Cryptwalker

******

A figure stepped out from behind the body. Lady Anya, her face grimy and clothes rumpled. Yet she looked as poised as ever, grey eyes shining like steel. In her hands she held a matchbox and a match at ready.

"I was trying to find you!" she said as soon as she saw me. Then she noticed Elise beside me, still playing her song. Still holding on, despite the nasty gash running down her side. "What are you doing?"

"Elise is going to try and destroy Lord Himmel's mind," I said.

"You mean, kill him?"

"Yes."

There was a brief pause. "That's the problem, isn't it? He just can't be killed," she said. Only now did I notice the chinks in Lady Anya's armour, the cracks in her countenance. She whipped around, watching the scene continuing to unfold. So much blood. So much chaos. "We're losing badly. Lady Gertrude was just one of the few who had spent far too much of their energy. A few of my best sorcerers have tried to get close to Lord Himmel, but to no avail. Even I daren't approach him. The other Council members are doing their best to hold the line, but they won't last forever."

"We just need a little more time," I insisted. I looked at Elise. My mouth opened, ready to sing a song of healing for her, even if I felt drained enough already.

Lady Anya interrupted me before I could start: "But do you understand the consequences of killing Lord Himmel? Do you know why we were holding back?" She jerked her chin towards Josef, who was stiffly standing guard. "He should know."

"What—we don't have any time for arguments!"

"You kill Lord Himmel, you kill the Fountain of Heidelberg. Usually, a lord will choose his heir beforehand, so that not all the magic of the province will die along with him. Why do you think we wanted him to marry so desperately?"

Realisation doused over my head. "So that means—"

"Everyone who was bound to Heidelberg, whether now or then, will be killed."

"No—no!"

"It depends if you're willing to sacrifice an entire city for the sake of a country now, Klaudia," said Lady Anya. I couldn't bear to look at her, so I turned to Josef.

"You knew," I said to him, words barely audible over the din. "You knew—and you didn't tell me?"

"I had no other choice," he replied simply, while knocking aside a spell of lightning aimed for us.

I went mute with despair. I didn't mind sacrificing myself, but the other of having so many others forced to be sacrificed along with me...I thought of Heidelberg, of the city, of its people, of its life. It was alive, and though I didn't have the fondest memories of the place, I couldn't just take all its life away. I couldn't let it become another version of Erstürnach, a decaying remnant of days long gone. And to think that Elise and Josef, who had already given so much, meeting this fate...It was unbearable. I would sooner sell my soul to Lord Himmel than let them die.

"There has to be another way," I said. I was past crying now, but the emptiness that filled my being was even worse.

"Perhaps Maria has an alternative in store," suggested Lady Anya. Her tone was gentle, but it sounded doubtful.

I cut my flow of magic into Elise's body. She gasped from the sudden loss of backup, slowly allowing her song to die away. The impact of her spell induced nausea rising in me, but I held it back, gripping her by the shoulders and shaking her till her eyes were aware of her surroundings. Only now did she look down at her waist, noting that red stained her dress. She simply frowned, then looked at me.

"What do you think you're doing?" she barked, absolutely livid.

"No time to explain! Is there any way you can alter Lord Himmel's memories?"

She frowned. "I can, but it's considerably more work than simply crushing a mind. I would have to delve into the memories, and carefully make amends to them so that there are no loopholes. And I would need an extra source of magic—yours is running low and mine will take some time to recover."

"No need to worry about that," interjected Lady Anya. "I've called for Lord Konrad to bring Heidi here. She's a Healer. Should be able to amplify your power more easily. And she can see to that wound too."

"Well, that's good. Because—"

Elise's sentence was cut off when an abrupt wave of energy slammed into us. My head screamed in pain, and blood roared in my ears. It felt like someone was trying to split my skull open with an axe. I grinded my teeth, looking around, searching for the culprit.

I met Lord Himmel's crystalline blue eyes.

Then I felt it: Lord Himmel fixing his focus upon me, and reaching out to wrench my mind.

Now that I was aware of it, I could actually resist the mind control. Besides, something was wrong with his grip. As though someone had tampered with his magic, weakening it. But it was still strong, and I found myself beginning to give in. The outlines of everything blurred, like I had just downed several mugs of strong wine.

A wall of energy was thrown up between me and him. My mind cleared, and I saw Lady Anya, an angel of fire before me, her flames swathing and flickering in rage. She was the wall, putting herself in between me and Lord Himmel in order to protect me. Then I saw Lord Konrad, his dark hair bristling and sticking on ends. He was holding onto one of Lady Anya's hands, unaffected by her fire, feeding magic into her. Heidi was here too, a deep gouge running down one side of her freckled face. She had already drawn her water, which pulsed a light blue colour.

"How?" I gasped. They were actually containing Lord Himmel's mind controlling power.

"Wards, of course! You didn't think we'd come here unprepared, did you?" growled Lord Konrad, beads of sweat starting to drip down from his forehead. His features were tight and strained. "We'll keep Lord Himmel at bay. The wards won't hold long though. Act fast!"

