints. “We’re used to drinking it here, so we don’t know how well it compares outside, so he would be really happy to hear it!”

“What’s in it?” Airen peered at the black liquid. He knew there was sassafras, honey, and mint in it, but the rest eluded him.

“I believe there’s some coriander, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well.” Anice added. “I’m not too sure of the entire list of ingredients, but you can ask my father.”

Airen made a mental note to procure the recipe. As he put down his drink, he realized that Teruk had taken the seat next to him. Teruk held up his own pint of the drink, and after a moment, Airen clinked mugs with him. The two of them wordlessly downed their drinks. There were some whistles as Airen managed to match Teruk’s pace.

“Are you ready?” Teruk asked as he stood up.

“Of course.” Airen replied in kind.

Under the eyes of all the patrons, the two of them left the Guardian’s Refuge and started their way towards the town center, where a lone Bell tower stood. Darkness was just falling, and the streets were empty as they walked side by side.

“So um. Is there any sort of etiquette I have to follow?” Airen couldn’t endure the silence any longer.

“No” came the curt reply.

The silence continued to deepen, and Airen decided to take a risk. “Do you know about one of your men called Stean?”

“No.” Teruk repeated in the same tone as before. “But… the name is familiar.”

“I see. This may sound a bit weird but, was the town used to be more populated? I passed by several houses that were unoccupied.”

“I….. don’t think so.” Teruk hesitated before he answered. “A lot of people attempted to leave after the fog fell.”

Airen opened his mouth to ask another question, but Teruk interrupted him. “We are here.” In the darkness the tall looming tower blocking off the moonlight gave it a brooding atmosphere. Teruk pushed open a small door and gestured for Airen to go in. As he did, Teruk slowly closed the door, shrouding him in the darkness.

“Um. Hello?” Airen’s voice called out. In response, a small flame was struck and the wick of a candle was lit, revealing a young woman’s face. The intelligent black eyes and dark raven locks, coupled with her pale white skin gave her a ghastly impression.

The woman placed a finger on her lips, pointing towards two silhouette’s in the darkness. Airen’s adjusted eyes barely made out two figures sleeping on some beds. She gestured with a finger for him to follow her, and the two of them ascended towards the top of the Bell tower. Other than the sound of their footsteps, the only other sound was that of the staff the woman carried, occasionally tapping against the wooden floors.

On the topmost floor, with the bell towering above them, the woman stopped and pointed towards a table with a pair of stools by the corner. She took the other seat and leaned the staff against the wall, placing the candle on the table. Airen hesitated for a moment, before seating himself in the other stool, with his back to the wall.

“So you’ve arrived at last stranger, or should I say… outsider?” the woman spoke first. “How do you like your week’s stay at Osperica?”

“This place is beautiful, and the inhabitants gentle and generous.” Airen nodded. “But you know as well as I do that something is wrong.”

“….is it?” She replied quietly. “Things are as they should have been. The days are peaceful, the nights are quiet. A simple but contentful lifestyle. What more can you ask for?”

“It’s too perfect.” Airen’s eyes narrowed. “The people are too nice. Too…. Artificial. Twenty years and nobody questioned me except for one man, and that man is now missing.”

“Not missing.” The woman tilted her head as she adjusted her hair, and the gleam of her fingernails was barely visible in the candlelight. “Erased.”

“The fog was never meant to keep the inhabitants from straying was it? It was to keep people from entering in the first place.” Airen accused.

The woman nodded her head. “The barrier that was set up should prevent anyone from entering… yet here you are. Why and how?”

Several answers ran through Airen’s head. After a few minutes of opening and closing his mouth, he stopped and recalled his own experience as he was trapped within his own dream.

“To separate the living from the dead.”

“What do you know of life and death?” The woman laughed.

“I was in the same situation as you were.” Airen explained. “You do realize this is all a dream, right?”

“Reality lies in the eye of the beholder. If I wish to live and die in this world, who are you to stop me?” The woman’s voice turned cold.

“That’s…” Airen did not know how to respond to that.

