54 Chapter 14: Harvest Moons 4 (1/2)

All I felt was dread.

A stomach churning anxiety that blooms within me. I don't feel fear for myself. If anything else, I'm terrified for the people who's trying to protect me.

I began to feel cold; my hands are shaking; and my heart drumming loud inside me.

—for the only ones left standing between me and the assailant are my parents and Isera, who is holding my hand.

The masked man stood solemnly in front of the barred door that leads further to the dungeons, blocking our access to it. There were already two long lines of chains crawling from his back and behaving like his prehensile limbs of sort, but we watched as six more chains crawl out and now posing like a spider legs, moving idly in a warning.

Mama parted her feet apart, planting it firm to the ground as each of her formless spears, which she summoned, began to point towards all the chains. She's ready to attack but dares not to make the first move. She's on defensive stance and I can see it in her watchful eyes.

”You need to get to the sealed chambers pass the dungeons, Aerra. You'll be safe there.” she says in a flat tone just above a whisper.

A sealed chamber pass the dungeons?

Like a panic room?

I never knew we had such place.

I switched my focus at Papa but I can't see what he's doing, but I'm sure he's just standing further in front from us, to protecting me and also protecting Mama.

”It's alright, Aerra. We'll be safe. The goddesses' grace and protection are upon us.” I turned to Isera as he concentrated in maintaining the barrier that sheathed us, like a skin, in a glowing warm light. If I looked closer to it, I finally realize what element he's using, water. ”Are you feeling okay?” he asks, studying me.

I just nodded, uneasily.

He lightly squeezed my hand, ”Worry not, Aerra, for there are so many people who wish to protect you. You must really be special.” He smiled so warmly, bearing a face of a beautiful gentle-faced maiden.

Actually, that's what I'm worried about...

people getting in trouble because of me.

The silence broke when the sound of chains emitted, echoing from all directions.

I looked around.

It rattles and slithered, stretching across the room. Almost covering the entire perimeter of the chamber.

He's finally on the move.

”Last chance, Aerrandria. Are you sure you want to do this?”

I shot a look at the masked man as he spoke.

He's giving me an option between coming forward peacefully or fighting my parents.

Papa stomp his feet down as the entire ground and ceiling trembled. ”Don't talk to her” he grunted with a voice I never heard Papa used before.

What an incredible aura, I thought. Is my father actually really strong?

The masked man just shrugged, ”Alright, Aerrandria...”

I clenched my teeth tighter hearing him. Anxiety brewed inside me like a storm, I wish to do something but I don't want to become a burden more than I already am.

The man sighed in exasperation, ”Bad choice!”

And with that, chains began to dart and lash out towards my parents.

Mama never left my side. Her spears are doing all her bidding. On the other hand, I can see papa moving around and trying to make his way towards the man but the chains attacking from all sides made it hard— almost improbable if not impossible.

It all plunged in a precise and sharp angles, not the haphazard attack I was rather expecting. It was as if he's trying to direct Papa where to step in next.

He's making him move towards a dark corner...

I want to call out Papa's attention about it but I risk breaking his focus as the attacks we're barraging consecutively.

Something exploded to our side, as dust screen rolled out and covered everything on sight. All I can hear now are the sounds of chains rattling around and skidding noises.

Clashing of metal.

I can also see few sparks and flashes.

Suddenly, in the corner of my eyes, I saw Mama was lifted off her feet.

”Lady Estheria!” Isera gasped, but his hold on my hand went firmer.

I turned and looked hastily and saw the chains slowly and carefully putting her down on the ground to a corner as she seemed to be unconscious.

No blood.

No blood anywhere.

I felt like a torn was taken off my chest.

Wait— what is he exactly planning?

”Aerra! Run—!” Papa shouted. The dust screen subsides and dissipates slowly revealing papa while he reached out to me as he lay flat on his chest on the floor. He doesn't seem wounded but— he seems to be in a daze. Soon, he lost consciousness like Mama.

I'm so confused.

”I just made them sleep. You don't want me to hurt them, do you?” The man began to walk forward. ”You might be misunderstanding the situation...”

His footsteps is heard in front of us, the dusts still hasn't fully settled down. The sound seems coming closer and closer until his figure materializes out from the haze.

Isera steps forward to hide me behind him. His one hand still holding firm on mine. ”I'll protect you just don't let go of my hand.”

”Oh c'mon! You can barely hurt a fly.” The man shook his head in dismay as he continuously moving closer, emerging from the dusts and finally reaching us.

