The Fog of Squall's Calm

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Elthas had wasted no time in pointing out that the Keywan needed to be disposed of.

Shinsou was expecting that response and knew what his answer would be. The Telgradian realised it was the only logical conclusion to be drawn by someone who didn’t know the culture or operating methods of the Jal Shey, but there were circumstances surrounding this particular artefact that Elthas simply knew nothing about.

He took the key into his palm and thumbed the smooth surface of the rune covered item almost obsessively, dragging his digit down the sharp edge before sliding it into his pocket.

If I get rid of this, then I might as well go home. The Jal Shey aren’t stupid, and, to protect their warp points from being destroyed, each portal has a barrier protecting it. The only way of dispelling the barrier is to unlock it with this…

As Shinsou was about to offer his reasons as to why he couldn’t yet dispose of the Keywan, a cold, shrill voice came through the broken pane. Though it may have seemed normal to Elthas, a spirit, the sound was completely ethereal to Shinsou, and its pitch seemed to stab through the ghastly fog and pierce his eardrums. It was a strange sensation that he had never experienced before, and one Shinsou would have gladly never done so again out of choice.

“Ahhh, fuck!” He hissed, clasping his hands over his ears, wincing and finally crumpling to one knee. The flimsy, splintered floorboards below him creaked under the strain of his weight. “What the hell was that?!”

The agonising experience was, thankfully, short, although for Shinsou it seemed to go on for a painful eternity. The hooded figures outside, judging from Elthas’s expression, had somehow spotted the ghost as they had come into his sights but had yet to be alerted to Shinsou’s presence. Shinsou, likewise, was unaware of them, and was left wondering what things made such dreadful noises.

“Can you fight?” Elthas asked. “We might have to in a moment or two if it’s who I think it is.”

Shinsou moved up from one knee, nodding silently. He snaked his body away from the window towards a badly peeling wall on the right hand side, and pressed his back against the exposed stone. In tandem with a nod of acknowledgement to Elthas, motioning to his phantom ally that he was prepared for whatever was around the corner, Shinsou snapped his right hand out. Forks of black and purple electricity danced from his fingertips as the Telgradian prepared to manifest his Dark Lance on command.

Now, don’t make any sudden moves, Elthas. I can – what?

Shinsou couldn’t believe his ears.

“Shin…remember me to the last.”

For a moment, it was hard to know what to say, or to think. This strange entity who called himself Elthas had been in Shinsou’s life for about five minutes. Whilst he was thankful for the medical attention he had received, Shinsou barely knew this wandering soul and now, for the first time in many, many years, the Telgradian had to make a decision based on his conscience rather than his judgement.

I’ll tell him to hold back until we think this through. We can-

Elthas’s quick, phantom-esque footsteps didn’t even register a creak from those awful floorboards as he left the building before Shinsou had even finished his train of thought.

The door closed behind him.

The stupid son-of-a-bitch! What’s he thinking?!

Shinsou edged himself closer to the door, taking care not to be seen through the window by whatever it was that was out their waiting for them both. Were they Jal Shey?

No, I’d already be dead. So, what the hell are these things outside, and why did Elthas just walk off after giving me some weird “last testament” statement like that?

The icy tones of the otherworldly beings outside attacked Shinsou’s senses again. They made him cringe and cling to the wall even tighter as the voices seemed to grow closer and closer. He could hear their steps outside upon the dirt road, mixed with the rattling of metal and the sounds of weapons being readied.

Be ready to go, Shinsou.

The Telgradian could hear verbal exchanges outside over the pounding of his own heart. They weren’t particularly heated, at first, but after a short while he could hear the tension building in Elthas’s voice, and then there was full-on yelling.

In that moment he felt nothing but his labored breath erupting into the moist air, and his stomach churning.

All he could do, for now, was wait to strike if things went badly.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

There was a moment of utter, dreadful silence.

The Archons were looking at themselves for a moment, presumably speaking in some sort of a mental art.

There were hushed whispers in the air but they were coming from the followers of the Archons...or whoever they were.

Elthas did not like his odds.