"Will do," said Elise. She nodded to me and Heidi; we each took one side of hers. "Memory alteration will be a very different thing from simply crushing a mind, so do not be alarmed. Just hold onto me, and no matter what happens, do not let go."

"But miss... Your wound," said Heidi.

Elise shook her head. "No time," she growled. "Now do not let go."

Heidi and I placed our hands on her shoulders; the Healer's coated with water, mine with dust and wounds. Elise closed her eyes, drew her bow across her strings, and took up another song.

This was different from the previous one. More subtle, more tentative. Its every note was slow, carefully drawn, as if in fear of offending some unseen wraith. It was strange. Usually, when I heard other people play, I could become one with it—live in it. But this was...unusual. It was like the music was slowly wrapping itself around my soul, and my soul didn't mind. It was like being encased in a sheet of darkness, yet feeling comforted at the same time. I wanted to pull my hands away, pull myself out of the trance.

I forced myself to stay still.

And all I could see was black.

But I wasn't unconscious. It was just pitch dark. It was the sort of dark that forced your eyeballs to roll back in their sockets. The sort of dark which made you feel as though you were swimming in it, unable to find a way out.

I clung onto the warmth of Elise's shoulder, who was still playing her violin. My lips couldn't form any words, so I decided to stay silent, going along with whatever Elise was doing.

Then in the distance, a light began to glow, piercing into the darkness.

It took a while before my eyes adjusted to it. When they did, I saw that there was literally nothingness all around. Heidi looked just as terrified and bewildered as I am, but she didn't make a single sound. Elise was at peace, continuing to play without the slightest hint of hesitation.

She took a step forward. Then another, and another. Soon, we were walking down the darkness, and forms began to shimmer down the path we took towards the light. Darkness swarming within darkness, at first. Slowly, colours. A multitude of them, all mixed and swirling with one another. After that, images. Flashes of many different people, doing many different things.

"What is this place?" I finally asked, curiosity swelling in me.

Without breaking a single note, Elise said, "The world of memories. All the images you see here, they're memories of all the sorcerers in the town square."

I looked at them with renewed fascination. We continued walking down the unseen path, and the images continued to run without paying the slightest notice to our presence. "What is the light down there then?" asked Heidi.

"That will be Lord Himmel's memories, and that is where we're heading for," Elise replied.

As we drew closer to the ball of light, I could make out images in it too. Images of Hans, of Lord Himmel's past life; of when he was wandering around Aschein, with no purpose in hand; of when he assumed his place in Heidelberg, and assumed his identity as the Pied Piper.

It felt wrong and right at the same time, to be intruding upon something so sacred. Memories made a person; without them, one was lost. Something I knew all too well for these past ten years. Only when the truth had been unveiled had I truly found my footing in the world.

But we had no choice.

Soon enough, the ball of light was just in front of us. It was bigger than I'd originally thought, about three times the size of my head. Elise's song upped in tempo, growing slightly more urgent. "All right, remember what I said: Just hold on to me, and no matter what, do not let go."

She approached the floating ball. Once her body made contact with it, she began to glow the same yellow-white light as the ball. It spread till it engulfed Heidi and I, and then I felt as though I was being pulled forwards and tumbling into the light.

******

We landed in Erstürnach.

We were standing in what looked to be a throne room, with an elegantly-carved high back chair towards one end, a red carpet rolled out along the floor like a snake's tongue, and spectacular decorations lining the walls. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before, yet I just knew that we were in Erstürnach, where it all began. Elise had stopped playing her violin, I noted.

There was a man seated on the throne, his dirty blond hair spilling over his shoulders, his clear blue eyes fixed upon the figure kneeling before him. A scarlet clock, held fast by a golden medallion was thrown over his shoulders, and he was dressed in the finest finery anyone could possibly imagine. The last time I'd seen him, he had been a husk, completely drained of magic. Now he was at his apex, the very epitome of a lord.

Lord Adolf Weilsterhein.

Although we had landed smack in the middle of the hall, he didn't notice us at all. There was a man on the floor, grovelling on his knees. Some obscure nobleman, from the cut of his clothes; they looked like a poor imitation of Lord Adolf's. "Please, milord. Just one more time. I will pay you back this round, I assure you," he pleaded.

"For the last time, Branson, no," grumbled Lord Adolf. He rubbed the scruff on his chin, stifling a groan. He had been detained here for a long time, I deduced.

"I implore you, milord! Please! I know that you are generous, and—"

"And that generosity has been taken advantage of you for too many times. Enough! Jobert, escort this miserable fool out of my castle."

A tall, elegant-looking man stepped into view. His black hair was immaculately combed back, and his brows were trimmed to suffocating neatness. "Will do, milord." He sounded glad to receive the orders.

