Aeden's party hurried breathlessly through the forest, trying to lose another swarm of Nightmares. While their earlier encounter ended in a flawless victory, the young man's burst of power had some unexpected consequences.
"You just couldn't… You had to go all out, didn't you? Causing that much ruckus…- in a place crawling with Nightmares…-" Megissa took multiple pauses to catch her breath, still in the middle of a run. "You NEVER think these things through, Aeden!"
"Hey, the set-up was too much for an avid show-off. You can't blame him; I would've done the same." Decima didn't seem to mind the sprint; she even went slower so she could guard their backs.
"And she would've chewed you out just as much… Oh, duck! In Obice." Nihil's alert made his sister evade the incoming Mana beam as he conjured a small barrier to block it.
Aeden kept silent throughout the retreat. He perfectly understood that what he did was wrong and had endangered his friends. However, he couldn't control it. The same, familiar madness that boiled his blood whenever he needed to fight something. More precisely, the moment he decided to kill, all of his senses would focus on that task only.
These unknown feelings made him feel like a stranger inside his own body. There were many occurrences where he couldn't understand his emotions but acted on them anyway like a mindless puppet - simply following instructions.
A fully powered Mana ray nearly tore his wounded arm apart as he regained his focus, still running through these bizarre woods. Nihil cried from the middle of the formation:
"Sorry! It went past my barrier. I can't conjure strong ones while racing like this."
"Keep running. We can't waste Mana killing all of them. Especially if every swarm we destroy will attract even more Nightmares." Megissa's usually golden eyes shone with an ethereal grey glow.
The Mathematician spell, Mana Oculus, let her see the surrounding Mana flow. She took the lead, pointing towards another clearing, though this one seemed odd even from afar.
"Megi, there's a barrier straight ahead!" yelled Nihil as they rapidly approached.
"Keep going, don't worry!" she shouted in response.
Now that they were closer, Aeden could sense it too. It was difficult to see because of its transparency, like the protections surrounding Numidea's five cities. But still, he leapt along with everyone else since he completely trusted his friend.
He briefly felt like he was crossing a jellied wall before finding himself right in the middle of the meadow. The Nightmare's swarm hit the barrier a few seconds after but was quickly repelled, unable to go through. Understanding soon that they won't be able to press the chase, the creatures simply dispersed. From their practised retreat, it seemed that his party wasn't the first one to use that place as a shelter.
"Uhh?" Nihil's voice was quiet, but the surprise was audible in his tone.
They didn't even have time to catch their breaths when their friend's yelp forced them to spin towards the centre of that place.
Aeden turned to see a crumbling, circular mausoleum, its giant pillars heavily deteriorated by the flow of time. Despite its shabby state, the building was still brimming with Mana. Moreover, while being ancient, it strangely resembled modern Numidean architecture. At its top sat what is known today as an Exousia Stone, several shades darker than the white stones used to build the structure. It seemed to be the core fueling the barrier, though it felt somewhat different, weaker perhaps, than those used in their cities.
"Seems familiar, right?" said Megissa after making sure that there were no Nightmares still lurking outside the protection. "It's not what you think though. Our buildings were inspired by those."
"It's a Sygian vestige, isn't it? I didn't think we would find one still intact in the middle of the forest," added Nihil, wide-eyed. He was obsessed with ancient history and especially ruins like these.
"Sygian? What's that?" asked a half-curious half-bored Decima.
"They were an ancient civilization, thought to have inhabited these lands before us. Remains like these persist along the Tridenti river, but their true purpose was lost to time," replied Megissa while caressing the cold stone with her fingers.
"What happened to them?" this time, it was Aeden's turn to ask a question.
"Well…" she hesitated a little bit before answering. "It's only baseless rumors and guesses shared by scholars in Scaevola, but it's said that the Sorceress of Slaughter massacred her way through half the Occidian Continent before settling here with her people.. founding the current Numidea. According to them, ancient Sygia was most likely among the casualties."
"Oh…" Aeden's expression froze for a moment. "The Sorceress of Slaughter... you mean my mother, right?"
He still struggled with that notion from time to time. His warm, loving, caring mother was once one of the bloodiest and most feared entities throughout the known world.