As he considered his situation, he thought back to his final battle against Yosef Terrentius. Yosef was an old enemy who'd gained significant power during his stay at Lornius prison. Elthas considered that situation, and considered what he'd learned. He realized that Yosef had likely somehow acquired powerful allies in the time he'd spent in Lornius.

It was enough for them to break him out of that place... He thought to himself.

Elthas was not weak. He could likely take one or two of the Archons by himself. But there were many of them, he could see at least four of the Archons present. I have to come up with a plan here. He then considered the words that the Archons spoke to him. They say I have taken Yosef Terrentius into myself somehow. Could that explain things? Seth Terrentius did not teach me about such matters. He only taught me about some of the matters. He frowned deeply. Have I made a mistake again in not completing my training? No...if I had not been there Shin would be dead right now. He thought to himself. Once again, I sought to honour the old ways. He looked up towards the closest of the Archons.

"So what's it going to be?" Elthas asked.

It was clear to Elthas that they were deliberating or planning something.

The not knowing really disturbed Elthas the most.

Elthas looked around the ruins very carefully. Not much I can use here... He thought. Then his gaze returned to the Archon that was closest, the one that spoke before.

There was a hot breeze that came in from the east.

The afternoon sun overhead, Elthas could feel that on his spectral body. He looked up for a moment. The sunlight hurt his eyes, it was a reaction he wasn't expecting to have. Then, after fifteen long minutes passed, the Archon spoke.

"Is this your final decision, Elthas?" The Archon suddenly asked.

Elthas narrowed his eyes. They are scared of me...but why? Elthas felt anger beginning to build up in his heart. He looked up towards the tall Archon. "Do you guys really have to make me repeat myself? The answer is no. I will not give up my property. So do whatever it is you think you're going to do!" Elthas' mind became a whirlwind at that point. Many thoughts passed through his mind, he thought back to Seth's teachings and he thought of Shin. I can't run this time...they have the power to chase me forever... Elthas thought. Then he proceeded to move forward towards the closest of the Archon.

There were at least a dozen of the mysterious people who appeared with the Archons. He didn't know anything about who they were, but the marks on their clothing and weapons reminded him of marks he'd seen elsewhere. It's just like the markings on that dagger... Elthas was too distracted to make any further connections. He closed the distance between himself and the Archon's representative. Then, Elthas looked up at the Archon and spoke.

"You're taking too long and frankly, I've had enough of your shit!!!" Elthas yelled and attacked.

***

The Archon moved backwards at the last minute, right as Elthas slashed outward with his glowing daggers.

"You mean to attack!?" The Archon asked nervously.

They are not prepared...they do not have a plan...now is my chance! Elthas shook his head. [b]"When you commit to make someone a target...commit all the way. Don't half ass shit ever again!"[/i] Elthas yelled and pressed the attack. Capable as he was, he saw that the Archon kept simply evading his attack. Keep calm. Every slash attack that Elthas performed with his daggers met the same reaction. He's fucking with me...I have to think of something. Then, he saw it. The Archon had a pattern with the blinking movements. As Elthas' eyes focused, he could concentrate through the growing rage in his heart. For some strange reason, the other Archons were not attacking. They merely watched, as did the mysterious people who were gathered. This is my advantage...I can take them!

Elthas' eyes focused as he saw the pattern of movement.

Reality seemed to slow down considerably as the idea dawned on him. I-I'm...faster than they are! Elthas then did what normally would have been unthinkable. This is complete suicide! Elthas slashed with a testing slash to begin the Archon's evasive maneuvers. Then it happened. Once again, Elthas' eyes adjusted to the ability the Archon was using. With his eyes, Elthas saw a weakness in their combat style. It is time. Elthas thought to himself and released his grip on his power. In one maddeningly fast moment, just as the Archon's fast speed ability was almost over, Elthas acted. He timed it so that his own action would coincide with the Archon's own ability. Elthas became as a blur, teleporting forward to where he knew the Archon would end up. Check-mate, asshole. Elthas remembered thinking.

***

There was a sudden pause.

Right as the Archon finished his movement.

There were cries of horror from the gathered.

The Archon suddenly exploded in a burst of spectral energy and arcane dust.

