Arcanum:

“Arcane user,” Em muttered to himself. Except for Jack, everyone was stunned by this knowledge. Arcane users were incredibly rare, exceptionally talented and are supposed to possess inhuman skills. Everything they heard of Arcane users was akin to legends and watching Colt; they could no longer disregard them as mere rumors. His strength, speed, and power were beyond anything any of them could ever reach.

Sighing, Tim puffed a cigar and said, “So he finally reveals himself.” Em stared at the old man with questioning eyes. His father was a simple man; he didn’t think he would know of Colt’s secret. Tim shook his head and said, “Don’t look at me like that brat. It wasn’t my secret to share.”

Ragnar looked at them in confusion and asked, “What’s is Arcane?”

Tim laughed and said, “It’s arcane, and only those who have seen the world through Colt’s eyes can explain it. Boy, Arcane users are people who have learned the secrets of the Arcanum. What’s an Arcanum, I’d never know but according to popular belief, Arcanum is everything. The world is full of secrets, the wind, the fire, you, me; we're all bearers of little secrets. Those who chase them and find them obtain the power over them. That’s the Arcanum and a person who knows one or more of these little secrets is called an Arcane user.”

Ragnar listened in wonder. Arcanum, he thought. Arcane.

The army and the mercenaries moved efficiently. Within minutes, they were all in their armors, swords, and shields by their side. Darren followed Colt’s orders to the last word and brought out all weaponry. The soldiers gathered at the center, and Colt gave out orders to get into a circular formation. Scattering their forces will only lead to more casualties.

The darkness was already creeping in, and he'd no time to think of other plans. The women were at the center while Colt and Jack stood as the vanguard. Ursula was forced to stay with the men while Darren never volunteered. Minutes of silence passed like hours as everyone stood on their guard. Sweat beads formed on their foreheads, and their bodies turned stiff with tension.

A moment later, swords were drawn almost instinctively by most veteran warriors. None knew what was happening, but they could feel the change in the air, the wind was colder; the darkness was gelid. Colt looked at the darkness with a dead expression. He could sense it, smell it, the air of the old NightWind forests. The aura of the Lickers. The arrival of the Cimmerian.

“It’s a wonder how much humanity has evolved in a few millennia. Arcanum was a secret art, but now, I find a little bug here who knows the mysteries of my race,” a cold voice rang out. It was a baleful voice, frigid and emotionless. Cold and mysterious, filled with power and an aura of death, like a voice of the death god. Men froze in fear while women fell to their knees; children began to cry, and the grass turned to dust. The voice carried the aura of destruction. Everything it touched became lifeless, and everyone who heard it were forced to either submit or shiver in fear.

Colt remained still. Jack narrowed his eyes. Ursula trembled and almost fell to her knees but barely managed to keep herself calm. The aura of the two men before her wasn’t familiar to her; they appeared stronger, darker and somehow foreign to her.

From the darkness stepped out a man. Tall, lean, with blue eyes and blue hair, he was beautiful. Women would have adorned him and males would have befriended him. He looked like a perfect human. His smile, charming. His face, inviting. His eyes, intriguing. But, there was the aura of death that surrounded him which made them ignore how perfect he was. They could only sense fear in their hearts. If not for it binding them on spots, many soldiers would’ve fled ignoring honor and respect.

“Lord Cimmerian,” Colt greeted. “We're but mere humans; you're of the race which rules darkness, death and fear. The Demon Lords. Men, women, and children here are nothing compared to your station. I plead you to show mercy.”

The devilish man smiled and then began to laugh softly. “Lord Cimmerian, The Demon Lords. Words of past, words of wisdom. Known to men who aren’t fooled by the folklore of the church and the kings. I am impressed but human, why should I show mercy?” Colt eyes turned cold. The atmosphere became icy as leaves began to freeze, the air became stale as Lickers roamed the winds unseen. The man smiled and said, “Humans broke the treaty. Don’t blame us, blame your foolishness. 'DakSpren.'”

Earth cracked, soil blackened and plant roots rose from underneath. Bones of old and roots formed into a two meter long Dakspren, which roared with an otherworldly fury. Colt lowered his head and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He appeared lonely as if he was reminiscing his past. The Dakspren kicked the ground. Rock, soil, and roots flew everywhere as it ran on all fours. The air howled and the night darkened as it lunged for Colt, jumping the last twenty meters.

Colt didn’t raise his head, and his sword never left his side. Jack looked at the Dakspren with narrowed eyes and tightened the grip on his spear. A wind blew, and the Dakspren flew thirty meters before crashing into a tree. Jack disappeared and had at some point stood before Colt. His hair was no longer black; it was a shade of violet and wind swirled around his spear. The Lickers screamed in horror and fled from him as he met eyes with the devilish man.

