The Fog of Squall's Calm

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

(Closed to Elthas. This thread is a mentor / mentee thread, and from Shinsou's perspective continues the story from the Gnarled Roots of Osiris (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?29522-The-Gnarled-Roots-of-Osiris&p=249928#post249928). Characters and names of Canen Darkflight and Gideon Xerxes are used with permission from myself (Canen) and the pre-Althanas user formerly known as Fallen Angel (Gideon))

-Foreword-

The beauty of the coast of the island of Corone seemed to be wasted on Shinsou. The heat of the sun beating down upon his face and the shimmering azure sea should have been a nice memory for him to take away before a perilous voyage across the sea, yet somehow the Telgradian couldn’t absorb it at all. His mind instead wandered like a lost child back and forth between the memory of events that unfolded at the Cartographer three days ago, and the sickly anticipation of what he would end up doing now that Keats was dead and he had severed his ties with Telgradia.

This new found freedom was a strange bedfellow. His returning memories told him that, for as long as he could remember, Shinsou had always had some sort of agenda driving his actions up to this point in his life. He had always known what to do, and known, rightly or wrongly, who it was he was doing it for. It didn’t matter whether it was fighting the Jal Shey, or fighting under their control; he had never had to think about himself, about what he wanted.

Not really.

But now, putting an end to Temperance had become both his mission and his undying obsession. He remembered how everything had gone just right until it went terribly wrong, forever changing the course of his life. Murderer, emperor, villian - Telgradia's easy reference tags for him would always remain the same. But he knew himself well. There was the Shinsou Vaan Osiris who had had attacked Telgradia during the age of Temperance, and Shinsou Vaan Osiris of today. The two were very different men.

So, as he remained behind in the Cartographer to study the riches of Telgradian and Althanian texts that had lay there for years, he found for the first time ever he was lacking answers. What would he do from here? Where could he go? He was no longer an Emperor. He no longer cared about Telgradia at all, in fact, and as far as he was concerned Temperance was welcome to rend that world asunder. Both the Telgradians and the Jal Shey were a blight on the planet of Telgradia and the worlds around it, and they all deserved each other. But Shinsou knew, deep down, what letting Temperance destroy Telgradia on a whim would lead to. What Temperance was and what its survival entailed for other inhabited worlds within reach of their portals was too frightening a contemplation for Shinsou. Compared to Althanas, what happened on Telgradia simply didn’t matter, but Shinsou couldn’t allow Temperance to destroy this world, which was a guarantee unless he did something before the three years left on Temperance’s seal were up.

All of a sudden, as he paced up and down the Cartographer's marble floors pouring over years of knowledge contained in those red books, he realised that stopping Temperance was the only thing that mattered to him now and everything else failed miserably in comparison.

So, when he came across the township of Squall’s Calm in the Cartographer’s library, he knew what he had to do.

Squall’s Calm, an isolated township on the very fringes of the xenophobic lands of Fallien, had already been visited by the Jal Shey some years prior. There, the text said, a citadel was built to house an interplanetary gateway linking Telgradia and Althanas. Shinsou had suspected from the content of the book that the gateway was a precursor to an invasion lead by Temperance, given its supposed size, and he had decided that he would start by destroying it.

All that was left to do was to reach Squall's Calm and destroy that gate.

So, with his purpose set, Shinsou set sail from Corone and made haste to Fallien.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Note: Continued from: Old and New 2 (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?29639-SOLO-Old-Gods-and-New-Streets-2) I'm proceeding forward with Elthas' ghost like state. Thank you for your understanding, I intend to get that approved soon as my Solo Quest is done. Thanks.)

Time flowed endlessly forward and affected all things.

Elthas considered his next move, he'd made the choice to go after the brigand, Yosef Terrentius in the previous journey and now he was at an impasse. He could not go back to the way things were, and Seth Terrentius, his guide and mentor...left him with more questions. Elthas, at that point, regretted that he'd not spent sufficient time studying the old ways of his people. The old arts, the arcane secrets that raised famous wizards and magi. He would not be in the predicament he currently found himself in.

Dead.

Elthas was a fast learner and quickly was learning that defying the rules of life and death had a very specific price.

As he stood there in the Antifirmanent, he considered the lessons that the jester from his previous adventure attempted to teach him. The world is give and take...remember that. Elthas nodded to himself as he paced back and forth. It was not like him to be so agitated and worked up over things beyond his control. Elthas was a man of action, even life he'd always operated that way. This time however, he'd lost all sense of direction for one simple truth. He was dead.

For the dead there were different rules of operating all together.

Things in place that worked against the ghosts and phantoms of the antifirmanent.