Elthas continued his mad dash forward, he'd basically run right through the Archon himself!

There was a howl of agony as the Archon died.

The gathered, and remaining Archons all took a momentary step back.

All eyes were now on Elthas.

Elthas saw that the only thing left of the Archon was the heavy robes that the fellow wore. He moved towards the robes and proceeded to take them, a spectral hand grabbed Elthas before he could take it.

It was another of the Archons.

"What do you think you are doing?" The Archon asked.

"You would be wise to let go of me. I can kill you all right now if I so chose." Elthas said. "His robe is now mine. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you try to stop me. If not, let me go and be on your fucking way." There was a malice in Elthas' voice that was not present there before. Shit. I killed one of them... Elthas thought to himself. The Archon released his grip on Elthas' hand.

"Do you understand the weight of what you've just done?" The Archon suddenly asked.

"Yes I do as a matter of fact. If you all don't leave right now...you'll suffer the same Thayne's forsaken fate." Elthas grabbed the large robes at his feet and stuffed it into his travel pack.

It would be useful later.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

All of Shinsou’s thoughts seemed to melt away. As his view of the world shrunk to the crack of the slightly ajar front door, strange mist poured into the room from the gap and the Telgradian could see the threat through the overlapping shades of grey. There it stood, the Archon, dressed in ethereal robes, bearing down on his new ally. It was no doubt preparing for some sort of retribution for its fallen brethren, so impressively dispatched by Elthas, yet Belthasar seemed to resist the temptation to kill the last one.

I’m sorry Elthas. If you don’t wish to sully your hands further, I understand. Leave this bastard to me. We don't need any stragglers knocking around to tell tales.

Undoubtedly, this Archon would be a threat if left unchecked. Time was of the essence. Repositioning himself next to the door, Shinsou anchored himself with his feet. He saw it was stood between him and the spectral form of Elthas. From here the Telgradian could line up five dark matter spears perfectly. The wall separating his position from the Archon was little more than blown plaster and rotting timber and would prove no object at all against the might of his Enpera Kurohitsugi.

A thick wall of air formed behind him. As it began to shimmer like the reflection of the moon on a lake at night, forking tendrils of black and purple convulsed and converged around each other to form a fifteen foot wide circular portal of black and purple energy that ate into the timber structure. There was a crackling sound as the strange, phantom like mist of Squall’s Calm met the magic, the chemicals in the dark matter reacting violently and repulsing those of the spiritual vapour in the air.

Protruding from this abyss of darkness were five deadly spears of dark matter. They represented a fraction of Shinsou’s true power, but they’d be enough.

Without even having to motion, Shinsou commanded the five spears forward. They sped out of the portal and their lengths ripped through the wooden wall with ease, sending chunks of dusty plaster, splintered wood and shattered glass scattering in a wide angle shrapnel cloud. Forks of blue and purple electricity snapped around the shafts of the spears, scorching the grit of the road floor as they travelled before smashing into the Archon’s back.

The Telgradian wasted no time and leapt through the wound his spell had created in the wall. As he jumped through, Enpera’s tip brought to bear by his side, Shinsou’s eyes tried to see through the dust cloud the spell had kicked up for signs of life.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

For a long moment, Elthas blacked out and was someplace else/some time else.

He looked about,attempting to gain his sense of perspective again. Something has happened...The Archons were there and Now I am here... Elthas thought to himself. He tried to recollect the last few moments before he ended up where he currently was. As he stood there, there were only flashes of light in his head. He wasn't certain what had actually happened. The space-like area he found himself was filled with stars...some close by...some not. Is this an effect of The Archon's powers? Or something else entirely? As Elthas stood there, he suddenly realized where he was.

He was in a state of being above the physical plane of the Firmanent.

It was Althanas and it wasn't Althanas at the same time.

With a shaky hand, Elthas reached out to touch the darkness of space and not space.

He was surprised when it rippled in reaction at his touch.

Then, a being manifested nearby to show Elthas the way back home...presumably.

Elthas saw the rippling effect occur for a few moments more, and then he turned to face the newcomer.