The Cimmerian smiled. “Another bug. How interesting that you escaped my notice. Human, what're you? By any chance, are you one of nature’s mistakes?”

Colt’s hand caught Jack before he could answer. His eyes were frigid, lacking all emotion, killing intent seeped out of his body, similar to the devilish man. They stood staring at each other. To the people behind him and Ragnar, they didn’t appear all that different; only one was facing them, and the other was standing in his path, protecting them.”

The Cimmerian wasn’t amused. His eyes narrowed, and the tinge of the smile in his eyes disappeared. A human was challenging him, what could be a larger humiliation? “Cimmerian,” Colt said.

The devilish man smiled and then laughed. “This isn’t a game human. You are not in a fairy tale where you get to fight me and save your men. Want to fight me? Fine, I will fight you with everything I am.”

Jack backed off almost instinctively as the air howled and screams of discarnate souls resounded in his heart. Lickers roared, while souls screamed, the Dakspren reformed, and the land turned into a black pool which birthed tens, if not a hundred Dakspren, who circled the Cimmerian waiting for his orders. Colt’s back was drenched in sweat, but he didn’t budge for he knew the minute he turned his back, all those desolate souls, Dakspren and Lickers would attack like a swarm of wasps.

Having made his decision, a smile formed on Colt's face. His old sword trembled as arcane power flowed into it, making it sharper, stronger, and something beyond metal. There was no signal, nothing and suddenly the discarnate souls attacked like a wave of a tsunami. The Lickers howled and followed along with the Dakspren.

It was beyond anything no man in the group had ever seen. The darkness was scary, but it was nothing compared to a thousand discarnate souls, a hundred Dakspren and an unknown number of Lickers attacking at once. In front of them stood one man. He stood like a wall, like a shield. Colt’s face hardened as he roared, “Shields up.” His voice infused with arcane dragged the men out of their stupor.

Shields were raised high, forming an impregnable barricade. Colt glanced at the guard and then at the creatures of darkness. They weren’t visible to the men, but he could see them clear as day. His sword quivered as the wind touched it. Sparks formed around the edges. Jack’s eyes widened as he too had never seen this side of Colt.

Colt’s feet finally left the ground. With him moved the wind, the air of mighty and the power of arcane. Nothing was holding him back. The years of silent lamentation released like a roar of a caged lion. The arcane suppressed by his heart bellowed and swept the field like a wave of fresh air cleansing everything in its way. The souls screeched in horror and fled. The Lickers shivered in fear and the Dakspren struggled to raise their voice.

The Cimmerian narrowed his eyes. The same bale aura crept out of him and consumed the arcane suppressing his forces in a heartbeat. There was no fight for dominance. There was an insurmountable gap between them. Colt’s sword flashed, and torn apart a dozen discarnate souls. The Lickers screamed and attacked Colt only to be crushed to death in a second.

Colt’s sword danced in the air, with overflowing arcane. It destroyed, killed and suppressed. He was a lone warrior fighting an army. Watching from behind the shields, men, women, and children alike held their breaths in awe. Although fear was in their hearts, at that moment, they were transfixed by the image of Colt fighting a thousand enemies, killing dozens in a heartbeat.

Jack stood silently, and so did Ursula. Her eyes were confused and concerned at the same time. She had thought that she knew the man known as Colt, but only today did she realize that she knew nothing about him. Who was he? What was he? Where'd he come from? When did he learn Arcanum? She had no answers for questions popping in her mind. To her, the current Colt was an enigma.

Em stared at Colt with an open mouth while Tim was frowning. Ragnar, on the other hand, was clenching his fist. He had seen the Dakspren before. He’d seen it kill before. It killed the dozens of strong men guarding their caravan in a flash. Mystic water did no harm to them, and silver was useless. But, Colt was fighting them all alone. Arcanum, he thought. What is arcane?

“Enough,” said the Cimmerian drawing Ragnar’s attention. He flickered his finger and the discarnate souls, the Lickers and the Dakspren disappeared. Colt watched in confusion. Only now did they see the numerous wounds on his body, blood soaked his clothes and the ground. But, Colt was looking at the Cimmerian.

The devilish man closed his eyes and sighed. The world changed. The wind became a tempest. The clouds began to crackle. The trees splintered and the ground trembled. The arcane in the world became his and Colt’s sword dimmed. It was the true arcanum. The Cimmerian was summoning the arcane from heaven and earth to seal their fate.

“My name is Vivaldi. It’s a custom of my race to announce ourselves when we fight as equals. Colt, not many humans have witnessed my Arcanum. You being one of them. My true name means under the moon, I rule over everything in the moonlight.” Vivaldi announced. His voice was soft, almost guilty but make no mistake; he wasn't pitying Colt. It was a farewell.

*****

Hey bud, if you liked my work think about leaving a review behind. It'll help other readers get an idea of what they're going to experience.

Kanna.