It was at that point that Elthas realized that he lacked a purpose. Yosef Terrentius was only a quick solution to a much greater problem. Elthas narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the horizon ahead. There was no use in standing still waiting for something to happen...that went against his nature. I have to make my own destiny dead or not. As soon as Elthas realized that he felt a familiar surge of power. The jester had blinked back into reality nearby from where ever it was he went to.

"You again." Elthas said calmly. "What do you need this time?" Elthas was not one to turn down help however twisted and insincere it might be. He knew he was in a desperate spot and he did not want to go blindly into the unknown. This is a thinking man's game... Elthas recalled the words of his mentor, Seth Terrentius.

Knowledge was power.

"You did sooo splendidly in the last job, that I simply had to come back to see how you were holding out!" The jester explained, for the first time...there was sincerity in the creature's words.

"We're on social calls now, I take it?" Elthas shook his head. "Regardless you upheld your end of the bargain. I know you can be trusted. What do you need this time?" Elthas asked of the mysterious jester.

"Ladies and gents, he fuckin' gets it!" The jester clapped very loudly so things within a range of a few miles away would be able to hear him. "I had a feeling you'd be a fast learner. Look, kid, I'm not gonna lie. Your previous actions are getting you unwarranted attention." The jester continued. "Forces are moving against the both of us now. Gotta get you in a safer location. This place will likely consume you if you let it as you currently are!"

Elthas frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "So let me get this straight. Somebody is after you...or should I say us?" Elthas sighed.

"Bingo! You got a good noggin on your head kid." More of that damned riddle speak. "Look kid, I hate this. I really do, you're a good kid. But now I got put in a dilemma." The jester kept an uncharacteristic distance from Elthas as he spoke. "The favour I asked you to do...pissed off trouble." The jestier kept talking. "Seems that Yosef Terrentius had a connection we were not aware of." The jester continued to bring the burden of bad news. "Understand, kid, this was not any of our faults. But if it's a consolation...I really do like ya."

"That doesn't make me feel any better. What precisely is the...holy shit!" Elthas began and stopped talking as several presences simply appeared within the clearing that were not there before. Elthas took a step back and he looked at the jester who was shaking his head. "You...!?" Elthas asked and yelled at the same time.

There was a small group of robed figures floating above the broken earth.

"I'm sorry kid. I wish I could have avoided all of this. They got to me first." The jester said with an almost palpable accent of sadness.

Elthas took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes and saw the image of the one person who mattered to him...Hylda Terrentius.

Run, Elthas...run. He heard her say.

"Elthas Belthasar you have been found guilty." The closest of the robed figures began.

But Elthas was already on the move.

He ran, he ran and never looked back....

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Four days ago, the morning’s landing at port had promised ideal Fallien conditions: calm winds, moderate temperatures rising throughout the day and a spread of clear blue sky that ran off to the eastern rim of the towering wind-carved dunes, the direction that Shinsou would have to take to reach Squall’s Calm. The journey across the tranquil sea had finally settled him somewhat, allowing him time to absorb his surroundings, and Shinsou would never forget that beautiful sky as he peered through the small log window of his cabin on the transport ship Stormbreaker.

It was the sort of scene that he would have frequently wished for and rarely got on his homeworld. Unknown to him, it would also be the only particularly pleasant part of his journey.

It was just before midday in Fallien’s northern desert. This was the time when the sun was most harsh and Shinsou Vaan Osiris, who had wrapped his face and body up to prevent being scorched by the oppressive conditions, was feeling it. The relentless heat bore down upon his thick, swept back brown hair. Sweat dripped down his face in small, salty trickles and despite fulfilling its bodily purpose it did little to relieve the heat. Every breath he took in the horrendous humidity felt hot and heavy, as if he were inhaling lava and re-gurgitating it through his burning nostrils.

Of the five days of his journey towards the fringes of Fallien, where the isolated town of Squall’s Calm was located, Shinsou had found today, the last day, to be the worst. Those famous summer desert conditions had almost stripped him of his emotions, with only his adrenaline keeping him walking in the same direction.

Exhausted, Shinsou stopped for a moment and raised the veil from his face, peering over the landscape ahead intently. The Telgradian winced as jolts of sunlight bounced off of the golden desert that stretched out for miles around, an endless ocean of beige, yellow and white that rippled in towering waves across the horizon. He told himself he had to ignore the intense heat and focus on his destination, as there was no point wasting energy worrying about it.