With a snap of Jobert's fingers, guards appeared of out nowhere. They stood at the ready, watching Branson on the ground. The poor man was flabbergasted by the easy dismissal of his presence. Reluctantly, as though being dragged by someone, he got onto his feet. He managed a mocking bow towards Lord Adolf. "Hmph. Clearly milord does not wish me to be here any longer. Very well, I shall be on my way."

With a haughty countenance, he wheeled around and walked out of the throne room, towards us. I stiffened. Elise was unperturbed, staring Branson down with the steadiness of mountains. Heidi cast me a questioning look, silently asking if we should move out of the way. I shook my head, though I wanted to nod.

Branson passed through us as though he were made out of smoke.

Or we were made out of smoke.

At any rate, it was disconcerting to have someone pass straight through my body. Only Elise was unaffected by the experience, probably because she had done this plenty of times before.

All of the sudden, out of one of the passageways by the sides, came rushing out a young maidservant. Her hair had come loose out of its chignon, and her cheeks were flushed with exhaustion. "Milord, milord! The young one is coming out right now!"

Lord Adolf instantly shot out of his chair. "What? So fast? But she went into labour hardly two hours ago!"

"The little one is a foolhardy one, it seems. Quickly, milord!"

"Shall I handle all official affairs for the time being, milord?" Jobert cut in unceremoniously.

"Hang it all, man. Of course!" Lord Adolf growled impatiently. Then sweeping his attention upon the maidservant once more, he said, "Take me to her."

The maidservant took in his orders and scurried off where she came from, with Lord Adolf right on her heels. Elise took a few steps towards them, and when seeing that Heidi and I were not following, she said, "We have to follow him."

Swallowing my fears, I clung onto her and headed down the passageway. Fortunately, the room wasn't very far off—and my bad leg wasn't actually giving me any trouble—so we followed Lord Adolf and the maidservant easily enough. What wasn't easy for us was to listen to the screams that grew louder and louder as we drew closer and closer.

When we entered the room, we didn't hear anymore screams. What we saw was a woman lying on the bed, panting, drenched in her own sweat. Bloodied sheets were spread out underneath her, and a middle-aged woman was by her side, patting her hand and whispering words of comfort to her. Another woman, her hair completely white, stood at the foot of the bed, carrying a bundle of cloth in her arms. It seemed to be wriggling and bawling. She smiled at Lord Adolf as he came in.

"It's a boy, milord," she announced.

"May I—may I carry him?" he asked, the bold lord from a few moments ago now a timid man bubbling with happiness.

"But of course, milord."

She handed the baby over to him. He took the bundle in his arms, looking as though he were afraid that he would drop it and it would shatter into a million pieces. His eyes sparked with wonder, and he cooed softly at the baby. "He's beautiful," he said softly.

"A perfectly handsome boy. A spitting image of his father, he is," said the old nursemaid.

I didn't notice that Elise was leading us to near Lord Adolf until I was staring down at the baby. He had stopped bawling, and his eyes were the same clear blue as his father's. Beautiful, as sure as day. Familiar eyes.

"All right, time to start the actual memory alteration," said Elise. She propped her violin against her chin, preparing to play. "Now it's time for you two to play your roles. I brought you into the memories so that it'll be easier to anchor me to the real world. Please save any questions for later." Just as I opened my mouth. " Concentrate on keeping your magic flowing into me."

"Is it really necessary to alter every single memory he has?" asked Heidi. "He was a mere babe here. Couldn't have remembered much."

"I prefer not to take any risks," she replied. "Besides, there are points of significance in a person's life that have to be altered before the rest can be tampered with. Birth is where it all begins."

Heidi surrendered to Elise's obvious air of superiority. "All right then. Have it your way."

Elise closed her eyes, starting to weave a tune. I reached for my Core, allowing a small stream of magic to flow from me and into Elise. The song was describing the scene: buoyant, joyful, alive. Then subtly, she shifted the tune into something less clear. I couldn't define the real melody; I couldn't even decide if it was in a major or a minor key. In fact, everything seemed to be clouded in a haze. Blood pounded at my temples, and my legs were going weak with nausea. Heidi didn't look much better. We still kept the magic flowing.

Then the scene was completely fogged up, and everyone's voice were muted.

Elise released the tune. She looked wearier, even though we had been giving her magic. "I don't have the time and energy to completely alter memories, so let's make this quick," she said. Then as an afterthought, she added, "Don't panic."

She picked up another song. The scene, although already blurred, seemed to rush by us. I felt like I was flying, and I wasn't enjoying it. The lurching sensation came back, except that this time I held on long enough to witness everything.

After what seemed like an eternity, everything sharpened. We were surrounded by springtime: flowers bloomed vigorous colours, trees were lush and green, and the occasional critter would pop out of the leaves for a quick moment. Two boys were playing on the grass. One was taller, with tousled brown hair and a quicksilver laughter; the other was smaller, clumsier, with dirty blond hair and clear blue eyes.

"You know what you have to do," said Elise, before she started to play.

******