Moments later, Scathach materialized out of her wraith form in the forest away from the village. She had her hand clenched over her heart and was breathing heavily. Alone in the ominous tranquility of the forest, Scathach then leans against a tree, trying desperately to calm herself down.
Scathach felt guilty for leaving Kihli alone like she just did, but his words had triggered a sort of panic attack, coupled with the myriad of other things weighing on her mind. She could not let him see her like this...
And this was not the first time this has happened to Scathach.
Come on... get a hold of yourself...!
Taking deep breaths, Scathach struggled to ease the pain in her heart, clenching her chest even harder. Tears formed in her eyes, only kept from falling due to Scathach sheer will to not shed them out of shame. Her mind was racing, unable to purge Kihli's words that triggered her distress:
"We're not getting any younger..."
Poor Kihli had no idea what those words truly meant to Scathach as she stumbled deeper into the forest, seeking the one place where she could seek solitude. After a minute of combing through the bush, Scathach arrived at her sanctuary:
The Red Grove...
The sight of this secluded place, with its atmosphere of vibrant red spider lilies, releasing mists of glowing pollen, was enough for Scathach to regain some grip on her emotions. The Red Grove never failed to enamor her with its calming splendor. And it her only remedy in times of distress.
This place is beautiful... makes me want to walk around here forever...
Pausing to let out a sigh, Scathach then made her way to her "special spot" in this grove; a large, flat stone that rested beside a gentle stream that ran through the garden. Once she made her way to it, Scathach went down on her knees and put her hands on her lap before taking deep breaths. She closed her eyes, letting the sound of rustling leaves and the running of water replace the corners of her mind weighed by her woes.
It was time for Scathach to meditate and reflect...
Breathe in...
...
Breathe out...
A lot has changed for her over the seven years she last seen the Shadow. Scathach had matured and made a home for herself in the village of Dunscaith, and since then has watched the village and its people grow and develop, everyday making feel more and more like home.
Yet at the same time, Scathach was feeling a growing disconnect between her and everybody else; a reality that made her stay at arm's length between herself and the people of Dunscaith, which only grew worse when Fimir had fallen ill. Her health getting worse as Scathach with all her power could do nothing to help her, and she did not have the heart to tell Kihli or Aife that.
Fimir's deteriorating health juxtaposed with the maturing and aging of everyone around her... it made Scathach acutely aware of the grim reality facing her, brought about by Kihli's innocent remark just moments ago. Nothing was permanent...
...
Except for Scathach herself...
...
Thus was the reality of being immortal, made abundantly clear by her mentor on that fateful day...
_____
Seven years before...
The gate slowly parted its doors, allowing violet light to creep through. Scathach was forced to shield her eyes from the bright light whereas the Shadow simply stood and stared stoically. As the doors opened wider, Scathach noticed her circuits light up without them meaning to, activated by the flood of mana pouring out of the gate. With her eyes finally adjusting to the light, Scathach slowly lowered her hand and peered to what was lying behind the gate.
And she couldn't help but gasp at the sheer impossibility of the sight before her.
Behind the gate was a desolate, yet ethereal stretch of wasteland, with dunes of coarse, gray sand, and a violet sky of ghostly clouds, constantly discharging lightning. There was a prominent wind, lifting the sands and creating miniature cyclones that lasted for but brief moments, and off in the distance were monoliths that were as huge as mountains. What was more were the many trails of countless white orbs that flowed beneath the arcing sky above and the dunes below; numerous souls flying off into the veil that was the horizon of this strange land.
"What is this place?"
Those words left Scathach's lips as soon as they entered her mind, her eyes never leaving this parallel world as the Shadow answered:
"The Land of Shadows..."
Scathach's gaze was firmly fixated on the sight before, unable to comprehend the sheer improbability of the vast realm behind the enormous stone gate. The little girl found her mind reeling just trying to understand it, lost for words to describe it.
"It's- It's...!"
"It defies rational explanation, doesn't it?" The Shadow thankfully read Scathach's perfectly whilst sounding dead serious. "You see, lass... I don't just protect this forest. I also protect the passage to this hallowed realm, as well as the relic that opens it. It's my sacred duty, as the sole survivor that created all you see before you."
As soon as he revealed this to her, the gate slams shut, snapping the near mesmerized Scathach back to reality and causing her circuits dimming down. Scathach looks at The Shadow in astonishment.
"Sorry, but it can't be left open for too long," he tells the girl. "Way too risky I'm afraid."
Scathach was beside herself. She looked back at the relic in the center of the chamber; the object that had opened the gate; the Eye of Odin. The relic appeared to have powered down and become dormant once again. Taking in the moment to process the Shadow's words, Scathach asks her mentor:
"Why? What is the purpose of that place?"
The Shadow cast his head down solemnly, and motioned Scathach to follow him along the walls of the chamber. Even in the dim, magical light, Scathach could see the stone walls etched with various images, a mural like the one drawn on the gates of the fortress above.
Scathach believed that after all this time, the Shadow was finally answering questions she had long wondered about the nature of the forest, the monsters, and why all of this was here. She listens to her mentor with the utmost attention as he tells her a tale using the images on the mural...
*Narration*
"Eons ago, beings from across the infinite sky came to this realm to settle on this World. They consolidated their power, what we call True Magic, and formed a conduit deep within this planet's Reverse Side that allowed them to assert their will. This conduit is what is known as the Root, the source of all this World's magic."
Scathach found herself captivated by the etchings depicting the arrival of supreme beings descending from the skies, some of which she recognized, shaping the once barren Planet into a bastion brimming with life, eventually conceiving what looked to be... people.