He moved slowly but smoothly along the wind carved banks of the dunes, proceeding with careful steps. Shinsou was used to travel in desert conditions thanks to the time he spent in the company of the Jal Shey back on Telgradia, and his legs and chassis were strong enough to cope with the searing heat rising from the sands and the scorching sunlight bearing down on him from above. Even if he felt ravaged at that moment, Shinsou knew the dunes wouldn’t claim him before he reached Squall’s Calm.

But, as he looked out once more at the blanched landscape, it didn't seem at all similar to the deserts of the previous days. It wasn't like the Fallien of the south where he had started, all sand and dust clouds, shimmering mirages and graceful twisters. It seemed to be an endless stretch of dunes marked with hundreds of tells - mounds of ruins that marked the sites of ancient settlements.

Shinsou could now just begin to see Squall’s Calm in the distance, past the mounds, a little grey smudge creeping over the horizon. Suddenly he felt a little of his vitality come back to him as his mind continued to drag his flagging body over the sand.

Hopefully, once he reached the town, he could find some respite from all of this.


-

Eventually, after what seemed like an age, Shinsou took his first step from sand to stone and felt relief at the having the solid surface of the road leading to Squall’s Calm firmly beneath his heels.

It was at that moment that the immediate worries of the perilous desert journey were put to the back of his mind. However, others shot right back to the front. For one, Fallien was known for being a xenophobic nation, and Shinsou would now have to focus on how he would be able to enter the town. Surely, being the way they were with foreigners, the Fallien guards wouldn’t just let him stroll in. He would have to, at the very least, give them an extremely good reason as to why he was there. After all, this was a township many, many miles to the north of what might be considered Fallien proper and the likelihood was that Shinsou’s arrival, being an outsider, would raise suspicion. At best, he would probably be treated with a mild neglect, like that of a stray dog or a drunken vagrant.

At worst? He didn’t really want to think about it.

As he paced towards the black, wrought iron gates of the town he fully expected the inevitable to happen and be pulled up by the guards, so he prepared his routine and went through the various excuses he could use for being there. Shinsou, however, saw to his astonishment that no guards were posted anywhere on or around the gate. A quick, puzzled look around him as he passed underneath the dark metal archway confirmed this.

Even though he should have waited for someone to attend to him, Shinsou managed to walk into Squall’s Calm without meeting anyone. Not a single person. This was a very bizarre occurrence indeed so deep inside Fallien territory. Almost immediately, Shinsou felt unbalanced by the atmosphere of the town that stretched it before him. He had envisioned, at the very least, Fallien children playing in the streets and a few adults going about their daily routine as they wondered, in the back of their minds, what a foreigner wanted with their little town. Instead, he was shocked to see that there was no-one. Not so much as a single human being to give him an uncaring glance, or a disapproving shake of the head.

Shinsou started to worry that the situation with the gateway was infinitely worse than he had imagined, and ran through the scenarios in his head. Had the Jal Shey already invaded through the portal? No, he didn’t think so. Extermination of most of the local populace of a town was the modus operandi of the Black Fist, the name for the Jal Shey death squads, but they always kept a number of the strongest citizens alive for slave labour. Survivors would be put to work in internment camps, and at the very least the town would have been occupied by Jal Shey warriors, of which there were usually many.

But, here, there was literally no-one.

Shinsou started to walk through the heart of the apparent ghost town, ambling alone down a single road that seemed to carve it into two districts of equal size. A few minutes passed before the bewildered Telgradian stopped at a large building to his right, just off the main road, with a crumbling front porch that ran along the front. He could imagine people sitting there weaving baskets or carpets in the sun, but of course there was no-one to be seen. Shinsou was momentarily re-assured when a couple of stray horses cantered into view from a side street and trampled over a large, broken sign that lay splintered across the stone, but no people followed and it was only a matter of seconds before the stallions trotted off again and Shinsou was left alone in an eerie silence.

It was then that he caught something in the corner of his eye, and his head snapped right to meet it. Upon the debris strewn steps of the house was the hunkered, spectral form of a young man, sobbing into his hands. There was no sound at all, not a single howl of sorrow from the apparition. Shinsou instinctively backed off. He wasn’t sure what harm, if any, this being would bring upon him but after a while he realised that this spirit didn’t seem aggressive.

“Can you tell me your name? What’s going on?” Shinsou asked, almost hopelessly. Quite why he was asking questions of a ghost he wasn’t sure, but he did so anyway, if anything just to comfort himself in this strange place.

The spirit seemed uninterested at first. Shinsou approached him tentatively, and as his shadow fell over the glistening mist that comprised his body, the ghost looked up without any attempt to hide his sobs. It was un-nerving, to say the least. The man’s slender fingers evaporated slightly as they passed through a stray ray of light from the Fallien sun overhead, before reforming at his sides, clenched in a ball. The ghost suddenly swiped at Shinsou. The Telgradian could have been quicker than him, but his fatigue took its toll and before he knew what was happening, Shinsou was on his back looking up at the sky. He felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his left side, and as he put his right hand over the area of the pain he could feel blood oozing from the wound.