“You know nothing child of thirteen autumns. You know nothing of me, or this world. All you want to do is to satisfy your own desire for righteousness” the woman spat out and Airen felt his face reddening. He could not deny the truth in her words, and he regretted not reading the book of memories Fieluri had given him now.

“You cannot bring back the dead.” Airen mumbled quietly, taking a guess in the true nature of this world. “It is not the burden of those that remain.”

The woman sighed. “Who is to say that the people that are here do not exist? You have walked,spoken, and eaten with them. You cannot deny any of that.”

“No. But-”

“Enough. We are at a disagreement. And those that disturb the peace are not welcome in Osperica.” In the blink of an eye,she had stood up and placed the staff on Airen’s shoulder. He could feel an invisible curved blade perched on his neck.

“Outsider. As you are not a dweller of this world, I will warn you only once. Leave this place, and never return.” A ball of foggy white light was gathered in the woman’s empty hand. Before Airen could respond, the ball of light expanded and blocked his vision.

When the fog finally dissipated, Airen found himself near the shore of the lake, from whence he had first entered the dream. His things laid in a disordered pile at his feet.

“I don’t see her with you.” Fieluri noted as Airen reentered the Archive from a door in the dream. “And the painting has not changed, therefore you must have given up.”

“No. I did not give up.” Airen shouted back. “I came for some answers.”

Without a word, Fieluri pointed to a book sitting on a pile of cushions. “That holds the answer which you seek.”

“You misunderstand. And I have no intention in peeking into another’s past without their permission while they still live.” Airen scowled.

“And what if I said the person you speak of may be already dead?” Fieluri responded with a smile.

“Fiel. Please don’t play riddles with me.” Airen sighed. “What I want to know is what are my chances of convincing her, or at least the chances of me beating her.”

“You have zero chance of convincing her.” Fieluri shrugged. “The spell is so complex that only the affected individual can be the one to break out of it, or the caster herself. Your words will simply deepen the rift. As for you beating her… I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?”

“Because it will affect your actions if I do. I will not make your choices for you, even if it is within my power to do so.” Fieluri scoffed. “Now make your choice, before time runs out.” Fieluri pointed to the painting.

Airen glanced at the painting, the once glistening paper was now dry and starting to turn yellow. The lake had lost it’s blue luster and the sky was that of a dark night. Where the castle once stood, a bell tower now towered over the crumbling walls.

“I’m going to go back.” he decided. “And Fiel, if something happens to me, everything in my vault is yours.” Airen reached for the painting.

“Everything in your vault already belongs to me.” Fieluri stuck out her tongue. “The root beer was quite enjoyable. Get the recipe for me this time will you?”

Airen grumbled like a child having his toys taken away as he walked back into the painting. Fieluri watched him vanish, and closed the book she was reading.

“Well. I guess I can help you out this time.” She placed her hand on the painting as well.

When Airen stepped through the door, he gazed towards the tower in the distance. The scenery was the same as before, wet, foggy, and a quiet atmosphere, disturbed only by the sound of Fieluri appearing behind him through a portal.

“Fiel? What are you doing in here?”

“Why, to lend you a hand.” Fieluri floated behind him and covered his eyes with both her hands. Airen felt his face go numb for a second, but it quickly dissipated. When Fieluri took away her hands, he reeled back in shock. The scenery had changed.

The fog was gone, and the once beautiful lake was tainted a dark and murky brown color. Dead trees revealed themselves around them, no longer covered up by the fog. In the distance, Airen could no longer make out the walls of the town. It was night-time, yet pale moonlight made it appear as if the world had turned into a shade of gray.

“What… what happened here?” Airen gasped.

“Nothing. Only the truth is no longer obscured.” Fieluri tapped his shoulder. “Good luck Airen.”

“You’re not coming with me?” Airen asked even though he knew the answer. The desolate and eerie atmosphere put him on edge. The absolute lack of sound gave him goosebumps and there was the smell of burnt cinder everywhere.

“This is a trial Airen. If you succeed, then I will take care of the rest.” Fieluri shrugged and snapped her fingers. Airen watched as her body went transparent, and then she vanished entirely, giving him a little wave. “You have one day, Airen.”