The pantheons of various Gods were diverse... Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Hindu, and even Scathach's own Tuatha De Danann amongst others... all of them occupied a region of the World to watch over their own populace of worshipers... Scathach was fascinated.
"These celestial beings, who we would call our Gods, used this magic to transform this barren, inhospitable planet into a thriving bastion for the subjects who would feed them worship. Thus, the Gods created Humanity."
"By Gods, you mean-?"
"Yes... Your Tuatha De Danann, my Aesir, and others who would cultivate their own populace of humans, all of them are Gods of Humanity. When they conceived the Root, the remnants left over from the process became the Land of Shadows; a place where those who have lived and their souls parted from their bodies would rejoin the Root. The one place where the dead can rest."
The Shadow showed Scathach the layers of existence. The skies where Gods reside, the realm of mortals. Below them, a landscape like the one Scathach saw in the gate. Descending past the Land of Shadows was an indiscernible shape where everything converges to a point... was this some sort of depiction of the Root?
Before Scathach could analyze further, the Shadow directs her attention briefly back to the relic that was the Eye.
"The Eye belongs to one of my Gods, Odin. Its eternal gaze can open a portal directly into the Land of Shadows, and it manifest as the Gate of Skye. Odin initially gave up one of his eyes as payment for all the knowledge of the World."
Looking back to a previous image, Scathach sees what had to be the Shadow's Gods, judging by his previous descriptions of them. She sees a helmed man wielding a hammer; Thor, and ahead of him, an elderly man with a raven on his shoulder and an eye that was "all-seeing." Scathach figured that this must be Odin, and his eye looked very distinctive.
And he seemed to have already been missing the other eye. Which begged the question:
"How did he lose the other one?"
The Shadow mulled thoughtfully before he continued:
"For a very long while, Humanity endured a docile existence under the authority of the Gods, wherever they settled. It was a comfortable, but unfulfilling given the various Gods providing all the necessities of life in exchange for worship and unquestioning loyalty. The secrets of magic have been withheld from humanity, reserved only for the Gods to spread their influence."
The image shifts to mankind, living their lives day by day with the Gods above watching over them, and for the most part humanity holding them in reverence. It was a peaceful existence, but then Scathach saw the next image which showed something far more foreboding...
"Then one day... came a calamity..."
The balance of peace was shattered by the arrival of a being that resembled no other God depicted thus far. Scathach saw this... thing... depicted with a tall, slender, humanoid body. The creature had long, flowing hair, a single horn on the left side of its forehead, eyes with pupils that were cross-shaped, and it wore a large, three-pointed crown. It looked majestic... and menacing.
"A Beast descended from the Heavens, proclaiming itself Sovereign, surpassing the scattered, squabbling pantheons of Gods, and it brought down its forces to claim the Magic-rich planet for itself, along with Humanity. Though the pantheons rarely saw eye-to-eye, they all allied together to fight off this threat."
The image showed the Beast landing on the Planet and shattering the very ground it walked on. The people ran in terror... the many pantheons of Gods mobilizing together to fight the Beast and its army of automatons; inhuman copies that resembled the invader, only appearing more... mechanical in nature.
"The Beast's army of seraphs were numerous and overwhelming. This self-proclaimed Sovereign felled all who challenged with a power that twisted the very Planet itself. To turn the tide, the Gods deliberated and resorted to the one thing they swore never to do; they shared their magic with Humanity, who then came together from all corners of the World to help fight these invaders."
Scathach saw the next image showing the various Gods gifting some kind of power to the champions of Humanity. Armies of heaven, and armies of man rallied... they charged to fight the Sovereign's forces head-on. It seemed to be working as the Sovereign's seraphs fell until it was ultimately just the Beast, and its most loyal generals left to continue fighting. Scathach sees a sword, wielded by one of Mankind's champions, shooting a beam at one such foe; a big humanoid creature with enormous hands with cubes in them and killing it.
The Sovereign, meanwhile, found itself confronted with the mightiest Gods from each pantheon. Scathach saw a God with wings and a pair of enormous horns protruding from its head, half-woman and half-dragon, firing a beam from her mouth. Scathach saw Thor channeling lightning through his hammer at the Sovereign, alongside another foreign God wearing a ceremonial headdress, having two pairs of arms, and appearing to be shooting lighting through them. All three of them struck a blow that left the Sovereign devastated.
"The Beast found its forces dwindling, until it suffered a crippling blow from multiple surviving Gods, along with a divine weapon forged by the Fairies of Avalon utilized by the champion of Humanity. So, the Beast retreated to the skies above, never to return."
Scathach saw the next image in amazement; seeing the Sovereign defeated, but not destroyed as it was forced to retreat to the sea of stars above. As for the forces of Earth, there was no time for celebration of this victory...
"With the knowledge of True Magic now in their grasp, Humanity refused to return to being governed by the Gods, thus Humanity became independent, the Planet's will was split in two: one of them being Gaia; dedicated to protecting the Planet, and the other, Alaya; dedicated to protecting Humanity."
Scathach saw ultimately the costly result of the battle; countless humans dead, even some Gods did not survive the fight. What remained was a divide between the deities and humans, who decided they did not need them anymore. Thus, the World's consciousness was split forever more.
"Thus was the true beginning of Humanity's history. Sadly... nobody remembers it."
Having heard the Shadow's story thus far, it was a lot for Scathach to process. But still, there was the matter of the relic that they were in the presence of.
"Did Odin lose his eye in that war?" Scathach asked her mentor, who answered:
"No, but it happened immediately after. The war awakened ancient monsters that slumbered beneath the world since before the God age, and they began causing trouble. You've seen my memory of one of these creatures; its bones make up your spear."