"Don't make that face, Aeden," Nihil spoke softly as if he could see the expression hidden behind his friend's black cloth. "Even if what Megissa said was true, I think that it was for the best."
The Mathematician raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"I don't think you've realized it yet, but don't you feel something strange right now?" he continued with a vague question.
Aeden focused on his senses for a few seconds before something clicked.
"The barrier. It isn't filtering Mana as ours does." he finally said.
"Exactly. You do know that for normal people, the Mana in the atmosphere is too dense and dangerous. Most would die after a few minutes of exposition due to Mana poisoning. The only exception is spellcasters, who are completely unaffected by it. So, to survive, every settlement and city has enormous barriers in place whose general purpose is to repel Nightmares and most importantly, filter the Mana to a non-threatening level."
"Where are you going with this? It's nothing new to us." Aeden was a little confused but kept listening as Nihil continued:
"These barriers are the only reason humanity wasn't wiped out near the end of the Profane War, six hundred years ago. When Mana levels started dangerously rising throughout the world, the protections used by the people of Sygia wouldn't have been able to shield them against this very particular problem. They were going to disappear, sooner or later, whereas falling to the Sorceress of Slaughter gave them a future. From the similarities in our architectures, I'm pretty sure that some of them were assimilated. Your mother was known to value strength above all - a tenet that Numidea still follows to this day."
'He's right,' Aeden thought. 'What Mother did was for their own good. It all ended for the better, even though their culture was mostly forgotten. Traces of it still remain, scattered over these lands.'
Yet, he couldn't shake this strange feeling of unease as fleeting visions crossed his mind. Ignited buildings, charred forests, burning people. The scent of roasted corpses, their desperate cries, and then the silent acknowledgement of their doom...
Those images wouldn't go away. Even though he never experienced them, he never took part in that butchery; they still wouldn't disappear.
'It hurts, it hurts...' Aeden suddenly grabbed his head, overwhelmed with a fictitious pain he couldn't bear any more.
Megissa was the first to notice and was about to call out to him when another presence attracted her attention.
"Guys, we have company," said Decima as she stood up from the crumbling stairs of the mausoleum, her sight locked beyond the transparent barrier, near the clearing's entrance.
"My my, what an unusual group the four of you make. Care for me to join?" an uncanny voice emerged from a few meters away, yet no one was visible.
The giant trees' shadows started moving strangely, twirling and dancing like they possessed a life of their own. Then the silhouette of a man appeared from the shade, rising slowly and elegantly while taking physical form.
He was in his mid-thirties, with perfectly styled brown hair, a clean-cut beard, and bizarre pitch-black clothing, typical of the Chateau des Ombres' residents.
Those, however, were the least notable traits about him. Like every Ombre, his eyes were utterly hollow, with no eyeballs, and the mysterious smile he wore made his expression even more ominous.
His appearance woke Aeden up, though he felt no better.
"And who might you be?" shouted Decima, always on guard.
"Well, THAT is unusual. You'd expect a native to recognize the eyeless crooks who haunt their most infamous castle, but I shall introduce myself in a manner befitting our Roi," he said in a mocking tone before presenting to them a beautiful bow. "Nathan of the Crux, last of the 88 Ombres, at your service."
"I thought we were expected at the Chateau," muttered Megissa, scrutinizing Nathan's for any sign of hostility. She wasn't even able to read his Mana flow, to her surprise.
"You certainly were.. a few hours ago. Unfortunately, my kind is quite busy around this time of the year, and they thought it wiser to guide you directly towards your objective." his retort came in a perfectly calm voice. The Mathematician clicked her tongue as she only then noticed the sun going down.
"So, you'll help us exit Numidea with no payment?" she asked just in case. It was always wiser to clarify everything with the Ombres.
"Regarding that." he raised a finger, and his voice suddenly became much more pleasant. "Seeing as we won't be able to organize a fitting departure party at the castle, it was decided that the payment should be taken otherwise."
"I don't underst-..."