Airen stared at the spot Fieluri was at before while building up the courage, and then he started trekking to the ruins of the once beautiful town of Osperica. To his surprise, it only took an hour to reach the entrance.

“I must have lost myself in the fog the last time...”

He gazed up towards the ruined gates. The entire wooden gate was splintered and shattered but what was most shocking was the hundreds of circular holes that bore themselves along the wall.

“Ballistas holes. “Airen noted, recalling an image of the giant crossbows in one of Fieluri’s books. “And so many….”

Airen placed a hand on the gate and pushed gently. With a loud crash that echoed around them, the gate fell backwards and crumbled into a pile of stone and wood. He strode forward and glanced around him, noticing a figure by one of the walls.

“What happened here, Jun?” Airen mumbled as he sat down next to the deceased body of his former guide, but the skeleton of course did not answer. The skeleton clad in light armor and drabs of clothing had a ballista bolt through the shoulder plate. A familiar shield and spear leaned against the remnants of a wall.

“He must have sat here, hiding behind what was left of the walls before a ballista bolt got him. What a cruel way to die, slowly bleeding to death...”

Airen sat for a few minutes remembering the stout and honest guard called Jun. During his week long stay, Jun had often accompanied him because he was afraid the locals would mistake him for someone dangerous and despite Airen's age, he had always been polite with him. He made up his mind, stood up and with a bit of effort, pulled out the ballista bolt. As he reached for the spear afterward, a light gust blew in his direction and toppled the spear, pointing towards the center of the town.

“I suppose I should...” Airen glanced in the direction of the Guardian’s Refuge as he touched the spear and deposited it in his vault. “Goodbye, Jun.”

Airen made his way through the withered fields and crumbling houses as he made his way towards the inn that he had once lodged at. A sense of dread filled him as the inn came into vision- or rather, what was left of the inn. Where the Guardian’s Refuge once stood, all that remained was a blackened husk. Airen pushed aside the crumbling doors and went inside, and he instantly averted his eyes at the sight inside. Holding back his churning stomach, Airen quickly turned around and left.

“Not even children or women were spared...” Airen took a moment to gather his composure. A profound sadness and indescribable anger made him clench and unclench his fists multiple times. For a while, Airen simply stared at the charred place where he had met a kind innkeeper and her foster children.

Before he left for the center of town, a small rolled up piece of paper caught his eye. Airen picked it up and noted the small tack that was pinned to the sides, the same ones that Anice used to pin notes to the inn’s tavern wall. Airen unfolded it, but was not familiar with the language, yet somewhere in his heart he knew it was the recipe for the root beer he had so enjoyed.

“Strange coincidences...” Airen mumbled. “… or is it really? Despite what Fieluri did, this is still someone’s dream...” He turned to bowed deeply towards the tavern, offering a soft prayer for those that had treated him so well. With a heavy heart, he made his way towards the center of the town.

As he approached he could not help but notice the figure in the distance. Only one person he knew fitted that large, hulking frame, Teruk, Captain of the Osperica Guard. Beside him embedded in the ground was his great sword, and all around him were fragments of shattered armor and broken swords.

“Teruk? Is that really you?”Airen called out to the kneeling figure. Behind him, the Bell tower loomed over both of them.

At the sound of his voice, the unmoving figure finally reacted. With clouded eyes, the man once known as Teruk finally reacted. He grasped the hilt of his weapon and pulled, lifting it from the ground and raising it high into the air. His soulless eyes locked onto Airen and he started to slowly walk forward.

“So he wasn’t originally a part of this world...” Airen drew Force. He glanced at it and lamented how it looked absolutely miserable compared to Teruk’s great sword. He quickly transported it to his vault and open a rift to the Archive.

“Fiel!” Airen shouted as he dodged to the side, the great sword cleaving the ground which he once stood. “A weapon please!”

Airen jumped backwards, trying to put some distance between them, a wooden blade fell from the sky and into his hands.

“A training blade? You must be kidding me.” Airen shouted as he inspected the weapon while running away from the approaching behemoth. “What the hell, Fieluri!”