He lifted his left arm and rake his hair aback as he halted from his walk and stood just a few steps away from us.A symbol is seen on the base of his middle finger, almost near his knuckles. It says,

THIRD.

My eyes grew wide reading it.

”I came here on Faram's instructions. My name is Aide. You already met Scias earlier this morning, yes?”

Wait— isn't it that Faram is the second strongest in the Ouboros?

So if this man is third then...

I looked at my parent's unresponsive bodies in the corner from both sides of the room.

—we're facing the third strongest elite mercenary.

Now it's making sense how he was able to fight my parents in just a matter of few minutes.

”I know you already realized that the answers you seek is not here. We're the only ones who can help you.”

Help me—?

What's in it for them?

”Then why go through all of these if you just want to help me? What do you exactly need from me?” I replied, scowling at him.

”Tch. Clever girl.” he mused. ”I can assure you, I tried my best not to kill anyone. I did hurt few of the soldiers but it's nothing fatal.” He gestured a hand, pertaining to all the unconscious soldiers on the ground.

He prevaricated though. I noticed.

”Mr. Roderick and Le...” I began but he cuts me off.

”Scias will answer to that but I'm sure it's not because he's an enorcist. We don't readily kill people just because we could. Faram would hate that as well.” He crossed his hands together and tapped his feet. ”Honestly speaking, everything seems to be going according to plan earlier... but the rot came out sooner than expected.”

His voice is muffled against the mask he's wearing. Did I hear him right?

The rat?

”Don't listen to him, Aerra. Evil knows nothing but to try and fool you.” Isera says, his shoulders tensing.

”Huuuh??? —and how exactly did I became an evil person to you? I never killed anyone here, and this is the first time I met you.”

Isera glances at all the soldiers. ”You wield dark arts to harm people and get what you want...”

”I use my powers accordingly as how you light elemental magi use them. I see no difference.”

Isera shook his head, fervently. ”Dark elemental users like you shouldn't exists in the first place!”

Huh?

”All you can do with it is to harm people. You bring omen and chaos to anywhere you go!” Isera argued.

Aide just turned his head to me in silence, as if to watch how I responded to that.

I just turned my attention towards Isera and watched him from his behind.

How he furrowed his brows and grit his teeth as he speak with conviction in his words.

I thought Isera knows I'm the fated fallen one?

”How dare you compare the light elements of the goddesses to the likes of you! Dark elemental users are an abomination to this realm. You are the ones that causes fiends and illness to exist. And now, look around you! People are hurt. Yet you see no difference? That's why you're evil. You don't belong here! Dark magi don't belong anywhere!”

I pulled my hand away from Isera.

Somehow, I felt as if my chest is crushed hearing him.

Isera turned to me.

The warm light surrounding me disappeared the moment our hands parted.

”See? No one can help you here.” Aide says this again, pertaining to me. ”You understand it now, don't you?”

I thought I can finally confide with someone...

I thought Isera saw my future and found out I wield dark magic too...

But I was wrong.

”What did you see in my future?” I asked Isera, blinking back the tears. I swallowed hard to clear my voice from wavering. ”You saw my hardships when you read my future, right? Is that all you've seen?”

”Aerra?” Isera looked at me confused. He tried to take my hand again but I stepped away from him.

”You didn't see the... Of course... I just... assumed that you...” I paused.

”What are you talking about? Come take my hand, I will protect you from evil. Let me protect you.” he reaches a hand to me.

”From a dark magus, you mean.” I asked. Isera nodded, turning to glance at Aide who just watched us in silence.

It just dawned on me, how he said he saw other visions from my future were fragmented

and that interpreting such visions are hard, as they can mean so many things.

Yes, he said that himself.

He either must have seen my fate but chose not to even consider that I'm the fated Fallen one or...

he didn't see it at all— me, wielding the dark element.

Perhaps the only one he clearly saw was just that scene where he will die someday, the rest were a riddle.

”In the end,

most people only see what they want to see.

They believe what they want to believe...”

So, I'm still alone in this after all.

”Will you just really wait until everybody turn against you?” Aide swayed his hand as all his chains were reeled back to his behind, disappearing. ”Time to sleep, Princess of the west! Thanks for stating your opinion.”

Isera suddenly drops to his knees, unconscious.

”Y'see, miss Aerrandria, no body accepts a dark elemental magus on this lands... because we wield it, we are evil— as simple as that. Such as the logic of the people in the entire seven kingdoms.”

I knelt down beside Isera and helped him lay down in a more comfortable position. Even with a sleeping face, he still seems like a real young girl. I took my coat off and gently places it over him, just up to his neck like a blanket.