At that moment, the world froze for Aeden. Cracks appeared on the retreating sky, and blackened sheets covered the ground in a silent, almost beautiful display. He blinked once and only saw Nathan sitting on an elegant chair before him. He was in a similar position, though he didn't remember doing anything. Everything around him was dark, except for an intricate Mana lamp between them. It was the only light source in that space, and Aeden could only be grateful for it.
"Now, we can talk at ease." he waved his arm gracefully, and a mahogany table appeared at his right side, filled with all kinds of utensils. "Tea?" he said in a fruity tone.
"No thank you."
"That's a relief. Most don't share my sense of taste, and I hardly can imagine other flavors." he took a sip from his cup, his void, non-existent eyes still focused on him.
"Is this an Alteration spell?" Aeden was curious, as even Megissa didn't show such skills despite being a genius Mathematician with the same speciality.
"What do you think?" he asked politely. He could pick up a tinge of curiosity from his expression, though the lack of eyeballs made it challenging to be specific.
"I-.. No, what do you want exactly? You mentioned a different payment, right?" he didn't want to get side-tracked, not with creatures like him.
"We will get to that, Aeden." he finished his tea and then graciously got up. "How does that spellcraft work? The cloth covering your eyes."
"It allows me to see through it. Beyond that, I have no idea, I'm no spellcraftsman."
"I doubt you wear that accessory for purely aesthetic purposes. I might have a few ideas, though you'll need to tell me if one of them is right."
"I don't know what it would accomplish. Why does it interest you?"
"You interest me, Aeden." he started pacing around the little pitch-black world, going circles. "And by extension, all of those who know of your existence. You're a peculiarity, an anomaly that shouldn't exist."
"Yet here I am." Aeden already knew that. Nevertheless, he didn't like being called an 'anomaly.' Nathan softly chuckled.
"Ombres are inherently insecure creatures. We are always trying to hide behind etiquette, a false sense of elegance, and an untuned moral code. Regaining our eyes was once a shared goal amongst us, you see." Nathan stopped before Aeden, their faces a few inches from each other. "We sought to fill these holes, fearing to show others what they truly reflected. So I find it ironic that you, whilst having everything we looked for, chose to hide it, or perhaps seal it is the correct term?"
Aeden struggled to conceal his surprise. He saw right through him, and that made him raise his guard. The young man carefully asked:
"You said 'once'. Did you manage to achieve your goal?"
Nathan took a few calculated steps back and smiled.
"Obviously not, but we found something else. Anyway…" he waved his arm, brushing off the subject. "You wanted to know what the payment was. It's simple. Usually, the Ombres deal with prestige, status, and more importantly, information. However, this is going to be a different kind of transaction. I'm not here to take anything from you, rather, I seek the privilege of making you aware."
"Aware of what exactly?" he wasn't following.
"Dear Aeden, are you truly conscious of your situation right now? Why were you initially invited to the Chateau des Ombres? Think very carefully. What was the purpose of the measures taken before your departure from Lucretia?"
"You knew we were coming from Lucretia…? No, that's not important right now." he shifted his line of sight, looking straight at the Mana lamp as he struggled to figure out an answer. And then it came.
"The invitation wasn't a condition… It was an order, from the Triscelus to the Ombres." he blinked behind the black cloth that hid his eyes. "We were to be-... rather, I was to be evaluated."
"And for what end… ?" Nathan was helping him slowly unveil the answers.
"To be.. claimed." something clicked inside Aeden's mind. "The Triscelus is anchored in the five cities. They cannot help us outside Numidea." he then lifted his head, glancing at the Ombre, who might as well have been mouthing the words for him. "But Le Roi du Crepuscule's authority goes beyond the Sibylline Peaks."
"A public claim from the Sorcerer of Shadows could secure your journey to the northern edges of Occidia. However, there is an underlying problem. One that I assume went through the head of the Sorceress of Slaughter when she decided not to fill you in about this very existing danger."
"Danger…? What could be dangerous to a Sorcerer in the Occidian Continent?"
"The fact that such a matter evaded you until now is as interesting as it is frightening. Your current status is not one of certainty, but justified suspicion. No, hostile rejection is a much better term."
Aeden furrowed his non-visible eyebrows and was briefly confused, though his state instantly shifted to sadness.