“Number Twenty-one.” Fieluri’s voice responded in his mind. “The Tayo Blade. An unknown hero once swore that he would never take another life again, wielded this blade to protect those he cherished. An indestructible weapon which was found in the depths of an ancient lake ruled by a serpent.”

Airen felt an object rapidly approaching him from behind and he quickly turned around and blocked the heavy greatsword with the wooden blade. True to Fielur’s words, the weapon did not even have a scratch on it as the berserk husk of a man repeatedly smashed his weapon against the sword.

Yet with each impact, Airen could feel the vibrations through his hands. The man’s strength was absurd, even though his blows were unrefined and easy to predict, each of his attacks easily knocked Airen back several steps.

“Ald!” Airen shouted after he sidestepped a particularly wide blow, placing his palm against Teruk’s arm. The resulting kinetic blast seemed to surprise Teruk momentarily, and Airen took the chance to swing the Tayo blade with three consecutive Blooming strikes. It was a clean hit, yet the dull edge of the Tayo blade only managed to bruise Teruk’s arm.

Teruk howled in anger as he swatted at Airen with a fast blow. He managed to block it, but it sent him rolling backwards. Just as he got on his feet, Teruk had leaped at him with a powerful overhead blow.

I can’t dodge this! Airen quickly decided and help up the Tayo blade to intercept the blow. However, after their blades connected, Teruk started to pour his strength into his sword, intent on crushing Airen into the ground. In the contest of strength, Airen felt his legs went numb as he desperately tried to stop the greatsword from his face. The wooden blade dug into his palms and blood leaked from his blisters, soaking into the ground.

“Ald!” Airen shouted, casting the spell from both his hands. The resulting blast smashed into Teruk’s face, who had leaned in add his own weight to the crushing pressure, and he cried out in shock. Airen did not miss this opportunity and with a burst of strength, slipped to the side and lashed out at Teruk’s legs, with six consecutive Blooming hits.

This time, it seemed that Airen managed to break something as Teruk howled in pain and nearly tripped over his own feet. Yet despite what should have been crippling pain from his own weight, he swung the great sword sideways in an arc as soon as Airen had landed the blow.

The retaliating strike caught Airen off guard, and he barely managed to block the attack. Yet the force behind him carried him alongside the swing and smashed him into the wall of a nearby building. However, Airen felt no pain as he picked himself out of the rubble. Airen glanced behind him as a purple transparent shield quickly faded away.

Is this what that tattoo is supposed to do? Airen thought as he glanced at his hand. The dark black and purple bruises and blisters from when he had to block the weight of Teruk’s sword had already started to fade. He turned to face Teruk, who was limping towards him, still intent on fighting. Airen calmly waited for him to approach.

The next few exchange of blows ended up in Airen’s favor. Teruk was without a doubt the stronger of the two, but Airen had experience from millenniums’ worth of memories. For some reason, the things Airen could not expect, such as weapon arts or spells, Teruk showed no sign of using. And due to this, Airen’s swordsmanship and Teruk’s berserk weapon style decided the victor of the two.

“It’s over, Teruk. Please stop this.” Airen shouted as he beheld the large man who was using the greatsword to support himself. Both his ankles and one of his knees had been shattered by Blooming strikes, and one arm was bend at a strange angle. Yet despite all this, the man’s unchanging eyes continued to chase Airen as he dragged himself towards him.

“Enough!” A child’s voice shouted out. At the sound, Teruk stopped and turned his head to stare towards the Bell tower. Airen followed his line of sight just in time to see Liz closing the door behind her.

“Liz?” Airen called out. “Why-”

Ignoring Airen, Liz walked over to where Teruk was kneeling. She placed a small hand and caressed the man’s face.

“Thank you, Teruk. You’ve done enough. Sleep now, I’ll be joining you soon.” Liz murmured.

Teruk seemed to not understand the meaning of the words at first, but then slowly, ever so slowly, nodded his head and closed his eyes. As soon as he did, Liz placed both hands onto his shoulders, and his entire body was covered ablaze with black flames.