The Shadow pointed at the next image on the wall, and Scathach saw a creature emerging from the ocean, and it looked an awful like the one the Shadow showed her with a recall rune.
"The Curruid!" Scathach answered in recognition.
"Yes," the Shadow affirms. "And that very same monster... had a sibling..."
Scathach looks beside the image of the Curruid and saw and equally enormous monster that appeared even more ferocious [and Lovecraftian]. It looked so horrifying that it made the Curruid appear tame by comparison.
"The Coinchienn..." The Shadow stated as Scathach continued to the next image, seeing to her confusion the two beasts wreaking havoc on the lands of the Celts and Norse... before one of these monsters killed the other?
Scathach did not have to wait long for an explanation from the Shadow...
"Your Tuatha De Danann and my Aesir worked together to quell the monsters that spawned in the wake of the war with the Sovereign. Eventually, it came down to both the Curruid and the Coinchienn. The later killed its sibling and combined its power with its own. It got a good hit on Odin before unleashing its wrath on the lands East of the sea to here on the Isle..."
Sure enough, the following image showed the empowered Coinchienn fighting off several Gods, and it struck down Odin, causing him to lose his other eye.
Poor sod, Scathach thought as the Shadow continued.
"This forest, along with this castle... was the site of that great battle. The forces unleashed at the time caused this forest to be bridge between this life and the next; the thinnest possible wall separating them."
Scathach looks at her mentor curiously.
"Is that why the monsters spawn here?"
The Shadow nodded before continuing with the battle against the Coinchienn. The image showed plants and animals dying in this creature's wake.
"The Coinchienn was growing so powerful that it started draining the life from everything around it; plants, animals, people... nothing was safe. Eventually it became invincible to the point where not even the Gods could vanquish it."
Scathach saw the next image of two of her Celtic Gods; Lugh and Morrigan, taking Odin's Eye and tracing runes. They all confronted the Coincheinn again, and after Lugh weakened it with his sword, Fragarach, Odin with Morrigan's help activated the Eye and created a portal out of a gate; one which opened to the Land of Shadows.
"The best they could do was combine their magic; use the power in Odin's Eye to form a gateway, designed by your Tuatha de Dannan, to imprison the Coincheinn inside the Land of Shadows, where it wouldn't be able to hurt anyone."
The next image showed the hellish monster becoming pulled into the Gate of Skye by what looked to be... souls of the dead(?). Inside the Land of Shadows, the remains of the Coincheinn resided in a lake of fire where other, lesser monsters, such as draugr, wraiths, ogres and fell-beasts spawned... along with what Scathach could recognize as Netherlysts...
"Did the Coincheinn... die?" Scathach asked, almost dreading the answer as sure enough, the Shadow shook his head in reply.
"It slumbers... but it is not dead. The Coincheinn hungers to feed off the living... waiting for the Gate of Skye to be left open long enough for it to wake and escape. If this monster got loose, all life on the Planet will eventually wither and die in its presence. So, the Gate, along with its key, need to be kept safe."
The Shadow then took a step back and gestured to himself.
"That's where I came in..."
Scathach stays silent and attentive as now the Shadow explained his part in his tale...
"Although it sleeps, the Coincheinn sends its spawn, the Netherlysts, out of Land of Shadows and into the realm of mortals through this forest's leyline. One appeared and nearly destroyed a village by the coast. MY village..."
Scathach could picture it:
a Netherlyst bursting out of the Earth... taking the poor souls of helpless humans it came across... completely leveling a settlement...
"I watched all my brethren get devoured. I was the only one left... and when my time came, divine intervention saved me. You can probably guess what happened to me..."
With the village in ruins... a traumatized boy stood alone as the monster loomed over him... already dead in the eyes, the boy was helpless as the Netherlyst attempted to devour his soul... but then a giant golden, spear shot down from the heavens and impaled the beast.
The boy's body went limp as in a flash of light appeared, and a grizzled old hermit with two artificial eyes and a raven on his shoulder inspected his body, seeing his magic circuits flickering to life... the boy eventually woke... and his eyes were a vibrant red...
"I was changed... powerful... immortal. My Gods were wary of me... I was dangerous... but too invaluable to kill apparently. So, they put me in charge of protecting this place, and the Gate."
The hermit took the boy to a fortress in a land across the sea... he passed on his knowledge of runes and gifted him two blades made of red bone... The boy grew up and trained himself far beyond what an ordinary human being was capable of... all to forever stand vigil over the hallowed grounds of the forest, and the magical eye that opened the gate to the Land of Shadows...
It was not hard for Scathach to piece everything the Shadow told her together. There was only one thing in her mind about all of this that did not seem to add up.
"Why you, though?" she asked her mentor. "Couldn't your Gods-?"
"Remember when I said that the Gods collectively created Humanity to be fed worship?" the Shadow cuts Scathach off, seemingly to be way ahead of her. "After the war with the Sovereign, Humanity began to think for themselves, and to this day they are slowly but surely waning reverence to higher beings. Without worship to sustain them, the Gods are retreating to the Reverse Side of the World, taking their knowledge of magic with them. They can't live on this Planet anymore..."
Scathach was surprised by this, yet looking back the dormant Eye of Odin, she could not help but point out:
"But they did not take the Eye with them..."
The Shadow nodded in response.
"The Land of Shadows is a derelict of the Reverse Side, and a potential pathway to the Root. Taking the Eye in there will force the Gate open. Wherever the Eye goes, the Gate of Skye goes with it. The monsters will enter this world unimpeded through the Worlds's leylines."
