Chapter 2. Seheala

Riding across the desert with a thunderous boom, the three companions ride horses to the storm land of kalos. Where the presiding carcass of Kalos a demigod looms with powerful effect to change the landscape. Dark storms loom in the distance challenging any wanderers who dare travel as they travel across the white sea of sand. While the xanu mages travel far beyond their shadow, they dare not enter the storm lands.
Many have died in hope of reaching the carcass only to be ambushed by raiders and demons with their red demented eyes.
Hearing the clicking of demons that scurry nearby, sheala calms down the frightened horses. "Zafin gets their drawing ready," says Seheala, jumping off her horse with crackling lightning booming from her hands. The black komichi demons shriek in retort knowing they were found. With frightening speed they run like black hounds with four red eyes and long claws. Zafin ready's his sword spear to slash at any given moment as they close in on them. "Cyrus protects the horses," Zafin yells as one of the komichi demons lunges at zeheala.
In a swift motion she throws a white lighting spear at the kimochi, blowing a hole while it gives its last shriek. Zafin strikes in repeated succession decapitating like a dancer in motion flipping across each demon with speed. Blood soaks the air with every head dropping to the ground, "i just hope he doesn't get too carried away" thinks zeheala with a somber look.
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Zafin ends the last komichi demon in a thunderous slash flying across the sand with blood flying off his sword in a swirl. "Mother never wanted any of this," Seheala thinks, looking at her brother with his bloodshot eyes. With the sand slowly covering the carcasses, hollowing their body's, zeheala looks around. "Zafin calm yourself, you look at the beast themselves" she says, while he looks past her he scoffs and walks past. Cyrus looks with concern at the blonde duo "did you lose a loved one" he asks zafin. Zafin then turns to Cyrus realizing where he's at, he calms down and "passes the wine" he says to cyrus. Cyrus tosses it to him, zafin taking a gulp he tosses it back at him. He nods and then mounts his horse slowly wiping the blood off his sword.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to run off,'' Zafin says after he finishes. "On the contrary I'd rather have you two then dogs chasing me with xanu" chuckled Cyrus looking ahead. "Indeed so" Zeheala says. "May I ask why you two have two lords behind your back being noble demon hunters and all" says Cyrus hiding his curiosity. "I was wondering when you were going to ask" thinks seheala when looking up at him. "Noble in blood but not in name after what the umbra lords did to us" looking at him with pain in her eyes. "If fate keeps you at the side I promise to tell you the rest". Wanting to avoid the conversation "then let us move onward" seheala says mounting her horse. "We should be there in three days if all goes well" beckons Cyrus while wanting to know more.
The storm clouds can be heard beyond the desert with the occasional wyrm drake flying below the clouds signaling the downpour to come. "Damn, I thought we had more time than that" Seheala thought.
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"Zafin threw me high, I have to get a better view so we can find shelter" Zeheala says as she steps on his hands. He then launches her in the sky with both hands off her boots. "Looks like someone wants to get struck by a lightning bolt before me" Cyrus chuckles.
Seheala is still going high in the air then she chants a lighting spell that propels her mid air. Like a thunder goddess her hair and eyes glow white with bright radiance upon the sky. She then looks around taking in the landscape before her spotting a dimly lit castle at the bottom of a castle. "I found something," she says while flowing down like a water droplet, landing on the sand. "There seems to be an abandoned castle that might have people inside" she tells Zafin and cyrus. Cyrus knowing the landscape "it must be an abandoned war relic, god knows if there are umbra militias in there" Cyrus says as he starts an incantation bending down. I watch at cyrus as he says "ᚺᛁᚷᚺ᛫ᚨᛒᛟᚹᛖ᛫ᛊᛟ᛫ᛒᛖᛚᛟᚹ" he finishes, only to look up. Having my guard up a little and not show it with precaution "what's he doing"?. Hearing a cry beyond the sky a wyrm drake emerges its head out beneath the black clouds. Looking at its white beaming head looking below like a god. The wyrm drake looks slowly at the castle and hums a slow beautiful melody above us. Only to disappear back inside the clouds as the sunrays leave with it, "looks almost like the drawings i've seen of them" i think in awe.