As he lay prostrate in the middle of the pavement, Shinsou looked to his left, back to the steps, but the ghost was gone. The wound in his side didn’t seem severe, but suddenly for some reason he couldn’t feel anything, not his arms or legs, not the beating of his own heart, and not the warmth of the sun on his face. There was literally nothing he could do.

It was all too confusing for Shinsou to rationalise at that moment. All he could do was stare at the cloudless sky, blinded by the sun, unable to move. Then, without warning, a shrill, cold shriek erupted inside his ears, overwhelming and attacking his senses.

Helpless, paralysed and alone, Shinsou just about managed a grimace as everything faded slowly to black.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

He saw the gate before he even considered any other possibility.

His rage was driving him at that point, and he knew he needed to get the fuck out of there. He didn't look back, he could feel his pursuers behind him. He didn't want to consider the possibility of getting caught. So he ran through the broken lands of the antifirmanent leaving behind the jester; presumed ally, and the mysterious robed figures.

Elthas dove forward and saw the lone Phantaria gate up ahead. The gate had colour because it was a physical manifestation of an aspect of Phantaria. Elthas grabbed for the door and it reacted to his confused and panicked state. Giving off a brilliant light, the gate opened up and absorbed Elthas into it as before. Every time that Elthas utilized a Phantaria gate, he felt disorientation and confusion. He also felt pain and agony.

Elthas moved at best speed, which in that state was quite considerable. He simply wanted to escape his pursuers because he did not want to even consider what being jailed by a ghost or whatever they were...would be like. Elthas could feel a spectral breath on the back of his neck and he didn't like the sensation at all. The gate remained opened for a few more moments even as he was sucked through the portal. He had no idea where it would take him...he just wanted to be far away from where he currently was.

Escape.

That was all that mattered.

Reality shifted for a moment and Elthas could no longer see or sense anything. The moment of panic was quick, but he held on to what semblance of sanity he had left. Welcome to the joy-ride. Elthas barely remembered himself thinking that and was sucked through the aether of Phantaria's power. He moved across time and space,and was pulled through to another tetra-plane; a place he had no familiarity with. Stone buildings, cut in an unfamiliar architecture style, surrounded the elf. His eyes readjusted and his senses returned to normal. Up ahead, he saw another spectral resident, a ghost like he was, that attacked someone.

Immediately, Elthas felt a flash in his mind of ancient memories.

The memory was like a pool of liquid that surfaced forward from the sea of his soul. Elthas observed the memory and he saw the face of Seth Terrentius...back when Elthas was still a young lad. Back when his life was much simpler and he'd saved and old member of The Syndicate operation. Back when Seth Terrentius had recruited him to that very same organization...back when his life had meaning. Elthas immediately knew someone was in trouble...the old alliances meant he would act. Elthas saw the spectral figure attempt to move away from the scene of a crime. Elthas reacted faster and attacked the confused soul. He drew both of his enchanted daggers; they glowed in ethereal light. Elthas proceeded to intercept the lone spectral figure.

Confusion swelled through Elthas' heart, but his reaction time and instinct pushed him to impulsively act.

He knew someone was in trouble and that was enough.

The confused ghost observed Elthas for a long moment.

"Thought I was alone here." The ghost called out to Elthas. "Didn't know there were others like me here."

Elthas shook his head. He saw the bloodied weapon that the ghost held, and anger swelled up in Elthas' mind. Elthas was slowly becoming consumed by his anger. "I don't know what's going on." Elthas called out in the way that the phantoms speak, through their mental powers. Elthas spotted the fallen body of Shinsou up ahead, but in his confused state; could only picture Seth Terrentius. The night that Seth was attacked by nameless ruffians. Elthas looked at the bloodied weapon that the other ghost held. "But I can see your bloodied weapon; and a body up ahead." Elthas said his anger audible.

"You don't understand, I was defending myself..." The ghost said.

Elthas shook his head in the negative. "You have no idea what you've done!" Elthas yelled. "I will not allow you to get away with harming Seth Terrentius!" Elthas suddenly yelled, the image of his mentor and long time friend in his mind. Driving him to act beyond any and all sense of rational reason.

"Who is Seth...fuck...!" The ghost began but it was already too late.