With that matter clarified, Scathach then deduced:
"Because you are the most powerful mage, the only logical thing to do then..."
"Is for me to safeguard it," the Shadow finished for her. "Even with all they have provided for me, my magecraft is still but a fraction of True Magic of the Gods. Humanity is continually unveiling the mysteries of the World, and without Gods to create those mysteries, the World's magic dwindles."
Upon hearing this, Scathach had an epiphany, and a worrying one at that...
"When the gate opened, I felt so much mana coming out of it."
"That's not by accident," said the Shadow. "The Land of Shadows is not far from the Root. Mages of today and the far future will seek out this place for that very reason. The Gate is a source of infinite mana, the force that fuels magecraft. But opening it for too long will wake the Coincheinn and invite its wrath. There are no Gods to stop it, for they are in the process of abandoning Humanity."
"That's horrible..." Scathach responded as she was taking all this in. If what the Shadow said was true, then he was the only thing keeping all of Humanity safe from the horrors birthed in the Land of Shadows, and it her made her wonder for his sake...
"How long have you stayed here?" Scathach eventually asked, and judging from the somber look on her mentor's face, this was the hardest thing he would tell her thus far.
"Honestly?" the Shadow starts in a weary tone. "I've lost count after two hundred years... but in all that time, I thought I was the only one like me."
He then looked at Scathach straight in the eyes as he concluded with:
"Until months ago..."
Scathach's eyes widened.
"What are you saying?" she asked out of dread, her voice shaking in hopes that he did not mean what he was implying.
"I haven't been honest with you, Scathach," she could hear the heaviness in the Shadow's voice, almost apologetic. "There was a reason I agreed when you wanted me to teach you everything I know."
Then the truth finally came...
"I was training you to replace me..."
And it was an absolute shock to Scathach, who felt like she just got stabbed through the heart.
"Replace you?!" she repeated, her mind racing at the thought of her mentor doing this to her. "No... no, no! I only wanted to learn magic to take back my village! To pay back the Heralds for what they did to me and Aife-!"
"Your village is gone, lass," the Shadow cut her off. "The only thing you'll be taking back are ashes. Nothing in this World lasts forever, Scathach. If I were you, I'd start getting used to that fact..."
Scathach realized there was even more bad news in store for her despite her growing anger towards her mentor for this betrayal.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You haven't thought about it, have you?" the Shadow said solemnly, ignoring Scathach's anger like he had all along been expecting it. "Has it ever occurred to you that being immortal is not as great you initially thought?"
This briefly gave Scathach pause. Her face fell as she tried to process what the Shadow said to her. Seeing her unable to answer left the Shadow disappointed.
"How naive... then I'll tell you. Being immortal means you will outlive everything even after the World itself is torn asunder. Your sister... your friends down there in the village; they will all grow old and die... and their children... and their children's children will expend their lives while you'll be forced to watch, unable to age yourself and join your loved ones in the afterlife. That's the reality of being immortal."
The shock returned to Scathach's face upon hearing this. The Shadow had no reason to lie to her at this point as much as she tried to deny it.
"No... No..."
"Is it sinking in yet?" the Shadow asked. "Take nothing else away from me except for this: I've outlived my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. Countless times, I could not take the loneliness of being in this forest, killing monsters every day and night until the years just blended together. No matter how many times I tried having a family, they all died out. This power cannot be passed on. No one I ever loved could stay with me... and I wish that I could join them..."
Scathach's brain lurched as she could picture those close to her withering and dying before her eyes; a vision that would forever haunt her.
Fimir... Kihli... Aife...
They all turned to dust... everything from the villagers, the homes, the trees... they all withered away until there was nothing but a barren wasteland.
While Scathach herself remained unchanging... alone...
This revelation made Scathach fall to her knees and caused a tear to escape her eye. To hammer his point home, the Shadow continued. Scathach could only listen...
"This duty has drained all the life out of me a long time ago... I don't want to be alone, but I can't bear to watch anyone around me die anymore... I paid my debt to the Aesir for saving me countless times over. I want to rest, but can't if there's no one but me to guard the portal..."
Now confronted once again with the truth, Scathach's hands curled into fists, her anger returning in full. She thought the Shadow cared for her, but it turned out that Scathach was only something the Shadow could exploit... to thrust this monumental duty on to her without her willingness to.
All she felt in this moment was heartbreak and betrayal...
He used her...
"So, you would condemn me to slave away and suffer in your stead?" she accused, her voice shaking with barely restrained fury as she looked up at the Shadow. "That's why you trained me?! You selfish bastard!"
The Shadow's gaze only softened slightly. As if out of sympathy, he reached out as if help ease her pain...
"Listen, Scathach. That wasn't all-"
But she did not care...
"NO!" Scathach yelled and pushed his hand away before getting up on her feet. "Stay away from me! I never want to see you again!"
Scathach turned and ran out of the chamber. The Shadow did not bother going after her as she ascended the path back up to the fortress, tears streaming from her eyes as she refused to look back.
The Gate... The Eye... The fortress... Scathach wanted nothing to do with all that.
Least of all... she wanted nothing to do with the Shadow anymore. He had nothing left to teach her... no more lessons built on an ulterior motive...
So, she would never see the Shadow ever again from this point on.
Scathach was done...
_____
Now:
-!
Scathach's eyes snapped open in alert. She rolled out of the way as a tree came flying from behind, nearly hitting her. She quickly got to her feet and summoned her spear as the tree crashed into the meadow nearby. Scathach readies into a stance with one hand on Gae Bolg, and another with a spell charged, scanning the tree line for her attacker.