He's my friend...

Even if his beliefs contradicts mine...

It doesn't makes him less of a bad person, he just doesn't fully understand everything yet. Just like me.

After all, people can't trust what they can't explain.

So I can't blame Isera.

And he is from a theocratic nation...

He's literally the Arch Priestess of their land, so, of course, his devotion to the deities is unrivalled. He's just following the precepts of his religion, their teachings and ways he's been raised with.

But what if Aeron would say the same...

What if my parents said the same...

I hanged my head down low and blankly stared at my fists, unknowingly.

Until the ground shook violently and I snapped back to reality as I lost balance and fell over. I shot a glance at Aide.

”The real enemy is outside. You might want to see what's happening.” He reaches a hand out to me. ”Don't worry, I have nothing against these people. We won't hurt them. Just come with me. There's something you need to see.”

I raised my hand...

Hesitated.

And reached out again.

”Quickly or your brother is going to get killed.” he stated reaching out further.

I took one look around before grabbing his hand.

All of a sudden

the ground quaked violently again.

”What's happening?” I tried to balance myself as Aide helped me to stand on my feet.

”You need to see it to believe it.” He answered simply.

I nodded uneasily.

••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••

We stood in one of the highest towers of the castle. Two big moons gleamed it's silver and gold moonlight from behind us as we stood with our backs facing it. The cosmic night sky isn't the same as it used to be. There were no stars seen, no auroras to watch, —nothing.

Despite the bright moon-kissed skies, the heavens were brewing a storm just around a corner.

I faced the cold winds like a challenge as I climbed on a merlon to see the view of the orchards where the simultaneous flashes of light in the sky is originating from.

Aide leaped off from his feet and lands to another merlon just beside me. ”There!” he points out. ”That's the embodiment of a rot, a shadow creature called dæmons.”

I followed the direction he pointed at and saw a huge black monster looming exactly in the middle of the orchards, some areas are already cleared off trees. Fire were scattered everywhere, stretching vast and up to the farm fields.

”Aeron...” I gasped, my breath caught in my throat.

”The hundred-years-spell is wearing off. The Fallen is soon to awaken at this rate. That's why this lands— the entire continent of the seven Kingdoms, is once again about to face the seeping chaos that their legendary Priestess had sealed almost a century ago.”

Oh—

So Aide doesn't also know that I'll become the Fallen one...

That means Faram and the rest of the Ouboros might not know too...

Then why are they trying to help me?

I looked at Aide. ”What is this rat that you speak of?”

”Huh— you know nothing? Seriously? You were raised here, weren't you?”

I nodded my head. ”I have read all the books I could about the centennial rituals, yet never have I encountered this rat you keep mentioning.”

He chortles, ”It's ROT! Not rat! Dammit!” He suddenly took his mask off and his muffled voice became finally cleared. ”The rot is the great decay that happens once every century in this continent.

Well, I'm not exactly from this lands so I'm not particularly familiar with all the details but I have heard the entire seven kingdoms are supposed to be wiped clean from dark elements. They say, only light magic exists here. That's how they maintain the peace and prosperity across the entire continent. But once the centennial spell begins to wear off, the darkness starts to leak out once again and the rot is the manifestation of it. Less like a rotting fruit, the land slowly decays, and more like a disease, that even shadow creatures are summoned out.”

Hmm. So that's why they uphold a centennial ritual. To renew such concealment...

”And let me guess, the Fallen one from the legends are the one who can control all these seeping chaos and darkness?” I asked, side glancing him.

Aide shrugged, ”Maybe. Like I said, I don't know everything....

To the outside world, this continent is cursed; bound to a mandated tradition that doesn't exist anywhere else.

Such a weird place.

Yet...”

He pauses and never finished his sentence.

I stared at the mask he holds down on his hand. I can see it has no holes for the eyes. I wonder how they can see through it?

Or is it like Faram, blindfolded yet his senses are second to none.

I want to study Aide's face but that's the least of my concerns right now. I watched the monster Aide calls as dæmon. It seems to be attacking someone below.

”Aeron...” I whispered to myself as I saw lightning flashing here and there.

”He's holding up pretty well.” Aide says in a chuckle. ”So much potential in that boy... I sense great power from him even from all the way up here. But his magic is not properly contained and directed at all. Such a waste of energy...”

”...”

The decay of land as darkness begins to return...

I pondered.

Aide says the rot may mean the Fallen is about to be awakened soon

but according to the books, despite omitting anything about the rot, darkness and chaos is all because of the Fallen one.