"There are doubts about me being the Sorceress of Slaughter's son."
"It's not that simple. You are undoubtedly Damara's child, as anyone who met her would recognize the resemblance in Mana wavelength. No, what I'm saying is, no one considers you a Sorcerer yet. Not even yourself." that last part stung Aeden, but Nathan saw through his uncertainty. "The number of Sorcerers slain during the last centuries can be counted on one hand. You could say it's because they're powerful, but strength alone cannot protect you. Not when there are so many threats. Rather, it's fear that has made them so untouchable. The Witch is the mother of all Sorcerers, and no being loves his spawn more than she cherishes hers. Her wails fill the world each time one of her children dies, and she hunts every creature responsible for it. I've seen Gods brought down from their thrones because of her wrath."
Aeden felt a strange sense of warmth at the mention of the Witch. He knew about her, but only in brief mentions from his mother. He had never met her.
"The Witch went mad during the Profane War six hundred years ago and hasn't sired any child since, though she's still just as protective. Now tell me, after so many centuries with no births as disruptive as those of Sorcerers, how could your appearance be a possible problem?"
The young man hesitated for a few seconds and then answered:
"The world managed to reach a semblance of balance. I'm the son of the Sorceress of Slaughter, and thus have the same potential as her, if not more…."
"Yes, you could quite well reshape a continent or two once you've fully matured. But, you're still a newborn. Compared to the endless desert that's a Sorcerer's life experience, your existence might as well be a grain of sand. You're the first child of a Sorcerer, so it's unknown how the Witch will react to your death. Some will be tempted to gamble everything just to preserve the current stability. Others will see you as a naïve infant, and will try to control you for their benefit."
Nathan approached Aeden once more and thrust a finger at him, tapping his forehead before continuing:
"Your very kind might not recognize you as a Sorcerer and strike you themselves."
"So that was the true purpose of the evaluation. Should Le Roi du Crepuscule acknowledge me, his siblings would follow. The members of the Triscelus are too close to me to deny an inherent bias. Only an outsider's judgment will be considered."
The Ombre smiled, then backed away and sat on his chair.
"Be careful, Aeden. The petty disputes of my kind turned into foolish infighting over the years. They don't see our goal anymore, and few remember our true allegiances. Bringing you to the castle would've been dangerous."
"It's you… the one who lured the Nightmares. Rather, you're the one who brought the Primeval Dream near us. There was no sighting of Desidias in the Luctans Woods before, it's not their natural habitat."
"A good compromise, isn't it? You escape almost certain death in Le Chateau des Ombres, but you'll have to count on yourselves beyond the Sibylline Peaks. We'll help you cross through anyway."
"Why are you helping me?" Aeden seemed suspicious, which only amused Nathan even more. "You had no reason to warn me. During the Profane Wars, the Ombres were a certain god's followers. It was a Sorcerer who defeated him."
"And also a Sorcerer who rescued us when we had nowhere to go. Some of us are still grateful, others long for past glories, and a scarce few are stuck between the two. Now that I've seen you, I finally made my decision." He hesitated for a moment, before adding "You have outstanding friends, Aeden, but if you're anything like your mother, beware of a future without them. " he gave him a sincere smile for the first time before snapping his fingers.
"What do you mean? Wait-...!"
The black space crumbled, and the world began moving anew as if no time had passed.
Nathan's expression changed immediately, and he bowed again to Aeden, this time speaking in a much more respectful manner:
"Now that the payment has been received, I can lead you out of Numidea."
"Payment? What payment are you talking about? You took nothing." Megissa didn't understand what he said and turned her eyes towards a speechless Aeden.
"Are you alright, Aeden? You just stopped talking a moment ago, are you hurt?" asked Nihil, his expression filled with worry.
"No… Yes, I'm good. We paid the toll. Now we can go." Aeden's voice was toneless, hiding his genuine emotions.
"I'm lost, what did we pay?" Decima turned right and left, looking for an answer.
"Information. Gleaning them from such expressive faces is like plucking a ripe fruit, so easy and satisfying that it'd be considered boring in any other circumstance." Nathan regained his sneaky smile and graciously lifted his arm.