To her relief and annoyance, her assailant turned out to be the last person she wanted to see...
"You're out of practice..." the voice of the Shadow cut through the foliage before the ancient warrior walked into Scathach's view. "Have I not thrown that so softly, you'd be missing tomorrow's sunrise."
Scathach's gaze stayed narrow and focused, and although she stopped charging her spell, she kept a death-grip on her spear as she stood more upright.
"I've been pretty busy," Scathach said to the Shadow coldly as he came closer. "But you wouldn't know that as you've held yourself up in that fortress..."
"Your senses have dulled too," the Shadow ignored her jab, stopping ten feet away from her and crossing his arms as if confronting a problem-child. "Don't think this isn't the first time I've been checking up on you. This has always been your favorite spot."
Scathach was partly disappointed that the Shadow was well away from her, because any closer and she would be tempted to throw her spear at him. The Shadow did not deserve to enter Scathach's personal space after their last meeting seven years ago.
It was a betrayal that Scathach was still bitter about. The Shadow was not welcome in her presence.
"I don't recall asking to have anyone act as my shadow," she told her former mentor, then adding, "especially not you..."
The Shadow held that stern face of his as he did not react at all to Scathach's words, but she did not expect as such as she turned her back and returned to her perch to meditate.
Still, Scathach was determined to get him to go away.
"If you think you could just appear before me and act like nothing happened," she starts as she lowers herself into a kneel and setting her spear down in front of her, finishing with, "then you're not nearly as wise as I once thought you were."
Scathach closed her eyes and returned to meditating, trying to ignore the Shadow in hopes of him leaving her be. However...
"You sure like to hold on to grudges," the Shadow annoyingly remarked, and Scathach inaudibly grunted when it became evident that he did not intend on leaving yet. She tries ignoring him as he continued. "Honestly, Scathach... You wanted the truth, and I told you at your insistence. You have no reason to still be mad at me."
"Who said I was mad?" Scathach asked rhetorically, but when the Shadow fell silent, she eventually got up and decided to cut to the chase.
"Why are you really here, Shadow?" Scathach demanded, turning back and looking over her shoulder at him. "You should know that I never wanted to see you again after you lied about why you took me in. How dare you come after all this time, and stand before me without so much as an apology-"
"No need to remind me," the Shadow curtly said, letting a bit of anger seep through his voice. Silence lingered for a while, until after an exasperated sigh, the Shadow went on to explain, "Things have been relatively quiet since our last meeting with the Heralds. We might have scared them off, but they'll grow brave enough to try to raid this forest again."
Scathach's tense glared fell slightly upon mention of the Heralds. As bitter as she still felt towards her former mentor, she knew the Heralds were an actual threat, as for sure they would attempt to invade and loot the fortress for the Eye of Odin.
But why should she feel concerned? After all, protecting the Eye was the Shadow's job, and Scathach wanted nothing to do with him or what was inside the fortress. Her only concern on the matter was if the Heralds dared attack the village, something she knew the Shadow could care less about.
Besides, Scathach had matured and honed herself more since their last encounter. Besides Fragarach being in that Chieftain's possession, Scathach was confident that with Aife and Kihli's help, she could fend the cultists off.
"I'd almost love to see them try..." she said resolutely before turning away from the Shadow. "I don't have to tell you that I won't let them hurt my sister, or any of the villagers."
"We both know how that went last time," the Shadow was quick to remind her, and he was growing frustrated with Scathach's arrogance; a byproduct of her time away.
"They don't have anything that can harm me that I'm not prepared for," she insisted. "Besides, I'm not as naive as I was back then..."
"No, you're worse," the Shadow scolded. "Don't underestimate these fanatics. What's inside the fortress has the power to change the fate of all of humanity and they know it. Unless all of them are eradicated, the Heralds won't stop coming. If they've been keeping quiet all this time, that means they're planning a big push."
Scathach was growing agitated, and she arrogantly jabbed the Shadow with:
"Well, I don't see YOU doing anything about it... not like you even need me to help you, anyway..."
"You know damn well I can't let this forest go unchecked. I might have addressed the fanatics sooner if you'd bothered lending a hand occasionally."
Scathach simply huffed, not needing to remind the Shadow that anything concerning the Land of Shadows was not her problem. Seeing her reaction, the Shadow decided to chastise her from a different angle.
"Hang on... I thought you were hell-bent on taking back your home from the Heralds. What happened to that drive? Could it be... that you've went and gotten sentimental?"
Scathach's eyes opened, and her hands, which were flat on her lap, curled into fists.
"Your silence says an awful lot," said the Shadow, able to tell that he was striking a nerve. I not only know that you repeatedly visit this grove, but I've been watching what you've been doing in the village. They cling to you like needy vagrants, don't they?"
She grits her teeth in anger, and Scathach seethes at her former mentor's words.
Because he was not wrong...
"It seems that you are more than happy being their do-all caretaker. I warned you-"
"It's not like that!" Scathach finally snapped and turned to face the Shadow. They stare silently for a while as Scathach breathed heavily from her outburst. Only she had calmed down did she eventually confess, "It... hasn't always been like that..."
Scathach cast her head down, partly feeling guilty for answering back at her former mentor. Regardless of her animosity towards him, she long accepted that whatever wisdom he did give always rang true. The Shadow could read her like a book, like he knew about Scathach's mistake of spawning the Netherlyst after their encounter with the Heralds.
The Shadow was right... as much as Scathach loathed to admit it, he was always right. For that, she still holds a modicum of respect for him. Scathach went to explain herself.