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"The surrounding is clear near it" he says as he stands up, gesturing for us to follow him. Thinking about asking how he was able to do that knowing that nadin had some connection to them, as i look up where it once was. We all saddle up to ride to the castle in a hurry not daring to stay longer. Cyrus and Zafin lead to the broken castle gates as we approach closer and closer. Only to find remnants of what it once was, the surrounding consisting of piked skulls and swords scattered around the red gate tattered and rusted by old age. Entering carefully one by one inside, the broken sandstone and pottery crumble beneath are feet. "Damn sheep" zafin says in a sly tone seeing their mangled bodies reach desperately out for the gate before their death ever sews on their face.
Cyrus raised an eyebrow hearing his comment "looking at the architecture it must be a stronghold from the red son's so be careful if the dead body's weren't enough of danger". The red son's are nomadic warriors that wear red turban masks to hide their scars with black plated armor scorched to their skin. I look around the broken walls "is there any chance there's a storage room under us zafin"?. Zafin already searches the ground for any diagrams every few seconds.
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"I might've found it," says Zafin, brushing the sand off a steel tile hidden beneath with a runic diagram. Opening slowly the stairs show the depths down through the darkness in silver gleams. "I'll go first" I say, casting a lightning orb down the darkened room to lighten any dangers within. Taking cautious steps one by one, I'm able to see more pottery with bloodstains. With one hooded body sitting on the floor not noticing my presence holding a book. "Both of you get down here to back me up, there's someone here" I say slowly backing up, waiting for them. Cyrus and Zafin hurry down ready for the possible threat that it could be. Seeing my brother walk closer to the hooded figure while listening for any movement. Leaning closer he shoots a small bolt of electricity at it, only for it to groan when it hits ground. Cyrus walks forward past Zafin to take off the hood, only to find a teenage boy deprived at death's door. The boy not letting go of the book "i can't go back" he sobs. "Why's he all the way out here"? i say looking down on his brown hair and tan cloak, kneeling in front of him. Cyrus looking around "can't be a trap if anything he might be from outside the dream" he says. "A young one too" I say as I look closer at his golden crested book. Hearing the words of my mother "the myriad dream beings are a mortal world overlooked by the gods and outwardly beings vying for untold strength. "The few who aren't born in these lands are unfortunate souls fated to die to see the carnage set out dragging behind us". She said with sorrow before polishing a helmet set aside for my father in times past.
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Feeling longing for the past, for my father, for the legion. I thoughtfully saw the boy shivering on the cold floor not wanting to look up. Holding out my hand "dear outsider we shall show you the light to look up, if you give us the chance". I say casting a small radiance of light around my hand to ease him. The boy slowly lets go off his book and hits the floor as he grabs my hand not wanting to let go. I then see Cyrus coming up to him holding an ankh trinket of sort above his head. "For good luck" he says, eyeing me to pick him up, I nod and hold him on my shoulder to see his pale young face reflecting off the light. Cyrus walks past me, he grabs the book that the boy dropped. With curiosity looking at its golden engravings "any idea what the book is" Zefin says. He then sits down on the floor relaxing for the few moments that felt like forever. "Yeah drawings of the demons" says Cyrus, flipping throughout the pages with abominations of every kind. "Great amount of time to make it, only to find him with it" Cyrus thinks. He then tosses the book to Zafin so he can have a better look, "I'll patch him up for the meantime" I think using the herbs in my satchel. After healing what I could on his skin I placed him against my satchel so he could sleep. "Kind hearted aren't you" Cyrus says reading a book he pulled out, while glancing at me trying not to seem too interested.
