Chapter 61 - Return to the Cave

When Aisrin opened his eyes, the familiar rocky ceiling of the cave greeted him. He sat up and looked around, there was no one there. Aisrin sat there, and dwelled upon what had happened.

The hatred, the feeling of being consumed by the darkest darkness. The horrible wails and curses that echoed from that darkness, still haunted his ears.

"Oh good, you've woken!" Frill stated as she walked into the cave. Aisrin looked up at her, sadness emanating from his stormy grey eyes.

"I met myself last month." Aisrin started.

"I see, and can you tell me how?" Frill sat in front of Aisrin and asked him.

"I was searching for resources, to help my people, well, subjects I guess is a more proper term. Well, I was searching, I stumbled upon some ruins from my past life... ten thousand years ago." Aisrin explained.

"Wow, so that's why you were so quick to learn. You've lived before." Frill acted as if that was new news to her, but Aisrin could tell she had known for quite some time.

"Actually, twice before." Aisrin confessed. This garnered some surprise.

"So, this is your third life? My, remembering must be quite painful." Frill observed.

"I can't remember anything much from my second, truth be told. My first life I remember perfectly though. I was on a different world, without magic. The only monsters and demons we had, were humans themselves.

But, the thirst for war was stronger there. Our weapons and technology made for war, were advanced far more than the technology we used for convenience. But, my second life, was fun, for the parts I remember. It seems there was much more darkness in it than I was meant to handle.

That ruin I found, had a separate Dimension. The real ruins were held within. But, inside was dark and malicious. Miasma dripped from every corner. Nothing grew, life had long been sapped from it.

There I met a man, a viking man. He showed me the palace, and it's contents. Within was a corpse that breathed hatred and spoke with curses wailing from the hell within. It was me. The me that remembered all the bad and none of the good.

That darkness had been fermenting for ten thousand years, and was shackled within those walls for all eternity, suffering, agonizing, and bleeding its rotten wrath all over. When it spoke to me, it said things that made no sense.

The miasma flowed from every orifice, and some of it got on me. Memories that weren't meant to be remembered threatened to consume me, but the viking saved me, and resealed the doors. That must have formed a connection, because the smallest hatred consumed my body and I almost became it again. Was I too naive to think I could help others?" Aisrin poured his thoughts onto Frill.

"No Aisrin. You are not. One bad thing happened because you were not prepared to handle the evil of your past. As you have stated, you don't remember it.

You are too kind, and your desire to help may stem from those wrongs you don't remember. That's not naivety, that's just the wish for redemption the past you wants deep down. There is good within every evil, and evil within every good.

None of us escape that. No matter how hard we try. That viking must care for you alot. What did he look like? What did he tell you?" Frill comforted and assured Aisrin.

"Red hair, not like mine, yet similar all the same. His green eyes showed a mischievous glint and his words were very convincing. Every sentence bound to hypnotize at a moments notice. He explained the events after my death, and what the gods had done for me. At the end, he called me son, and said he was sorry for leaving me in the woods. I'm not sure if that was just a godly way of speaking, but it seems I was left by him." Aisrin answered.

"Ah, your viking sounds like our creator. Loki. We were named after his mythological son, Fenrir. The Salamanders of the east were also created by him. They're called the Jormugandr Clan by those that know them. If you ask how I know this, all of us do. It's the way he made us.

He does enjoy his sufferable mischief. This world you speak of, I know very little. Meaning I know that we are based in mythology. It's an annoying knowledge, some go mad thinking to much on it in fact. Some believe we are but words on a page and that they have no actual will of their own because of it.

But, Loki does care for his creations. He gave us alot of power, and spread fear throughout the world of us, in order to protect us. Yet, it does not always stop us from being hunted by humans completely. Even though he created us, he made us insufferable weak against Spiritual Energy. We call it the anti mana, as it seems to destroy our magic, inhibiting us from making use of it once hit.

Perhaps you too are one of his creations, or even his biological child. One can't be certain with Loki. His care for you though, speaks volumes to me. Like a parent watching over their child. The fact that he keeps that darkness sealed from you. His tendancy to take you from harms way, and dropping you in the cave randomly.

The point, son, is he wants you to live the best you can, just like me and Jira do. Maybe next time, you can get the answers from him, and tell me all about it next time. Oh, and maybe move closer to home? It seems you were spat out in a different gate far from the rest of us." Frill spoke lengthily and on multiple topics, just as usual. This brought a smile to Aisrin's face.

"I would, but I've already started my nation. I can't abandon it now." Aisrin replied.

"You can always move it." Frill pouted.

"That would take a long time. And, I'm not sure the villagers would react well to just leaving their old home behind." Aisrin logically answered.

"Then move the whole village. It's not like you don't know how. This cave moves all over. It has many connecting dimensional gates. It's the simplest of Distortion spells. And, if I remember correctly, you have Space, Time, and Void magic under your arsenal of magic abilities." Frill continued.

"I don't actually. Just Void magic. Space and Time are too advanced yet. Maybe in a few years time, possibly centuries." Aisrin denied.

"Hmm, well. I think you best get back, you've been here for a month now, out there, quite the sleep. Your villagers might be assuming you're dead, or never coming back." Frill advised. Aisrin shot up and hugged Frill, then bolted out the cave without another word.

He needed to make sure his nation hadn't fallen, or worse, been wiped out.