"The villagers did ask me many favors. I thought about what you said about using my magic to solve everyday problems would make them complacent, but still... I couldn't say no."
The Shadow gave her a peculiar look and crossed his arms as he listened to his former student. Scathach felt her pride being eaten away by confessing what happened after their last meeting and proving how correct he was.
The village did try to take advantage of Scathach once their fear of her was dispelled. It was just as the Shadow had warned her of.
"But instead of using magecraft, I offered to fill as many roles as I can around the village, showing people that they can solve their problems even without me. I... strived to teach them how to live without my powers."
Scathach could feel the Shadow's judging gaze loom over her; she dared not look at him in the face, but his silence was deafening. Scathach dreaded what he thought of her.
"The only exception I made was for the hunting parties, keeping them safe from the monsters of the forest as they were ill-equipped to deal with them. I'm sure the village would not have lasted this long if I hadn't."
Scathach sighed and closed her eyes.
"I've realized after accidentally bringing about the Netherlyst, that I have a responsibility to the people struggling to live in this place. I guess I gave up going after the Heralds because of how much we're all growing and thriving here. This... this is my home now. I want to protect it... make sure the village lasts as long as I do."
Scathach expected a response from the Shadow, but all she got was more stubborn silence. Letting out a chuckle, Scathach turned back around and resumed her meditation. She supposed she should not have expected even a hint of understanding on the Shadow's part. It was hopelessly naive of her.
Afterall, Scathach just confirmed everything he thought of her...
"Now's the part where you scold me," she called out her former mentor behind her. To her surprise, she eventually did get a response.
"I don't blame you for doing what you believe is right," the Shadow starts. "But you were so busy teaching others that you forgot there were still things that you can still learn. If you insist on keeping what you have going here, you must stay sharp too."
Scathach could tell by his tone that the Shadow was not fond of her actions. From the way he referred to the village, the Shadow made it sound like it was a fruitless endeavor, like it was unimportant compared to Scathach herself. Scathach once again felt a ripple of anger at that.
Even after all this time, the Shadow wanted to lecture her.
"So, what are you saying?" She asked callously, looking back at him. "That you want me back? I want nothing to do with what's in that fortress. You've got no right to coax me into being your protege again... Not after lying to me for months before revealing that I was to be your replacement."
The bitter memory of the two of them deep below the depths of the fortress once again came to the forefront of her mind, along with all the turbulent emotions.
"All that time we had..." Scathach's voice was shaking as she directed all of it to the Shadow. "You training me... giving me purpose... making me feel like I had a friend... and you were going to subject me to your misery."
Scathach glared at her former mentor, whose face remained stoic.
"Shame on you..."
After she had made her feelings clear, Scathach curtly turned away and bitterly ignored the Shadow, hoping what she has said will make him leave her alone. She was too overcome with emotion to argue with him any further.
Scathach tried getting a handle on herself as she attempted going back into meditation, which was not helped by the fact that moments went by... and the Shadow had not left.
His silence was unbearable, but Scathach refused to give him her attention again. To her shock, the Shadow broke it, in a way she did not expect.
"Scathach..." the Shadow's voice was surprisingly sympathetic despite his trademark sternness. He was being serious with her; a different sort of serious at that. The Shadow was searching for the words to best get himself through to her. "You- you might not like what I have to say. But our lives... aren't human lives. I told you that I tried the exact thing you are doing; trying to make something that lasts as long as you do... It- It can't be done..."
Scathach's face relaxed before turning into one of astonishment. She did not let her former mentor see, but she felt the Shadow could perceive what his words are doing to her. Maybe he picked up on the flutter of her heart...
The Shadow let out an audible sigh as he tried to continue.
"You can say that I haven't tried hard enough, but... inevitably, nothing around us lasts... some even less so than others. All I have is my duty to protecting the Gate of Skye, and it is all I will ever have. Contentment and joy are fleeting luxuries when you're immortal."
The glare on Scathach's face had completely disappeared. For some reason she could not help but take the Shadow's words to heart. This was the most vulnerable she had heard from him.
"That's why you seclude yourself here, isn't it? You're slowly realizing it..."
A tear escaped Scathach's eye, as it seemed that the Shadow had once again proven that he knows her better than Scathach knew herself. What was worse was that Scathach knew deep down but fought with all her being to deny it. She could not do that anymore.
"You have no reason to listen to me," the Shadow said almost apologetically. "But I only ask you take away just this one thing if we don't speak again any time soon. You're still very young, Scathach. I don't expect you to truly understand this burden yet... but I'll gravely pity you the day you finally do..."
Scathach was stunned beyond words. There was no obscuring the sad truth that nobody other than the Shadow could understand what Scathach going through: trying to put a brave face before her loved ones, while haunted with the knowledge that she will outlive them all.
It was easy to forget the Shadow had experienced all of this himself... to a degree Scathach could not yet imagine.
Is that reason I still can bring myself to hate him? Scathach thought to herself. After deceiving me like that, was it just to prepare me for when...?
When it seemed like Scathach would not respond, the Shadow turned to leave believing his presence to be completely unwanted. Before he did...
"If you ever feel like you could improve," the Shadow offered her. "Consider this an open invitation."
At first, Scathach thought it was a trick; to get her to come back to the fortress so that she could take his place as the guard to the Gate of Skye. Scathach was not keen on having her feelings toyed with again, especially after feeling that he might actually care for her given his advice just moments ago.
Still, part of Scathach could not help but feel she could use his company, for there was no one else she could turn to help with her plight.
"I'll..." Scathach starts hesitantly, making the Shadow freeze for but a moment. "I'll keep that in mind..."
