Soul confused, soul in doubt

Free will you are without

Heed your mind, strength throughout

Soul austere, soul devout

Translation from Effylscript found on the Ysdigar Portal in Hyrfvar.

"Woadan,” Tolis whispered, tasting the word in his mouth. His eyebrows raised for a second, then lowered, then raised again before lowering once more.

“What’s a Woadan?” he eventually asked.

“It is a meeting of the Elevated Keepers,” Kollyn answered, staring at the letter in slight disbelief. “It is held in Hyrfvar, the Realm of Connection.”

“The Elseworld?” Tolis gasped, looking as if he was about to faint from excitement. “You’re traversing into the Elseworld?”

Kollyn nodded. His mind was racing. It had only been five months since his Elevation, why had the summons come already? From what he’d heard it took at least two years for the first summons to appear. What was the Ligtyr planning?

He turned his attention back to Tolis who apparently had been talking non-stop without Kollyn hearing.

“No,” he answered, and the man’s expression faded away. “You cannot come with me, I’m afraid. Only those bearing his mark can use the Ligtyr’s Axesem and traverse into Hyrfvar.”

“Well at least let me watch your departure then,” Tolis argued and Kollyn laughed.

“Fine with me, but I assure you there isn’t much to it.”

Tolis shrugged and started organizing the scattered documents on his desk. Translating the historical records would have to wait for now, the thoughts of the Woadan would not allow Kollyn to concentrate either way.

Moments after they were done cleaning everything, a ripple began to appear before them in the middle of his study. It widened and more ripples followed until it had about the size large enough for a grown man to step through.

“Is that...?” Tolis began.

“An Axesem,” Kollyn answered nodding. “Created by the Ligtyr in Hyrfvar and allowing me to traverse in between realms.”

Tolis began noting down furiously, switching his eyes between the paper and the Axesem twice every second.

“Don’t wait up for me,” Kollyn said. “Who knows how long this will take.”

Tolis nodded only briefly in between writing sprees and Kollyn shrugged. He straightened his clothes, took a last good look to see if his red and white robes were adjusted correctly and stepped through. He’d only used an Axesem once before, during his ascension to acolyte, and had almost forgotten how cold it felt to step through one. The mark the Ligtyr had left on his left shoulder began to itch the moment he left his study and stepped into the void in between realms.

It was a strange feeling. His whole body felt as if soaked in icy water, clothes and all, but once he’d step out on the other end, he knew he’d be as dry as before. He walked through a misty world of white and grey, surrounded by small tendrils of translucent smoke that danced around him as he continued. The ground beneath his feet was as solid as rock yet invisible to the eye, conjuring the feeling as if he was walking on nothing but air.

His eyes shimmered and began to water as he unexpectedly stepped through the other end and into Hyrfvar.

Kollyn gasped.

He found himself in a hall unlike anything he’d seen before. It had a circular shape, pillars the width of houses lining the sides. Each pillar was obsidian black and had Effylscript engraved on every possible spot. They reached high, higher than Kollyn could see in the dim light, towards a ceiling well beyond view.

In the middle of the hall was a large, round table seemingly carved out of the ground. From what he could see, it was engraved as well along the outline and was made from the same obsidian the pillars were.

Over fifty stone seats surrounded the table and all but one were occupied by men wearing the same robes he was.

The Elevated Keepers.

The Ligtyr’s voice resounded from opposite the table. “Welcome, Brother Kollyn.” Kollyn fought the urge to drop to his knees. He was above that now. Still, he did not meet the Ligtyr’s eyes, instead choosing to lower his gaze.

“I am here to serve,” Kollyn responded and bowed slightly.

“Then serve, Elevated One,” the Ligtyr responded, gesturing towards the sole empty seat. Was he the last to arrive?

Kollyn walked over to the seat and sat down. The black stone felt unexpectedly warm.

Opposite him, one of the Keepers stood up and took the word. Kollyn recognized the man. Lancast was his name, one of the elders in the Hall. No wonder he had seem preoccupied, no doubt he had just received his summons when Tolis had knocked on his door.

“As you all know today is Brother Kollyn’s first Woadan,” Lancast began, addressing everyone present. “He will replace Brother Beoc who died two days ago during a Vren ambush.”

The men around the table held up their cups, raising them up before taking a sip. Kollyn hurried to do the same, surprised that the cups held nothing but simple water. He’d heard the news of Brother Beoc’s death but had been unaware of its cause. Another death he could have prevented?

Lancast continued. “Brother Beoc will be missed, but we can all rest assured that Brother Kollyn will live up to the expectations we all have of him.”

Several gazes turned towards Kollyn. He met them levelly one by one. Focus. He could not show these men his nervousness. He needed to reassure them his place here was earned, wash away their doubts. He had been deemed worthy by the Ligtyr; none could take that away from him.

A Keeper Kollyn did not recognize rose from his seat and nodded to Lancast, who nodded in return and sat back down.

“Brother Beoc’s death is but another casualty in a chain of events slowly growing beyond our control,” the man began with fierce intent. “Reports of Vren ambushes have been steadily increasing from all across the realm. If we do not act quickly, how long before they arrive at the gates of Lunard? How long before we must fight them on our own doorstep?”