It was an entity that was a resident of the space and not space area he'd currently found himself in. And then Elthas felt something very very mysterious...an old item that he'd held in his possession from a very long time ago reacted to the presence before him. Elthas looked down and saw the mysterious Velvet Key item.glowing in his pocket. Of course...the key! How could I have forgotten this thing I have gotten so long ago? It glowed with a mysterious velvet glow. It was reacting to the presence of the newcomer somehow.

"Elthas...you have a strong resonance to that item in your possession." The newcomer said. "The Archons are hunters of our kind. The one you destroyed kept me locked in this prison which is why you are here. This is a breach between time and space across the different variant quadrants of Althanas herself. The Tetraplane that your friend is attempting to gain power over needs a master. That is who you must protect at all costs from the power of The Archons and his own enemies." The newcomer said calmly. "My time seeing you is short but I must give you a message." The Newcomer said.

"Who are you?" Elthas asked, he had to know.

"Who I am is not important but only the message I have come to deliver. I am risking a breach across space and time to bring you this warning. Protect the Telgradian, and you will secure Althanas's future...remember what I have come to say to you. The one named Shinsou must...live."

Elthas took a moment to absorb the information he was just told..."I will protect Shinsou." Elthas promised.

The presence left and Elthas found himself alone for the briefest of moments.

From there, reality and unreality shimmered for a long moment and things reverted to normal.

***

Elthas blinked as he regained physical awareness...in the normal state of time/space on Althanas Elthas blacked out for precisely a minute.

The Archons that remained were still recovering from Shinsou's impressive attack...

Dust was kicked up everywhere and a mysterious arcane energy of some sort touched the very air now and had erupted near Elthas.

What happened?! Elthas tried to logically think through the situation but his head hurt like Haidia. He could only recall the message the strange visitor had given him. Save Shinsou. Save Althanas. Those were the last words the messenger spoke. I must protect him at all costs. Elthas thought to himself as he realized that reality was back to normal. He would never be completely certain of what had just happened...only that something had happened. As he recovered from the state that had overwhelmed him, he realized what he had to do. His eyes frantically searched for Shinsou as the Archon and Shin's enemies were preparing to move against the pair.

There was a general pause and mass confusion in all of the general fighting as the power that Shin displayed finally settled.

Elthas had been touched by that same power...but a different reaction had occurred in Elthas.

Once Elthas had spotted Shin, he considered his next move very very carefully and suddenly, another Archon intervened.

"The power your friend wields is impressive." The Archon told Elthas. "It will take more than Dark Matter energy to defeat us all this day." The Archon said, this one had purple robes covering his entire body.

Elthas looked up towards the Archon for a moment, and made his spectral blades manifest.

"Dark Matter you say? Strange. Didn't know my friend had that kind of power." Elthas kept a serious expression on his face. He was looking at The Archon, but nobody was making any moves...yet. Everybody present had been affected by Shin's power on some level...even Elthas. "So what's your story? You gonna risk yourself too? Or do you have other matters planned?" Elthas had to know.

"We've suffered a set-back this day." The Archon said calmly. "But make no mistake, Elthas. We will come back for you at a later time once we have recovered our strength and numbers." The Archons stood up from their various positions on the field...there were several present. They all began to blink and teleport to other locations around Althanas. The one standing before Elthas looked at him one last time. "Enjoy your victory, Wraith. I'll make certain that you never have another." Then he too, faded away and left.

Elthas continued to clutch his weapons as the warriors hunting Shin began to walk forward.

Elthas looked at Shin for a long moment. He is the key to all of this... Once again...he recalled how The Velvet Key reacted to the mysterious messenger. He looked down and noticed that the key was still glowing...He would have to figure out a way to unlock the mysteries of The Velvet Key. But for the time being...

"Shin. If you have a plan now's a good time to hear it..." Elthas said and maneuvered so that he was standing at his friend's side.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Between being sent to another dimension, the appearance of those odd, robed figures who looked like (but clearly were not) Jal Shey lords and Elthas Belthasar, Shinsou was losing all semblances of what to do next.