Scathach heard a rush of wind then all sign of the Shadow's presence had disappeared. She was once again alone in the Red Grove.
_____
Elsewhere...
In a vast, dimly lit chamber, the seven masked zealots of the Sovereign stood apart around an elaborate ritual circle, glowing bright blue with mana. The seven were chanting, carrying their voices above to the giant crystal hanging directly above; it hummed as the insides resembling the night-sky swirled and distorted. The words spoken by the zealots were not of any language spoken anywhere on Earth, not now, nor in the future. It was not a language that man could ever conceive.
For these of the words of their God... their great judicator...
From the entrance of the chamber, the Chieftain of the Heralds bore witness to this sight; one not seen before in lifetimes since this cult existed. He and his men have been supplying materials for this ritual over the course of months; some of which took years to acquire, from other parts of the World no less.
But the Heralds of the Sovereign were no singular group, but an organization that took many forms, and in civilizations past and present. They have seen the fall of Babylon, the exodus from Egypt, and warring factions of Greece, and the founding of Rome. They themselves had a hand in instigating such history-altering conflicts. The World was theirs' to exploit.
All for a singular purpose of preparing humanity for the Sovereign's glorious return.
There were but few instances in the Heralds' history that could not work in their favor through violence or manipulation alone. When such matters arose, when ventures were a lost cause, those the Heralds call the Zealots, summon one of the Sovereign's envoys from across the cosmos to restore balance, and wipe the slate clean.
Seraphim... automaton soldiers made in the Sovereign's image... to act as its swords... an extension of its will...
The thought of calling one of these beings filled the Chieftain with anticipation, as well as dread. From what he knew of such creatures, they were responsible for the countless casualties in the Great Ancient War, armies of Seraphs wiping out forces of heavenly deities, and the forces of Mankind. Each one had power capable of laying waste to a small city.
There was no doubt that a Seraphim would be the Heralds' best chance of raiding the fortress of Shadows and seize the divine relic within. The Chieftain would have loved seeing the insolent little girl who humiliated him mutilated several times over by one of the Sovereign's divine soldiers.
But there was a danger... even if the Sovereign answers the zealots' prayers by sending one of its Seraphs, these soldiers answer to no human. The Heralds had no hope of controlling one. The Seraphs only took orders from the Sovereign, or its trusted generals, such as the deceased Sefar.
If a Seraph decided that wiping out the Heralds for their incompetence to the Sovereign... they would be helpless against it.
Nevertheless, the Seraphim follow directives relentlessly; never resting, never feeling, and never stopping until their purpose on Earth is fulfilled, after which they return to the Sovereign's cradle.
As the ritual progressed, the Chieftain's second in command came up behind him.
"Sir, the men are inquiring on the progress of-"
"They are not to know until the ritual has concluded," the Chieftain said quickly and quietly, his tone admonishing his subordinate for violating the sanctity of this sacred chamber.
"But sir," the Lieutenant insisted with a hushed voice. "It has been months since the zealots have started this ritual. They have been doing nothing but gathering the provisions you've requested. The soldiers are growing impatient and want to know when-"
"I have not the faintest idea when it will end," calmly said the Chieftain, dully closing his eyes with exasperation. "But I have my orders by the zealots, and that is we will continue provisioning until the ritual is done. We will return to Alba after the Seraph has secured the Shadow's fortress. No one goes home before then..."
He then opened his eyes and glared as he finishes with:
"Not before I see that little witch's corpse..."
Surprised, the Lieutenant looks from his superior to the ritual before them.
"So... is it true then?" he asked with wonder. "That the zealots are calling for one of the Sovereign's envoys?"
The Chieftain's tense silence was all the affirmation the Lieutenant needed. This was no laughing matter...
"I see... Maybe the men will rest easier if we some idea of when it will appear before the zealots..."
The Chieftain looked back to the seven zealots as the ritual continued, as it had routinely for months. It seemed that their mighty God of all Gods does not offer a lending hand so lightly, demanding the utmost loyalty and dedication to earn the aid of a Seraph.
"From what the Enlightened Ones have said... the last one answered the call centuries ago, and it took years of constant ritual practice to summon. But once it did, it wiped away all who directly opposed us. Thinis, Iram, Yamatai, Atlantis... cities whose existence has been thoroughly wiped from history."
When the Lieutenant stared back at him agape, the Chieftain looked back him judgmentally. Afterall, the Lieutenant had never even heard of such exotic places. The World being so astronomically big was near incomprehensible to him.
"Forgive me, sir," the Lieutenant eventually humbled with a bow. "I wasn't aware of the scale that our great cause wields on the World."
"Our cult reaches across the World, Lieutenant," the Chieftain went on to explain. "We, the Heralds of the Sovereign are a many-headed beast. Not even I have seen a fraction of-"
He was cut off as there was suddenly a disturbance in the chamber. The chanting of the zealots stopped when the ritual circle went dark, and there was a chill in the air that both the Chieftain and Lieutenant felt to their very bones. The Lieutenant shook anxiously as the Chieftain was on high alert. The zealots looked at each other, wondering what had gone wrong.
As it would soon turn out... nothing.
The crystal above the chamber lit and hummed to life, shaking the entire chamber and making the zealots back away. The two militant spectators watched with existential dread as the crystal then fired a column of light towards the ground, giving off abstract, geometric patterns, like a portal. The light was blinding, and forced the Chieftain and Lieutenant to cover their eyes...
Then all fell silent, as the light from the crystal faded, the torches around the chamber once again providing natural light. The zealots stood speechless at the being who appeared over the center of the ritual circle, and the Chieftain and Lieutenant lowered their arms and stared at the creature with awe.