Airen stared in shock as Teruk’s body quickly eroded into a pile of ash. Liz stood there quietly as a faint wind blew the dust away.

“Liz…?”

“I thought I told you to never return.” Liz’s voice accused him. A wall of black flames surrounded her and when the flames died, the young child was gone, and in her place stood the women Airen had met before he was forced out of the painted world. In the dimly illuminated light, her curly raven bangs, pale red lips, rosy white skin, and an old fashioned gown gave her an unorthodox appearance. “But I did not expect you to defeat Teruk… who are you?”

“Liz. Can we talk about this?” Airen asked quietly.

She did not reply, instead she raised her hand into the air. With a loud crash, the bell toppled off the bell-tower with a groan, and a staff flew into her hand, no longer acting as the supporting pillar of the bell. With experience, she flourished the staff in a 180 degree angle and pointed it towards Airen.

As soon as Airen drew Force, she attacked. Airen’s eyes managed to follow her speed, but his body could not react fast enough. With a loud crash, Liz had closed the distance and smashed the staff into the ground in front of him, lifting Airen into the air from the shockwave alone.

Before Airen could even realize what just happened, Liz’s staff shot towards his chest, but veered off to the side.

“Wha-” Airen shouted as Liz withdrew the staff and an invisible blade cut and pulled Airen from behind, smashing him into the ground. A faint purple aura surrounded his body as the damage was absorbed.

An invisible blade? Airen thought as he stood back up just in time for Liz to vanish and appear behind him. When did she get behind me?

“A magical barrier of some sorts? No matter.” Liz said as she tapped the ground with her staff, and a ring of black flames surrounded Airen.

“Ald!” Airen shouted desperately, but the blast did not even seem to affect the black flames that slowly circled towards him. Even though his eyes and body knew what was going to happen, he lacked the physical prowess to react to it. A pillar of black flames emerged from the ground beneath him, submerging him in a sea of black flames as it tossed him in the air. His entire body was glowing purple as the barrier blocked the damage from the hellfire. Liz did not even give him time to orient himself, as she spun the staff and leaped into the air quickly afterward. Using the side of the staff as a hammer, she sent him flying back towards the ground.

When the dust cleared, Liz was standing over him, the staff pointed at his neck. The purple barrier protecting him had changed from a bright color to a dim shade.

“This is the end. Boy by the name of Airen. You should not have come back.” Liz said quietly, and the faint outline of a spearhead was apparent at the tip of the spear.

Airen could not even respond as he was still shocked at what just happened. In the space of twenty seconds, he had been thrown into the air and smashed back into the ground twice. He could only watch in confusion as the tip of the blade flew towards his neck. But right before the blow, Airen felt the sensation of falling for a moment as a rift opened up beneath him, and he was transported some distance away.

“I think not.” Fieluri’s voice echoed around them.

"Fiel..?” Airen coughed out as he pulled himself up, leaning against the wall of a devastated building. “I thought you refused to interfere with-”

“Your world?” Fieluri nodded in affirmation. “But this isn’t your world is it? It’s the world of a lonely and lost girl named Lizabel Varmoin, the one and only inheritor of the Black Flames.”

“You seem to know of me, yet I do not know who you are.” Liz said quietly, her face expressionless.

“We have met once, nearly a millennium ago when I held a different form.” Fieluri recalled quietly. “You came to me seeking answers.”

“….The Dream Reader of the Lake.” Lizabel said after a long silence. Fieluri nodded. “If you have come to take the boy away, then I will not stop you.”

“That is my intention, but there is one other person that needs to be taken away.”

“There is no reason for me to go back. Everything I have wanted, I have obtained here.” Lizabel shook her head. “Even if you are the Dream Reader, I will not hesitate to point my blade towards you.”

“The times have changed, tragic, tragic Lizabel. But nevertheless, I have decided that it is not worthy for your story to end here. And that title has long perished, I go by History Eater now.” Fieluri replied. “As per the tradition of your time, power will settle the dispute. As you have challenged me to a duel once, I now challenge you, with the same conditions.”