Oddly, it was then that the Telgradian realized he could sense no heartbeats nor breathing in their immediate vicinity, something he blamed on the activity of what he would later learn were called the Archons. They had masked his senses due to the frantic and ethereal scuffle that had broken out between them all. Now, with the dust settled and the last of the monstrous figures fading into the strange dense fog, parting with veiled threats to Elthas, the whole town had become strangely hollow. Even with the hooded creatures gone, Shinsou felt more dangerously exposed than before. In Corone he knew the lay of the land; every back alley, every nook and cranny and filthy bit of urban intestine he had dared to explore. Here in Squall’s Calm, though, he was at the mercy of ignorance.

Then there’s the enigma of him…

The Telgradian turned his head to look at Elthas in all of his phantasmal glory. Being so close to the apparition was giving him goosebumps. He'd heard what Elthas had to say, asking about their next move. Shinsou wondered himself. The fates had forced a meeting between the two by putting them both through a crucible of bravery and pain, and now they had been led here, to some sort of alternate version of Squall’s Calm where the mist tasted of death and everything seemed to be out to kill one or both of them.

Never before had Shinsou invested such blind faith of another, and it seemed that the opposite was also true of his ghostly rescuer. It provoked thoughts of the whole reason for Osiris’s visit to the town – and the memory of what he pursued.

”The reason I came here was to find a citadel that may be harbouring the Jal Shey; an evil, twisted tribe that are trying to construct a gateway between Althanas and my homeworld for an invasion.” Shinsou frowned at the thought, deeply troubled that they were no closer to finding it. “This strange fog reeks of them. The taste of metal, the dark aura that flows through the vapour and the scent of rotting flesh are all present. They are all hallmarks of an active portal. I need to destroy it.”

Quickly, too, Shinsou thought fervently. The Jal Shey would already be making preparations to tear open a hole large enough for a small army to breach. All that they would require would be a fortification in which to gather, and perhaps an energy source.

Something like this evil mist.

Shinsou could see it. The obsidian pillars that the Jal Shey used to store energy feeding on the souls of the dead, the ground below the portal melting away to forge a door big enough to pour a whole cluster of dark forces into. Osiris reasoned that perhaps, just perhaps the spirit that stabbed him hadn’t attacked him at all. Perhaps he had been guided here.

Shinsou stopped. He was thinking too far in advance, and his mind had wandered.

“Elthas, thank you for your help. I do not expect you to follow me, but I have to do something about this portal.” Shinsou prowled about in a semi-circle. “I know it’s here, somewhere. I can feel it. But to ask you to put yourself in harm’s way for me again would be selfish, even if you are already of the spirit realm. I have but one question though…what on earth were those creatures that attacked you? They registered like the Jal Shey on my senses…but clearly, they were not. So what were they?”

He ran a callused hand through close-cropped brown hair and scratched a stubbled chin. Shinsou wasn't sure what answer to expect.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The Archons...

Elthas found himself unsure as to exactly what they were.

The Jester that had guided him to his meeting with Shinsou was not forthcoming in regards to the origins of The Archons. Elthas rubbed his chin in thought as Shinsou spoke. There were many questions...too many questions...and Elthas didn't have many answers. He only knew that someday...they would be back. Elthas understood that they were an enemy to he, and he to them. Elthas somehow threatened whatever organization they represented...that was a huge problem. Many thoughts passed through his vast mind. There was only one possible outcome.

A long time ago, Elthas helped and saved a man named Seth Terrentius...that man had become like a second Father to Elthas.

Shinsou reminded Elthas of Seth Terrentius.

"A long time ago, I saved a member of the Human race named Seth Terrentius. That one event changed my life irrevocably." Shinsou spoke of other worlds and other planes, he spoke of the enemy he was hunting. "It is in my nature to help those in need." Elthas would follow Shinsou until the ends of time if needed. And he would follow him until whatever came after that. Not because Elthas fancied himself pure or just, but because he had saved a man named Seth Terrentius.

And at that point in his life, Elthas realized a vital point.

It is my destiny to save people. Even if the desire and reasoning behind it is selfish...I know it is what I am supposed to be doing. Elthas looked at Shin for a long moment. "Let us find the portal that you seek to find. I can't let you go alone at this point. We are in this together." Elthas was a mind-boggling and simple man. For the right causes and reasoning he would jump into the fire time and time again, even if the reasons were selfish...the fact remained...Elthas was a Hero. Elthas moved for a moment and looked down at the earth where Shinsou's power had touched it.