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Some time passes, seeking the glistening rays that creep from above as the sun rises. I look up. Covering my face with my hand I looked above the staircase and raised myself to look if the boy was well enough. "Still sleeping wee one" i say picking him up and heaving him on my shoulder. "Finally awake dear" Cyrus says with a smirk with my brother's arms crossed leaning on the wall with indifference. "Let's hurry zehala, we need to make up for the lost time". I nod and follow them out the entrance one by one stepping over the previous dead body's. "God damned mongrels," Zefin says, looking at the dead horses with its inwards missing and sand covering its bare skull. "We keep moving forward no matter the distance now," Cyrus says with a hint of sorrow on his face. I sighed knowing this was only going to get more difficult. I thought following behind them in a line past the once stronghold. Walking for half an hour past the sand I pass the boy to the zafin to ease my shoulder, "zafin steps away from your right" Cyrus casually says . Only for Zafin to look puzzled and then remembered "the one main reason they hold dear to be named a damned my boy is to hear the small tears that could devour you". A man once told him in his youth with four arms swaying him away as he looked at a customer with disrespect with the steel chains around his neck.
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Crackling from the tear slowly dwindles as he walks to the left "could've warned me sooner, old man". Zafin says with discontent "maybe if you paid more attention to my movements" scoffs Cyrus with his black armor reflecting the sun rays. "Zafin if he wanted you to die with a kid on your shoulder he wouldn't have said anything, so go easy on the shepherd". I say payfully jesting him as he looks at Cyrus with distrust for knowing him so little.
We continue on with more gusts of wind pushing us back like a titan hellbent on making us kneel. Viewing the landscape with many mountains slowly dwindling out past the valley of dark clouds. "Mary, mother, look upon us" I say, seeing the cracked earth split apart glistening with bloody rocks of fallen demons. With a mountain sized corpse and a barren skull beyond the horizon radiating light like none other. Flying creatures with wings hover like maggots screeching down below at the demons that resented the sky with thunder looking as vikram looked below. Feeling my palms sweat and nervousness I felt in my body looking at a hellscape trying to get a word out.


Pg 19. Zeheala

How do you suggest we go forward to Cyrus? ``I question him not knowing if I have a better chance of trusting him or myself. Cyrus then gives a small glance at me "on foot with prayers". He says "before we do, I'm a bit curious as to why you've decided to stay with us for this long" I say with the wind blowing my autumn hair back. "To see if your brother is more god than man, after he looks upon us from the sky" Cyrus says looking at my brother. Zafin, looking like he brushed his question off, walks ahead of us "I'll pass on the child to you zeheala, so I can protect the front". Looking like we had to move ahead we pace forward step by step trying to avoid the crevasses endless pit. We move on ahead killing stray komochi demons tailing back and wraiths moving like monks beside us every now and then. After half a day of walking with a kid on my shoulder, "are you feeling better" I ask him softly after I notice him looking behind my shoulder. "Sahil" he yells with tears building upon his eyes looking around frantically in desperation to find him. "Shh he might not be around but that doesn't mean it's safe to yell here" i say hurriedly looking around.
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"Haass" is heard in a distance where a small glimpse of a cloak being blown back with gusts of wind reaches out with a decaying hand dangling from her side heading nearer. Zafin readies himself as it glides across the sand with no legs to be seen, half hooded with semblance to a middle aged pale woman as grey streaks of hair and eyes blocked by rags blow past her singular yellow eye on her forehead. "Thou please move no closer to see the horrors that await you, of heroes before you.... and my old friends... oh do i miss them" she says in a gastly voice looking away. "I'm sorry to say we don't have a choice than to keep moving forward" I say , waiting for her next words carefully. "Then go and tread carefully..... i won't stop you" she says sadly as she starts gliding away. I reach out wanting to say wait but zafin drops my arm and shakes his head "she might get aggressive if you disturb her" he says. Hearing bits of cyrus whispering behind frantically. I look straight at Cyrus who looks up at me with an eyebrow raised. "Spit it out old man or are you longing to kiss the spectre" zafin jests waiting for him to speak.

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"Impatience" I think knowing his battle prowess at its peak but never knowing the mood around him. "Cyrus, I know you have nothing to lose by leaving or dying with us now but taking a risk to see my brother gamble his life is a mistake" I say. "Even more so that a spectre of a recent misdri nun in her prime would warn us" Cyrus says. "A misdri nun... i thought they died off after they sided with madam sedna" i say "i wouldn't say your wrong if it weren't for the practitioners dying for vengeance" he says. "Don't remind of the whore" Zafin sounded irritated after seeing her first hand attempts for power. "That being said it's well worth the risk" he says while Zafin eyes him with more curiosity than before. We then finish conversing and start walking slowly forward. "I wish you weren't able to see all these atrocities that live alongside the world" I think while looking at the child calming down in tears.