“So it has come to this.” Liz said quietly, and slammed the staff into the ground. Three translucent blades split forth from the top of the staff. One formed into the shape of a spearhead, while the other two formed two differing crescent moons along the sides. Airen realized at that time that the invisible force that dragged him back was that of the scythe-like blade.

“Even if we cannot come to an agreement, I will thank you for the time you have given me.” Lizabel gave a small and elegant bow.

“There is no reason to thank me, everything occurs due to my own selfish reasons. And I will give you more time, as I deem necessary.” Fieluri tapped the air a few times, and several rifts opened above her. From them floated an array of weapons and books. Then she bowed back, to Airen’s surprise.

The two of them locked eyes, and the duel began.

Airen could hardly keep up with the speed of the fight. All that he saw was flashes and the clash of steel and magic when the two of them fought head on. The shock wave from each attack pinned him against the wall, and he could hardly breathe.

“Two-Thousand Arcane Orb Array.” Fieluri whispered, casually chanting off one spell after the next. “Light God’s Divine Comet. Moonlight Bolt Surge. Forty Days of Rain. Knight’s Blessing.”

As the spells attacked Liz, she countered with spells of her own. “Infernal Armor. Dark God’s Beckoning. Shadowstep. Will’o the Wisp.”

Thousands of purple orbs shot out from the books, floating momentarily in the air before converging towards Liz. Before they could reach her however, her body was covered with black flames, causing the orbs to burn away on impact. A blue spark in the sky was the only signal given as a large blinding-white comet fell from the skies above towards Lizabel. Before it could reach her, a giant black claw slammed into the comet, veering it away.

The spell books glowed with a pale white light, and then several beams shot out towards Lizabel, however all of them passed through her harmlessly. The next clash of spells caused the ground beneath Lizabel to turn into mud and quicksand, but white-black flames sprouted from Liz’s feet, lifting her into the air. Airen watched the exchanges in awe, and as Fieluri finished the last spell, he felt something blanket his body and the pressure from the fight not longer pinned him against the wall.

“Not bad.” Fieluri clapped her hands. “You’ve improved after all these years.”

Lizabel said nothing, instead charging at Fieluri who was floating in the air. A pair of orange-tinted swords and a ruby encrusted spear jumped forward to block the blow. Several weapons and spell books drifted out of the rifts leading to the Archive, and the arsenal Fieluri had at her hands continued to grow.

Realizing that the longer she waited, the more at a disadvantage she would be, Liz quickly jumped backwards. She always thought she was strong, and she truly was. Yet now she could only marvel at the utter insanity that was in front of her. The skies was adorned with glowing spell books, and floating around Fieluri was an endless number of weapons. She decided to gamble everything on a single blow.

Lizabel held the staff vertically with one end on the ground. She closed her eyes and started chanting in a quiet hymn. Airen could feel the pressure emanating from her despite the Knight’s Blessing. Cold sweat dripped down his neck as he watched the area around Lizabel distort and shake.

“...An unexpected surprise.” Fieluri noted as she recognized the technique. The spell will temporarily submerge an area in darkness, and the user can instantaneously move from one point to any another in the darkness an unlimited amount of times. Space and time was meaningless in the darkness of oblivion. Fieluri could attack her while she was chanting; she had spells with enough power to easily stop Lizabel from casting the spell, but she was the History Eater, someone who took your opponent’s attacks head on.

“It is only proper that I respond in kind.” Fieluri smiled and closed her eyes. With a snap of her fingers, all of the spell books and weapons returned to the Archive.

Airen watch with bated breath as the two channeled their respective spells. On Lizabel’s side, she was surrounded by a shimmering black orb, and the pressure caused the rocks and debris on the ground to rise into the air. As she chanted in an archaic language, the air distorted and Airen could see a giant blackness in the sky, as if the darkness of space was falling from the heavens.

Meanwhile, Fieluri was chanting in words that Airen could not even begin to comprehend.. Strands and ribbons of what appeared to be runes and words circled around her and occasionally bound themselves to the area. Where they touched, a brief magical circle would appear. Airen felt a strange sensation as for a moment, as if magical runes had blocked out his vision. When he blinked, they were gone.