The ground had blackened, and parts of it were scorched into pure glass...

"Some of this place still has normal rules of the physical realm." Elthas said calmly. He reached down and instinctively punched the ground. His black and gauntleted hand suddenly affected a change that he had not calculated. Elthas looked down towards where his fist had struck, and he started to step away from the causality effect. However, the effects of the alternate realm they were in...both the antifirmanent and the other place that Shin had spoken of...reacted. There was a crack in the glass, and Elthas noticed that the crack started to spread in a bizarre rippling effect. Elthas looked at Shinsou. "We should probably run..." Elthas said out loud, but the effect of what Elthas had just done was already beginning to spread and react quickly...cracks appearing across the floor...

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

The glass glistened momentarily on the now waxed surface of the dusty floor where Shinsou and Elthas stood before splintering and crumbling away beneath them. As the mist enveloped his face and a strange light beyond the fog illuminated his stern expression, their footfall began to fall into the gaping mouth of a fresh chasm to the infinite beyond.

“Run!”

The fog ahead split the rays of the ethereal light into a patchwork of grey and silver. The chaos of rock and earth collapsing into a great maw crashed behind them, shaking the earth and swallowing the ramshackle buildings that had flanked them as they sprinted together to the safety of the town’s boundaries. Or, at least they hoped. Bits of debris scuffed the surface of Shinsou’s skin on his neck in such a way that he wasn’t quite sure whether or not they were on the cusp of the oblivion that chased them. To be sure, the Telgradian snapped his head around to see the horrifying sight of an infinite black void biting at his heels.

Shit!

The widening void was the colour of tar and oddly garnished with eyes of silvery steel. Only their irises stood out on first glance, the stares of some untold number of creatures locking onto the pair. The Telgradian had met that gaze with a fierce, unwilling look as he tried to resist this strange reality’s attempts to subdue them both. Suddenly the scenery of the town of Squall’s Calm had crumbled from sight, torn apart by a maelstrom of dark magic. The air around him gathered force into what felt like a gale wind, and needles of black and purple replaced the wide blue skies. Shinsou could not see any further than three paces ahead and Elthas struggled to focus. Something was manipulating the shifting environment, something that felt cold and evil.

It was at that moment the Telgradian was struck by a bubble of marbled purple and black, the source of which remained a mystery. It hurt Osiris immensely and moments afterwards Shinsou felt his strength wane. All the while, the widening void had now stopped at the very fringe of town and those cold irises pierced Shinsou, penetrated him, daring him to ask what the purpose of all this was.

Even now, as this strange reality swirled and enveloped them, Shinsou’s instincts told him something terrible was going to come of this. He had no idea what Elthas had done to cause the fracas that had followed the Archeon’s coming, but what followed that punch into the ground was a reaction. It was a destructive, violent force that could wreak havoc on anything in its path. Whoever was controlling this strange marble of the spirit realm and the world of the living was, Shinsou had to assume, using it to guard something or ward off intruders from the town.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Anger...

Fear...

Rage...

Emotions that were primal and powerful swirled in his heart at being once more within The Void. Elthas had no idea what had just happened, only that the town they were formerly in was visible in the distance. A small pinpoint of light. If one were to blink, the vision of the light would be gone all together. I am not alone. Elthas looked at his friend and tried to remain calm for the man's sake. Elthas carefully looked around The Void, there was something he was supposed to see there. There were eyes visible in the inky dark and they were all staring at the duo. Elthas felt a certain malevolence there within those eyes, but he felt something else. What is this..? Elthas thought to himself. He then saw something detach itself from the darkness of The Void. It manifested quickly into a humanoid form in an elegant black robe. The figure walked towards Shin and Elthas standing before both of them. At that point, Elthas summoned his spectral daggers on instinct.