His shadow started unnaturally growing, encompassing the entire clearing as it slowly devoured light itself.
"We'll take a shortcut if you don't mind. Pleasant as my company might be, I don't think many people would still think the same after a three days journey with me."
The shade gradually absorbed them, loose and agitated like a blackened ocean.
"I'm afraid your stomach might churn a bit, but please don't vomit inside."
It then immediately swept them up. Akin to pebbles in a current of darkness, they sunk deeper and deeper while waves piled on top of each other, not even giving them the chance to cry out.
_
The gloaming, stirring and rustling, spat them out at the farthest section of the forest, nearest to the Sibylline Peaks. The party of four gasped for air while at the same time retching black matter.
Nathan watched them with evident amusement, occasionally chuckling at that sight.
"Well, it most definitely wasn't bad for a first-time. I congratulate you."
"You vile skunk..- coff…- I thought I was going to die." Megissa voiced everyone's thoughts between coughs, struggling even to get up. However, it didn't seem to displease the Ombre.
"Lovely. Now, get up, we need to go!" he joyfully opened the way, walking amongst the bushes.
Aeden signalled his friends to follow, though Megissa still wasn't convinced. He didn't care much, yet, as he was still lost in thought. 'Do I genuinely consider myself a Sorcerer?' He kept asking himself that question, over and over.
Crossing through the forest, one wouldn't need a Mathematician's Mana Oculus to spot the strange phenomena around. For Numideans, this place was known as the Luctans Woods, famous for its giant trees, overlapping foliage, and fusing branches. The arborescent struggle, along with the abnormally high Mana density, gave birth to bizarre occurrences and the impression of a millennia-long war - waged by the vegetation against itself.
For example, as they approached Le Chateau des Ombres, wooden limbs twisted into impossible shapes aloft their heads, forming elaborate structures and colossal tunnels of twigs, thorns, and bark through which they walked.
By the time the ominous towers of the shadows' home were visible on the horizon, the sun had already been out for a few hours. Numerous celestial clusters shone abnormally bright above the castle, and the dark, stony path leading to it was ready to be used.
However, they turned elsewhere instead, right at the forest's exit. At that point, Nathan started to accelerate gradually so that everyone could follow him.
"We'll need to reach the passage point before the sun's up, as it can only be opened at night," he said, his voice abnormally lowered.
Despite being quite talkative the first time he appeared, he didn't say anything beyond simple instructions when they approached the chateau. Others could have thought he didn't have anything to say, but Aeden knew that he simply couldn't, this close to their stronghold. Void and lightless eyes were shadowing them when they approached Les Ombres' abode.
With a constant, passive enhancement to their physical abilities thanks to Mana control, spellcasters could travel exceptionally quickly from one place to another. Traditional mounts were seen as obsolete for them since they could reach far greater speeds on their own. Plus, with Nathan's effectiveness as a guide, they were able to avoid any Nightmares.
They soon crossed one of the river branches that joined into the Tridenti's three major streams, passed another Sygian ruin, and reached one of the lower spires of the Sibylline Peaks. Usually, advancing this close to the peaks would be akin to encroaching upon the Sakit Urusk's territory, the main tribe that lived up there. However, they seemed to have a particular agreement with the Ombres, as no one attacked them the moment they set foot on the mountain.
Nathan stopped before a gigantic stone gate with strange, unrecognizable glyphs. He turned towards Aeden and gave him another bow.
"This is where I'll leave you. I hope that you'll find whatever you're seeking with this journey. Accept this as a parting gift, and token of friendship."
The Ombre gave him a single black earring the shape of a Crux, which the young man warily accepted. He raised it towards Megissa, who stared at it with shining grey eyes for a full minute.
"It contains Mana, though, for what purpose, I don't know."
"It's simple," said Nathan in an easy tone, seemingly understanding of their caution. "It acts as a mark of sorts. Easily recognizable by other Ombres and their underlings, It'll mean that you're our ally, and will spare you their usual alertness. Our kind never moves openly, but if they see the earring, they'll initiate contact by themselves. If you're in trouble, they'll surely assist you in any way they can."
"This is such a great gift, thank you, Nathan." beamed Aeden as he put on the accessory.
