Before Rufus lay a road that wound on and disappeared into the misty horizon. Dark trees with leaves like tattered black silk towered on either side of him, but he was not afraid. Fear was too big a word after awakening in the Whispering Shadow Grove, for he felt he had long since passed what this world could fling against him. But even in his newfound strength, a low-grade loneliness crept in - that kind that rapped through the silent nights and empty roads.
There was no family to turn back to, no friends who could understand what had happened to him. Rufus was more than man; in becoming so, he was isolated, standing apart from those who still inhabited the shadows of their limits.
As he continued further into Elysara's heart, the thick forests turned into rocky plains. The darkened sky was not nightfall, but dark clouds gathered on the horizon. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as Rufus started to feel that tension in the air, his instincts telling him it would soon become a storm-a kind that wasn't natural.
He kept going, his boots kicking up dust, which the dry earth flung into the air to cloud his feet. He could feel the potential energy of the storm, its wild and untamed power. It was almost a challenge from the universe, daring him to test his new abilities against the forces of nature. Still, Rufus looked up at the darkening sky and was diverted by this.
A faint cry drifted on the wind. Distant, it was unmistakable, like someone's howl to be rescued. Rufus raised his ears and froze, fine details sharpening in his vision as his senses came clearer and more acute. His eyes closed, silencing his mind. He tuned in to others. The humming of the Celestial Convergence system inside him came to a crescendo, bringing clarity with it.
There, just over the rise in front of him, he felt it—life, but guttering and dim.
Not a moment's hesitation, he ran. His speed was almost supernatural, a blur over the landscape as he sprinted toward the sound. The world around him warped, the landscape bending to his will as he covered distances in moments. He crested the ridge, and at the top, he found himself looking down upon a small valley. A single figure stood amidst a host of shadowed and misty creatures.
They were monstrous, with stick-like limbs and jagged claws, but it was as if they were stalking their prey. At the center, a woman brandished a staff, unleashing spasms of magical energy in an effort to hold the beasts at bay. She was no match for them, however. Her spells were weakening, the creatures closing in with every passing moment.
Rufus didn't hesitate. Flicking his wrist, the energy within him was amplified, and a wave of cosmic force blasted down into the valley. The shadow creatures screamed as they were torn apart by the sheer force of his power, dissolving into nothingness before they could reach the woman.
She had fallen to her knees, out of breath, her staff clattering to the ground beside her. Rufus fell into the valley, his tread slow and deliberative as he approached her. She looked up, her eyes wide with both fear and awe, drinking in the sight before her.
"You alright?" Rufus asked, his voice calm, but laced with the weight of someone who had seen far too much in too little time.
She nodded weakly, pushing to stand. "I. I think so. Thanks." Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper, but there was a strength in her that made her seem stronger than she was.
He held out his hand; she took it, after a pause. Her handshake was more solid than he had expected from someone who nearly got beaten. She stood up and he could see her better. She was younger than Rufus, around perhaps two or so years, with silver hair spilling around her shoulders in loose waves. Though weary, her pale blue eyes flashed an air of determination.
"My name is Lyra," she said, brushing the dirt from her robes. "I don't know how to thank you."
"There's no need," Rufus replied, his eyes scanning the area for any remaining threats. "What were those creatures? And why were they after you?"
Lyra hesitated, looking over to the side where the shadow creatures had been. "They're called Wraithborn. Dark spirits from the fringes of Elysara, generally bound to old curses or rituals that didn't exactly go off as planned. I was tracking the source back when they jumped me."
Rufus raised an eyebrow. "You're a mage, then?"
She nodded. "A 5th Circle mage, though I doubt that impressed you much." There was a bitter laugh in her voice, though it was clear she wasn't joking. Her eyes flicked to Rufus, scanning him as if she was trying to place what he was. "You… You're more than just a mage, aren't you?"
Rufus did not respond immediately. He didn't know how much he should reveal. The 10th Circle, his connection to the Celestial Convergence, the path to omnipotence—none of it would make sense to anyone not knowing what he had lived through. Instead, he just nodded. "I have walked past the circles of this world."
Lyra looked at him, her face frozen. "Beyond the circles...." she whispered. "I did not think that could be done. I have heard of the old manuscripts, and the stories- but no one in Elysara ever left the 9th circle."
Rufus shrugged. "Things change."
For a moment they sat without speaking, only the far-off thunder rumbled, casting a faintly tempestous note in the silence. Then Lyra sighed. "Well, whoever you are," she said, "I owe you my life. I was a fool to come here alone."
"What were you looking for?" Rufus asked.
Lyra's eyes harden. "Wraithborn have been showing up more and more in this area lately. They attack villages, sucking the life from anyone they find in their path. I think someone-or something-is calling them forth. I was trying to find the source.
Rufus frowned. "And you thought you could deal with that alone?"
She shot him a wry smile. "I'm not as helpless as I look. Besides, I didn't have much of a choice. My village was one of the ones they attacked. I'm all that's left."
Rufus felt a pang of sympathy. He knew what it was like to lose everything, to be cast out with no one to rely on. "Sorry."
Lyra shook her head. "Don't be. I am here still. And I intend to stop the one behind this."
There was a ferocity in her voice, one that sent him back in memory to himself. For an instant, he debated turning her over to her pursuit. He had his road to travel down, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to bring anyone else with it. But he remembered the loneliness he had endured, the burden which he had had to carry all alone. Maybe having an ally would not hurt too much.
"I am going in that direction too," Rufus said finally. "If you want, we could travel together."
Lyra looked at him, surprise flaring in her eyes. "You would help me?"
"I already did," Rufus said with a small smile.
She met his gaze for a moment. Then nodded. "Okay. But don't think I'm going to be a problem. I can take care of myself."
Rufus laughed. "I wouldn't think so."
Together, they had to leave the valley, two individuals meant to be, burdened with their past, but at least now they had each other to share with every step of the road. For the first time in ages, Rufus felt the even faintest glimmer of hope; perhaps he didn't have to tackle the trials ahead with nothing else but lonely thoughts.