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We then loom over the hill to see the demons on the path that we saw earlier afar now only eating the corpses of the fallen. Banners lie about kingdoms and their failed attempts shattered in bones and dust. The mighty and frail torn, piece by piece like a puzzle to never be laid out. In a flash I feel a breeze lighter than a breath stream near my ear and slightly touch only to see my hand bloodied "zaf..." I say only to see my ear fly about slowly in the wind. "Ohhh grandeur" it says with a hot breath as it eats my ear in front of me "nnn..." i say feeling a cold sweat from the pain growing even stronger. "Zafin" Cyrus belows at him seeing a dash of speed slice the wave of lightning that dissipates past his sight. Sparks fly in every direction as zafin clashes it with anger "never more.." he says pulling every effort in fury. The burnt half corpse of a beautiful maiden with her abdomen missing and a spine only to be seen slides in melody with zafin in erratic bursts of speed. "Sworn" she screams, "to protect, to stand proud and look where i am because of you" she points pausing readily waiting for zafin.
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Lightning crackles as zafin circles her with a split second of breath in two steps ready to try swinging the ending blow. With seconds to witness the lightning in my hands to manifest and Cyrus uttering the beginnings of an incantation as fast as he can, he looks with wide eyes. Zafin in mid slash of the blade only feels a shadow cold to the touch as he gets stabbed through the back of his skull unknowingly. His left eye pops at the end of her blade trickling a slow steady stream. "Noo '' I feel the words escaping my breath as the anguish unravels in my heart. Zafin gurgling blood has his head sliced off with ease horizontally beyond the second swing. "Why " I feel the tears forming as the tremendous might in my hands pierce with rage. She then holds up his head in triumph "Ahh what a resemblance you two had " she smirks. Zeheala can't stop herself from looking in her dead brother's eyes "Hurry '' Cyrus yells trying to get her to escape with him. With a slow walk forward then turns into a sprint, zeheala hurls at her with no regard.
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With the flick of the wrist a huge mist of dark clouds bursts forth covering the terrain below the ankle. "Vikram look deep within your heart and know i'll always follow you" she finishes yelling the enchantment as thin twisters start forming within the air. The maiden laughingly given the chance slashes the air towards her splitting everything in between. Zeheala reacts by dodging to the side swiftly and conjuring a lightning bolt that outshines the sun in her hand. "Here" zeheala says as it flies through the air pressuring with heat. With a stern expression of danger she quickly dodges it as the white sand bursts in the air from the thunderous impact that slightly distracts her.
Zeheala feeling someone behind her during the panic turns around, only to see Cyrus looming with a dark expression while having the kid on his back. Cyrus then knees her in the stomach as quickly as he can before she can react having her eyes bulge with pain and tears.
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"Don't think i can see you he'll spawn" Cyrus says as he reflects her blade with sparks flying about in front of him. "He was everything in this world to me" I say faintly gasping for breath while trying to hold on to Cyrus's boot with hatred like I've never felt before. "Look firmly where we are zeheala, we move on with blood or death beyond the horizon beaming down upon us" he says in a calm voice. "Just kill me and be done with it if you're going to leave me behind like your shadow...." I say as I'm being slowly picked up off the ground. With frantic speed and explosion sets off "run you coward..." is all i can think seeing the black smoke surround my senses with deafening silence as it all fades away. In a beat fearing this to be my fate of the worst possible nightmare since lord xenu peeling off his back to show his third arm beheading... . "Stop" I tell myself already feeling the aching sadness in my heart after all this time not knowing if I was still alive or not in the darkness that was my mind. I slowly feel the cold air pulse back to my body after some time and slowly move my fingers one by one. I open my eyes slowly only to see the ground and my arms hung with chains off the wall. "Cyrus" I say angrily, seeing his eyes looking down from his book, then to look up slowly with both his brown eyes staring right back at me.
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