"Your weapons." Echoed a voice from the figure in black. It was male. There was a raspy aspect of the voice. "You will not need them here." The being of darkness spoke. "I summoned you both here for a purpose." The robed figure said. "Your presence within that man's reality was too good a chance to pass up." The figure spoke in a surprisingly friendly sort of way. "The Archons you defeated held me at bay." The figure explained. "I brought you here because of that. You have freed me from my prison." The figure pointed towards Shinsou. "The man here was a catalyst and I'm sorry that I had to hurt him in such a way but I needed to speak to you both." The figure paused for a moment and then continued. "I know of The Gate that your friend seeks to enter." The figure said calmly. "Both of your lives will be placed in tremendous danger." The man said, and did not stop talking of his warning. "I can give you the method, the means to enter The Gate he is after. But, I must ask you both if you are ready to sacrifice everything." He said, looking at Elthas.

"I've already given my life, to help those in need. I'd gladly do it a million times over." Elthas said.

"Until the ends of time?" The figure asked. "I wonder what does your friend truly thinks. Does he really understand what you are ready to give?"

"It's simply something I have to do." Elthas said. "I swore an oath to Shinsou, and such oaths can't ever be broken."

"Your oath was not to Shinsou, but to another. Am I right?" The being asked.

"...Seth Terrentius." Elthas said carefully.

"You have a heavy burden in your heart, Elthas Belthasar. Guard your feelings well from the enemy you two are about to face." The being then floated towards Shin. "The enemy you seek is in the tower I am going to send you two in. As favor for freeing me." The being explained. "I had to strike you to be certain you had the strength to defeat the one you are after. It has been a long time since I have seen a Mortal with the power you possess." The being waved his hand in a mysterious gesture. A Gate manifested in The Void. The gate was elegant and well decorated.

Elthas noticed that The Gate had similar characteristics to a Phantaria Gate.

"Now then. Elthas. Shinsou. Go forth and conquer your enemies with my blessing." The being said as The Gate opened.

Elthas felt a very potent connection to this being. "Before we leave, you are a Thayne are you not?" Elthas asked.

"You have a sharp mind. But yes, I am a Thayne. Call me Jaiku, if you must have a name. I will be watching your progress with interest." Jaiku said calmly.

Elthas nodded. "We will meet again, Jaiku. Hopefully under better circumstances." And Elthas saw that The Gate was open, to the place that Shin needed to get to. "We'll go when you are ready, Shin."

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

What does a Thayne want with me? With him? Why is he helping us?

Shinsou’s hand remained primed on the hilt of his sword Enpera, his feet set apart in a ready stance in habit alone. Yet, even as he did it, the Telgradian wondered why. This was no mere mortal, but instead a Thayne. He wouldn’t be able to hurt him if he had tried. Relaxing his grip, Osiris tried to focus. Everything happening to him was almost entirely beyond his understanding, but now through all of the confusion and chaos he was offered a lifeline to return to the sole purpose of his journey to this hellish place. The gate ahead, manifested from the cool black of the void by Jaiku, promised transportation to the Jal Shey citadel he sought. It was clear that the Thayne had been controlling and manipulating events to this point; there was obviously some sort of end game in mind. These situations rarely played out in favour of the pawns.

That said, options were few and far between. The Telgradian knew that he had to choose his next words with great care.

“Everything that is happening balances on the edge of reason. I need proof; proof that this isn’t just another strange defence mechanism of the town to throw us off our guard.”

“Jaiku is right. Ya got to go in there and put a stop to this.”

The voice that called out from behind the Thayne carried a foreign tinge, one that seemed slurred by a regional accent. Theos Thelwall, the shaman, and his bodyguard Gideon Xerxes dissolved through the void, standing at the side of their robed summoner.

“You must listen to the Thayne. My name is Theos. I am somewhat of a resident of the Tetraplane, and I study it. This is Gideon Xerxes, my guardian.”

That name… Shinsou’s eyes narrowed as the swordsman’s moniker flitted around his muddled mind. He regarded the tall, platinum haired swordsman with a curious gaze. The contrast between the pair was almost black and white. Gideon was heavy-set, muscular and calm; the shaman was gaunt and tanned, a thin smiled etched on his face. The swordsman seemed to be of middle age, his complexion weathered; Theos was only just entering his thirties, and squinty eyed; the product of too many hours at study.