Before them, hovering its pointy, metallic "feet" inches off the floor, was a creature not of this World... if it even could be considered alive. It was a metal humanoid that stood over seven feet tall, had a robust mid-section, elongated arms, and a head with a single, open eye with an "X" shaped pupil. The way it moved and "looked" everybody was unnatural, as if scanning for threats. Its joints made the sounds of metal being galvanized whenever it moved. Its body was bright and reflective, not of flesh but metal.
The creature, in its expressionless complexion of stoicism made it appear intimidating... a perfect machine engineered for destruction.
It seemed to everybody that the Sovereign had answered the prayers of the zealots.
And sent a Seraph.
One of the zealots had the courage to speak to this creature. When he approached, the Seraph immediately directed its gaze at him, calculating if it was a hostile.
"Oh... great envoy of the Sovereign," the zealot started, their voice shaking with fear. "You grace us with your presence. Do you know of your great purpose we so humbly summoned you here for?"
In response, the Seraph made an unintelligible noise, one so horrible that it pierced the ears of all humans present. The zealots, along with the Chieftain and Lieutenant clutched their heads in agony. Then, as if hearing words that were seemingly stabbed into their heads like a knife, they could make out what the Seraph was "communicating" to them.
SH-HA-A-DO-OW...
The noise stopped, and once everyone recovered, they saw the Seraph hover higher in midair, its body transforming and forming fins and its arms morphing into wide blades. The Seraph then shot upwards at tremendous speed, blowing a hole in the chamber ceiling, causing the Chieftain and Lieutenant to recoil from the impact. The zealots shielded themselves from falling stone as the Seraph disappeared into the night sky, moonlight creeping into the chamber and leaving everyone to try and process what had just happened.
Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, the Chieftain stood absolutely astonished. The Seraph knew what its purpose here was... it was going to the fortress to retrieve the ancient relic capable of opening a path to the Root, prepared to kill and destroy anything in its way.
The Chieftain should have been feeling assurance of victory now that this Seraph was going to do what his battalion had failed to seven years ago, but instead, his only words were...
"What sort of demon have we brought forth?"
_____
Inside a hut back in Dunscaith, Aife was tossing and turning in her sleep. With it being the dead of night and her all by herself, nobody was aware of the horror she was experiencing.
"No... No... STOP!"
Aife screamed and woke up with a cold sweat. She jolts up from her bed, breathing heavily from the same nightmare she'd been seeing frequently over the past seven years. Aife struggled to calm down, haunted by the vision of her old home burning along with her family and friends being slaughtered. It seemed that with each time she has experienced this nightmare, it became more surreal and terrifying.
"I'm sorry..."
This nightmare reminded Aife of how weak she was back then; utterly powerless and unable to do anything to stop the death all around her. The Heralds had taken more than just her home, but Aife's innocence as well.
Aife wanted so badly to become strong like her sister, Scathach, recalling how she cut through many soldiers to save her, with death not even being an inconvenience to her. Aife thought that when her sister started training her that it would give her some sort of closure, especially with the knowledge that Aife too could use magecraft.
But honing herself and trying to meet Scathach's expectations was seemingly only making her nightmares worse, and making Aife grow frustrated; not just at herself, but at her sister too.
Scathach was never around to see Aife like this, always going off into the forest and never coming back until morning. Aife was totally alone with her misery.
Even after Aife told her sister of these nightmares earlier this evening, Scathach did not appear to take it seriously, along with Aife's desire to hunt down the Heralds. This led to many disagreements between them in recent months.
They hardly ever spoken as sisters in that time.
But sister never passes up an opportunity to lecture me... I'm not much more than a student to her.
Aife wondered if Scathach even cared anymore about exacting vengeance against the Heralds; if was her idea after all, and after seeing how powerful had become, Aife was all for it. But overtime, it became clear to Aife that Scathach's priorities were elsewhere. She shot Aife down whenever she brought it up.
"If you say you're strong... I'll be the judge of that."
Scathach's words echoed in Aife's mind, souring her mood further. Thinking about it now, it was naive of Aife to think she would ever be strong enough for Scathach to grant her the retribution she seeks.
Especially when her sister's level of power was beyond Aife's reach. Had Aife too had been enthralled and changed by the Netherlyst as Scathach has, then she wouldn't be seeking her sister's approval.
With Aife not being the same caliber of mage that Scathach was, it was clear that Scathach will never let Aife leave to go after the Heralds.
How could you hold me back like this, sister? You were there when our home was destroyed... our lives stolen from us! Do you not care anymore?!
Aife gripped her blanket tightly, so much that she was on the verge of tearing it.
I suppose with all the attention she gets here, Scathach is not losing any sleep over it...
Aife felt the familiar pang of envy, and unlike other times before now she was feeling it was justified. She knew deep down that she should not rely on Scathach telling her what to do anymore.
But Aife was not alone in her growing dissatisfaction with the circumstances around her. While Scathach was never around to comfort Aife after her nightmares, one precious trinket of hers was...
Aife unfurled her blanket to reveal the crystal that she kept secret for all these years... the one dropped by the Herald Chieftain and fell into Aife's possession. She picked it up gingerly and help it up to eye-level, observing the swirling cosmic energy inside it and filling Aife with a mesmerizing euphoria. Whenever Aife was feeling like the World was against her, the unseen entity behind the crystal kept her company.
Like it has so many times after Aife had a nightmare, it listened...
It was comforting... consoling... and conspiring...
Aife could almost hear it speak not with audible words, but by feeding them directly into her mind.
The Entity understands her...
"Your sister does not..."