Kollyn’s interest was piqued. So, he was right to think the increase in attacks was an unusual thing, one not seen before. For a second, he thought he saw the Ligtyr’s eyes flicker towards him, but when he looked his way, his focus was only on the speaker.

“You believe they would dare come so close?” a voice rose up. “They must be aware of the certain death that would await them here.”

“The Vren are not aware of anything,” Kollyn retorted and all eyes turn towards him. A brief sense of relief rushed through him as he saw no malice or annoyance in their gazes, only interest.

When none spoke up, he continued. “They are mindless creatures,” he said, his words reverberating through the immense hall, “intent on only one thing. To kill. They have no greater purpose or goal to works towards to. They do not even feed themselves on their kills. If they come to Lunard or any other city, it is pure coincidence.”

Murmurs sprang up around the table as the Elevated Ones sprang into conversation with their neighbours. It only confused Kollyn more. Was this not common knowledge? Where the Vren only appearing that recent?

The talking went on for a bit until eventually, the Ligtyr raised a hand and the table fell silent. His gaze was focused entirely on Kollyn, who met it for the first time. And for the first time, Kollyn looked at him and found that he was surprisingly normal. His features were non-distinct and amicable, giving him a younger look than Kollyn would have expected. There was barely any facial hair on his chin and his skin showed no wrinkles of age.

“I sense some confusion in you, Brother Kollyn?” the Ligtyr asked. “What bothers you?”

Kollyn collected his thoughts. “It would not be my place to say, Ligtyr,” he answered.

The Ligtyr gave a smile. “You would be silent now after speaking so confidently earlier? You are amongst equals here, Elevated One. Speak freely.”

Kollyn only hesitated for a second. He could not hold back now that he was part of the Elevated. “I was surprised, Ligtyr. I had suspected many of the Elevated had experienced combat against the Vren, seeing as it was part of my training as acolyte. I figured experience with the creatures was a requisite for Elevation. Yet now it seems many of the Elevated have never even seen a Vren.”

“Rational thinking,” the Ligtyr answered, “spoken without accusation or scunner. What is your answer to this, Brother Cormac?”

The man who had spoken of the Vren ambushes once again rose from his seat. He did not look much like a fighter, Kollyn now realized, and neither did most of the others. Had his perception of the Elevated Ones really been so askew?

“For centuries, the Realmatic Keepers of Lunard have been an epicentre of knowledge and education with us, the Elevated Ones, at the helm. We search to study that knowledge and preserve it. We are scholars who wish to see society leap forward every day. Each of us were Elevated on our own merits and achievements, not necessarily because we are capable of fighting creatures born from nightmares.

“The Vren are a recent plague, one we were ill prepared for. Because of this, a new path has been chosen. A path that will see acolytes not only be scholars, but warriors as well. Warriors capable of facing these new treats and live to tell the tale. This is but one of the burdens that the Keepers now take up onto themselves.”

He sat back down and the Ligtyr returned his attention to Kollyn. “Does this answer satisfy you, Elevated One?”

Kollyn nodded. It would seem he was one of the first to be trusted with taking up this new burden. It felt... comforting. But then why has the Ligtyr set me to studying?

The Ligtyr continued, speaking to the entire room now. “It is true Vren attacks are increasing to a degree where they will soon grow beyond our control. I have spoken with the Ylfru of Halfast and she has confirmed that there as well, the Vren are growing more aggressive and are increasing in number. Towns are being overrun, their people slaughtered and left in the mud to rot away.

“As Brother Kollyn said earlier, the Vren do not kill to feed themselves nor do they care for reason. They kill solely because it is all they can do. They are dead already. Their souls were corrupted and returned from Iodigar before they had a chance to traverse into the afterlife. They have no mind, no purpose, and no hope. Only by allowing them to pass on to the beyond can they truly be freed.

“Something in Iodigar is preventing these souls from passing on and as long as the passage remains broken, the Vren will never truly disappear. The Ylfru and I have decided we will each send one of the Elevated Ones to travel to Iodigar and investigate what is causing the Vren to form in such great numbers.”

Kollyn did not need to look around to know all eyes were fixed on him. Was this the reason he had been chosen as acolyte and had now become one of the Elevated? The Ligtyr’s intentions now suddenly seemed clear to him.

“Brother Kollyn,” He continued. “Will you accept this endeavour?”

Kollyn only nodded, feeling the stares of the others piercing him intently. He would obey the Ligtyr’s wishes, no matter what they thought of it.

None spoke up as the Ligtyr nodded in return and stood up. He placed both his hands on the stone table before him and closed his eyes.

“This Woadan is concluded,” he said softly. Polite yet decisive. None of the Brothers around the table dared speak up. The stone around the Ligtyr’s hands rippled and spread out. Each of the Brothers touched the ripple as it passed by them, sinking their hands into the table and traveling back to Lunard or any other city they had come from. Just as Kollyn, who sat opposite the Ligtyr, was about to reach for the ripple, it disappeared.

The enormous room was empty now, safe for him and the Ligtyr.

“A word, Brother Kollyn?” he said