It portrayed how the Fallen one will be the destruction and death of the people.

It's not congruent at all...

I wonder why they made it say differently in the books? Coincidental ignorance? Or intentionally mendacious?

According to the prophecy as I recall, upon summoning the Priestess, it is then that the darkness will leak in as a concomitant of the summon. While dark magic will then eventually linger and possess a corrupted heart where strong magic resides. That should become the Fallen one.

Ugh—

Nothing makes sense anymore.

But... how odd.

I trust this man named Aide more than the published and distributed old records.

”This rot you speak off... does it spreads fast?”

”They say it usually takes time and is insidious. It doesn't materialize out suddenly, unless...” he paused and chuckled, ”unless huge amount of negative energies exist in an area. Like, the presence of one strong dark magus that can't control her element alone...” he throws me a meaningful look, ”That can shift the balance! A kind of tilt in the equilibrium that hasten the rotting of the lands.

And a dæmon showing up —is one of the worse signs.”

He snickered in a contemptuous smile. ”So, what I'm saying is... This is all your fault.”

My fault—?!!

”Faram knew this was going to happen, of course. He wanted to warn you but he figured, you need to be taught a lesson first. You need to see what happens when you're imprudent and not subservient. Your indecisiveness and naïveté cause people around you to suffer.”

I glared back at Aide.

His eyes gleams in an indigo-blue, the color of a starry dark midnight sky.

”You cannot stay here unless you want to watch the entire Greenrun to decay. A daemon showing up is just one thing. But if a plague breaks out to the people and to the fields, there wouldn't be any Healers or Light cleansing magic enough to save anything nor anyone. And it will all be your fault —like it already is now.” Aide stated as he turned his head to where the daemon is. ”Watch how your brother struggles. The longer you hang around, the stronger the rot and that dæmon gets. Your brother may be strong but he still lacks enough experience and training. He will soon lose that battle if you stay here. And after that... he will be eaten alive. Him— and that Transmuter he wields, Stray was it?” Aide smiled playfully, watching what was transpiring below as if he's just watching tv. ”And next comes the people. Everyone will be consumed and their sufferings and terror will feed more negative energies causing the rot to hasten more and more.

By the break of dawn, Greenrun will be wiped out from the map.”

I clench my fist to the side.

Gritting my teeth tight together.

. . .

”Please...” I swallowed my pride and spoke, ”Help him...” I murmured. Because I know I'm far more incapable. ”Help my brother...”

”Nah. Why should I?” He replied in a brief shrug.

”You said you'll help me! So I want you to help my brother... please.”

”I came to simply accomplish what Faram asked me to do.”

Sounds to me that I'm not the only motive they came here for...

I narrowed my eyes, ”You didn't came here just for me, did you? What exactly are you guys here for? What exactly is Ouboros about?”

The icy wind blew pass us and the tar and soot from the orchards were blown our way, creating an ashen snow like setting.

Aide studied me for a moment, with a half smile he replied. ”We just came to watch...”

—such careful and ambiguous words.

So he won't tell me.

”Why should I believe you that you didn't caused all these chaos?”

Aide shrugged, ”I don't really care if you believe it or not. I'm just here on Faram's behalf. He's the one who cares what happens to you here.” Aide sat down with one bent knee close to him and the other leg dangles to the cliff-face of the tower. ”Look kid, it may seem coercion but really— believe it or not, or whether we arrive here in Greenrun or not, these things are bound to happen.

Like your friend said, dark magi don't belong anywhere, especially not anywhere in these continent.

I'm giving you the option to come with us or join the annihilation of these people.

Although... it would really be a shame if you die out here.”

But I promised Aeron—

I promised not to leave his side.

Especially not now that these things are happening...

I side-long glance at Aide,

He seem to hope I would agree to join them but...

”What's to gain from helping me?”

he shrugs, ”You are Faram's chosen apprentice. And he never took any apprentice before. If he chose you, there must be something special about you. Something he's not telling us yet.”

I can't really sense if there's sincerity in his words but I don't know why I believe him.

I opened my hand and recalled the black veins that transformed my hand before,

But...

If I stay here longer,

I would only cause the rot to hasten.

And—

I still need to find the Sage....

I turned to where the daemon is seen and watched the on-going battle below.

”Your mind is made up. You know it. But, something is still holding you back,” Aide focused his gaze over the fields where the battle with the daemon is happening. ”I never thought you are this weak.... what a shame.”

Weak—?

What exactly is keeping me here?