And then the darkness fell from the skies and blocked out his vision. Lizabel had finished her spell, Abyssal World.

“And so it ends.” Lizabel mumbled, yet nobody was there to listen to her. With a single thought, she teleported her staff to where Fieluri stood, frozen in the darkness. In her mind's eye, Lizabel watched as the scythe blade impaled itself in her head. And just to be safe, she stabbed her a few more times, and scanned outside the darkness to make sure that she was not a clone.

A minute afterward, the darkness dissipated, and Airen watched in shock as Fieluri fell from the sky, crashing into the ground.

“Fiel lost? How… how is this possible? Is this a bad joke?” Airen’s mouth dropped in shock. Ignoring the presence of Lizabel, he scrambled over to where her body laid. Several gaping holes were over her body, staining her dress a dark red. In denial, Airen reached over and shook her shoulder.

Lizabel watched with a small hint of regret as she watched the boy trying to wake up the dead girl. Deciding to put an end to his misery, she appeared behind him, and raised her scythe high into the air.

“Of course it’s a joke Airen.” A voice stopped her mid-swing. Liz averted her eyes sideways to see Fieluri casually sipping a cup of tea beside her, seated atop a throne. She quickly turned to where Airen was, only to discover that the body was gone.

“Oh, If you’re looking for my body, then I got rid of it. It was unsightly.” Fieluri commented.

Confused and shocked at what just happened, Lizabel’s body automatically turn and swung the scythe portion of the staff towards Fieluri.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” As the blade approached, Fieluri lifted up a finger and the blade slowed down to a halt. She gently tapped the blade, and Liz instantly dropped it. It had turned several thousand times heavier.

“...How?” Airen and Lizabel asked in unison.

“Lizabel here may be the one influencing and populating this dream, but I was the one who made this world in the first place.” Fieluri scoffed. “I did say that only either the dreamer or the caster could end it.”

“So I never had a chance to start with.” Lizabel sighed as she plopped onto the ground. “I should have known all along… there were some things in this dream that try as I might, could not make happen.”

“You can bring back the dead, but they will never move on. Time will only repeat itself, I wonder how many cycles of the twenty years you’ve gone through.” Fieluri nodded. “Now as per our agreement, I will have you come back.”

“What choice do I have?” Lizabel muttered bitterly.

“There’s always a choice.” Airen interjected. “You were right when we first spoke, you did not know much about me, and I knew nothing about you. But what I do know is that a very young girl enjoyed the stories I told her, and despite everything, welcomed me to Osperica.”

“...Your disciple has a way with words, History Eater.”

“Well, he reads a lot.” Fieluri replied. “But not as much as I do of course.”

“...Nobody has read as much as you have, I think.” Airen complained.

“What will you have me do?” Lizabel said as they approached the door leading back to the Archive. “It has been many years since my time on the Gilin Continents. Nobody would remember my name...”

“That era has ended nearly a millennium ago.” Fieluri nodded. “After a particularly dangerous clash, the continents were smashed together and it’s called the Eiloong Continent now.”

“….Times have changed, but will you answer my question now?”

“I want you to act as a sub-mentor for Airen.” Fieluri said.

“Please take care of me.” Airen bowed.

Liz glanced over Airen “He has a talent to pick things up quickly… but his body is weak. Why do you want me to guide him?”

“For a variety of reasons.” Fieluri said ambiguously. “But let me tell you this. Airen here will one day greatly influence the world. If you were to guide him, then perhaps the things that happened to Osperica may never be repeated again. And if you serve him well enough, then I will answer the question you asked me when I was called the Dream Reader of the Lake when the time comes.”

At her words, Lizabel grew quiet, deep in thought. Airen could not help but sigh inwardly as he realized that he knew too little, and Fieluri was the person who had succeeded, not him.

“I will do it.” Lizabel agreed. She turned to Airen and extended a hand. Airen, thinking that she was going to offer a handshake, extended his own just as she patted his head.

Airen thought it was as bit ironic as he had done the same to the little Liz.