The shaman’s voice was mild, almost gentle, calm and reassuring, a stark contrast to that of the towering Xerxes.

“The Tetraplane is an extension of the world of the dead into the world of the living, and it is something in which we are usually able to move freely,” Gideon explained, a hand resting on his hilt. “Normally, it is confined to small pockets of Althanas but the Jal Shey have harnessed it and smothered Squall’s Calm in it to defend their portal. The fiends use the mist to spawn, which makes manifesting in the physical realm impossible for us now.”

Shinsou settled as he absorbed the information given to him, edging around to flank the pair. The name of Theos’s bodyguard seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite place it. Dismissing it for the moment, he turned back to Theos. “I don’t know you any better than the Thayne, Elthas or anyone else in this ridiculous place, but if what you say is true then I don’t have a choice. I can’t allow any Jal Shey portals on Althanas.”

He inched closer to the gateway created by Jaiku. Elthas’s own feet scraped on the distorted path to the strange void, his eyes focused hard as he eyes both the Thayne and the two other apparitions.

The Telgradian’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he turned just before the entrance to the gate.

“Elthas, the Jal Shey bear similarities to the Archons we encountered a short while ago. They are cold, relentless and without mercy, but there are none quite so dark as these. My reasons for stopping them here are my own; and oath or no oath you are under no obligation to follow me. You have already helped me get this far, somehow. If you come, then we go to the very edge of reason.”

There were no hesitant steps. There were no whispers of fear as Elthas drew closer to the portal with a will of steel, his slim, crescent eyes flashing in what light there was in this strange sub reality. Instead, the phantom kept most of his attention on the gateway to his fore. He was resolved, quietly but nobly so. Shinsou peered once more into the layer of malevolent black to his side, the eyes still all gazing back at him, and turned away towards the portal.

“Then so be it. At the end of this, Elthas, I will repay you in any way I can.”

One final step forward saw the Telgradian and the spectre amalgamate with the shimmering darkness of the gateway’s membrane before their forms disappeared entirely. An odd smell of smouldering cobalt hung on the portal’s breath.

Gideon looked on stone-faced. He could almost see the grin of triumph on the man’s face, certain of imminent victory. It reminded him of someone. “It is him, beyond all doubt,” The swordsman remarked, turning towards Theos, “Shinsou is Canen’s descendant. Everything is as you said.”

Theos nodded. “Your brother Canen was supposedly entombed in Garah, the Telgradian capital. He was the father of the Telgradian people. By extension, he also fathered the Jal Shey, albeit accidentally. The last of the Khaian civilization succeeded in carrying on the bloodline, but he wrought something terrible.”

Gideon frowned. “Canen is dead. Given the circumstances, perhaps it is for the best that he is able to rest in peace instead of bearing witness to that mistake.”

Theos’s robe split open at the waist as he turned to walk past Jaiku, exposing his undershirt to the void. Gideon noticed a curiosity writ clearly upon his features.

“Theos?”

Spurred by Gideon’s tone, the shaman stopped. The swordsman stepped to the right before his friend could move.

“There’s nothing I can tell you that isn’t speculation, my friend. All I know for certain is that Shinsou is the only tangible proof that Khaia survived and became Telgradia.”

Anger and frustration clouded Gideon’s vision like a fog, compounded by the effect of this sudden revelation. How long had Theos been keeping this from him? Then realisation struck, and the red mist dissipated from his eyes.

“This isn’t speculation, though, is it? You know,” he growled, suddenly calm again. “Is my brother alive? Is Canen alive?”

Theos didn’t reply at first. It staggered Gideon’s mind to think that his friend would keep this information from him willingly. But the shaman, after a moment of contemplation, knew the needs of the present took precedence. Whatever Shinsou went on to do from here was up to him. He had served his purpose; to show Gideon, one of two surviving Khaians, that their people’s legacy was assured through the continuation of the bloodline.

His friend deserved an honest answer.

“It depends on your definition of ‘alive’…”

[Gnarl & Root]

No Judgment Score

Shinsou receives: 1393 EXP & 110 GP
Elthas receives: 1056 EXP & 100 GP