"I still think that you're accepting it too hastily, Aeden. We can't be sure that what he says is true." Nihil didn't seem happy at all and simply stared at the Ombre with barely hidden animosity.
"Nonsense, at the very least, his devotion to his Master is sincere. And a Sorcerer will never harm another one in any way." Aeden felt terrible about hiding what he previously discussed with Nathan.
'I am a Sorcerer,' he thought, 'I must prove it to them.'
"Well, it's time to part ways. The Sakit Urusk do not lurk in these parts, so you'll just have to pass through the stone gate. I wish you the best of luck." Nathan ended with one last bow before melting into a shadowy substance and disappearing into the ground.
"Thank you." he politely replied, then he turned towards his friends. "It's time to exit Numidea. Let's do it..."
All of them grunted in agreement, determination as well as excitement showing on their faces. After all, none of them had ever left Numidea, so it was bound to be quite an experience for everyone.
They advanced towards the entrance as the stone door slowly slid outwards. The dark tunnel beyond still stretched along the entire Sibylline Peaks, but it didn't matter. From there on, it was the unknown, and they were all eager for it, not realizing the dreadful plan set in motion.
_
Not far from there, in the looming castle of the Ombres, Tristan of Cetus was looking at his bowing subordinate from a regal throne. His long, black hair and the disturbing nothingness of his eyes deeply contrasted with the gentle, pale handsomeness of his face.
"How did it go, Nathan? What did you think of the child?"
"A suitable candidate, mon Seigneur. He inherited most of Damara's might, though he doesn't seem to control it yet. Also, he's somewhat naïve, and that could work against us. To break his early caution, I had to change the initial plan, so I wasn't able to assess the others' potential."
"I see. You did well; I'll want a detailed report later. Problems keep coming left and right - Laon is plunged into chaos right now and turns out there was a damned Primordial crawling under our nose. The key could've been snuffed out if he took a wrong turn near the town, these beasts are attracted to Sorcerers like predators are to juicy prey."
Nathan almost choked when he heard the term Primordial. During the Profane War, they had wreaked havoc upon the three-way battle between Sorcerers, Gods, and Humans. He witnessed it and will never forget the horror he felt as they ended the era of deities by themselves.
"What will we do about it? Is the Roi himself going to bring it down?"
"He doesn't know about it yet. Ursa Major came back wounded so it probably won't be a secret for long, but I'd prefer the Sorcerer child as far away from here as possible before that."
"Why?" Nathan knew why, but feigning ignorance was always best.
"Don't you find it strange? A Primordial shows up a few days before the festival when everyone knows Damara's child is surely going to set out on his journey. Then, I get notified that a new route to Numidea had been discovered and the Augen's agents have already crossed it. Even that accursed King of Lichtenhimmel knows something is up and sent his dogs sniffing around. What can you conclude about this?"
"The Fae…" answered Nathan in false, whispered realization.
"Yes, those despicable bastards. This entire affair reeks of their meddling. They know about the boy and want to use him too. If the Roi realizes they're here, we might lose his trust. We can't afford that right now. Tell Andromeda to select a few trustworthy Ombres and tail the child at all times. The Fae will try to make contact with him before he exits the Occidian Continent, and she has experience dealing with them." Tristan massaged his temples, he was going through a lot of stress lately.
"Understood, mon Seigneur. I'll do it at once."
"Oh right, last thing. Make sure none of this ever reaches Virgo and Hydra. They've been trying to get too close with the Roi lately, I don't want to imply the worst, but they may have already started their preparations. If they are waiting for the right time, we must be ready. Stay on your guard." he then elegantly waved his hand towards the room's exit. "That is all."
Nathan bowed his head one last time before going away. It was hard to contain his excitement. Their goal was within reach, and since the Ombres have been in constant conflict with the Fae for centuries now, their incoming clash wouldn't be the first. However, the recent infighting within their ranks made them weaker than before, and he wasn't sure who was going to win the tug-of-war for the Sorcerer child. Other forces have surely started acting up, and he couldn't wait for the ensuing battles.
'Yes, this is exciting,' he muttered to himself, 'so exciting...'