Using his newly acquired spectral powers, Elthas was all over the other ghost. Driven by an nearly insane state triggered by the images of Seth Terrentius, Elthas acted. The ghost poorly attempted to defend himself against the superior warrior. He barely managed to raise his bloodied weapon, but Elthas intercepted, his face distorted by the emotions he currently felt. Elthas blocked with his own dagger, and sliced carefully, knocking the ghost's spectral blade out of his hands. The weapon danced away into some corner of the structure they were currently in.

The old wooden sign in front of the decaying building seemed to move in protest as a sad wind came in from the west.

In a few short moments, it was over. Elthas slew the ghost that threatened Seth Terrentius, and the body slowly fell to his knees, fading off into spectral matter. Elthas moved over towards Shinsou and knelt down before him. Elthas really regretted the fact that he knew nothing of the healing arts. However, he could keep the young lad on the ground safe, In Elthas' mind; he merely saw the face of Seth Terrentius. Granted, it was a much younger Seth than their initial encounter...simply as Elthas wanted to remember his friend and mentor. Elthas knelt down, and managed to pick up the body of Shinsou, moving him inside of the safety of the house. Elthas looked at Shinsou for a long moment, and then placed him gently on the ground inside of the house. He closed the door and waited for Shinsou to rise from him slumber. He looked around for basic supplies that the fellow would likely need. Strangely enough, many of the town's resources were intact. Elthas found some water for Shinsou, food would have to wait later. In the meantime, Elthas would protect the man who reminded him so much of Seth Terrentius. He would protect him with his very phantom existence until he could no longer do so. Until then; there were questions that needed answers and Elthas would wait to ask them.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

The night was as black as an inkwell. Heavy, cumbersome rain clouds that visited only once a year in north Fallien had rolled over the sands and hung there for longer than expected, even in the winter season. As a result, flash flooding affected the less than perfectly maintained roads in Squall’s Calm with sudden downpours and drowned out what crops could actually grow in barren conditions of the desert town. Indeed, the current weather was hampering everybody’s day to day lives, but the thick mist that had enveloped the town for three years was another thing entirely.

"This rain, it will be the death of us, ya?…" The shaymin Theos Thelwall muttered in a heavy, exadurated Fallien accent, shaking his black dreadlocks as he emerged from the doorway of the church. He grinned. His skin was dark and thickly tanned, but his smile illuminated everything in its wake.

The white haired man next to him, who had stopped under the awning at the front of the ramshackle building on the outskirts of Squall’s Calm, shook his head silently, a single pale hand rested on the hilt of the sheathed no-dachi sword, as always, in habit alone. His black and silver crossbelt flashed for a moment under his black greatcoat, rushed by the constant breeze that swept through the settlement in the dark and cold winter months.

Hugging a huge book to his chest, the young Theos staggered up to the tiny porch of the adjacent mortar, timber and clay building and pushed up against the wall, breathing heavily through the heavy mist that had been smothering Squall’s Calm’s streets for so long.

"We should hurry before the fiends come. It isn’t safe here." The white haired swordsman said with a sense of urgency, turning to the much smaller figure of Theos. The shaymin, peering up through the glassy sheets of rain, frowned.

“Ya, it’s dark, and I feel a swell of fiends will come from the Citadel. The Tetraplane is thick tonight. Right as always, ya.”

"When am I ever wrong?" The white haired man piped up, a sly grin adorning his face, but then the grin faded into a distant look.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed to Theos that his friend had been keeping his cards close to his chest recently. His shadowy movements back and forth to the Citadel gates, spending more and more time away from the town and out in the desert, hunting, was a very sudden behavioural change. Was there something he had missed?

"Ahh, only when ya try to predict the rains, Gideon." Theos tacked on to the swordsman’s statement. “Then again, you yourself are a hard man to read, ya?”

Even though he tried to make light of it, it seemed Theos had been out of touch with Gideon and his ways for a while, now. Although it probably wasn’t as bad as he thought, there was some truth in that.

Theos had long since gotten used to Gideon being there with him, since the day he had found the swordsman half dead at the gate of Squall’s Calm. After he had healed, Theos had heard the swordsman’s tales of the demise of his race, the Khaians, at the hands of the Jal Shey and the time he had spent with his brother Canen Darkflight before they were separated.

Witnessing the constant changes Gideon had gone through, feeling the suppressed hatred flowing through his veins for the Black Fist death squads and realising that some things just could never be the same again since Canen had been lost to him was enough to feel a little pushed out. Theos had also indirectly been a victim of the brutality of the Jal Shey, but had never seen fit to mention it. Even though he had been there for Gideon for many years now, he felt like he could never really be a replacement for Canen, and bringing up his own past wouldn’t serve to heal any wounds or create any new bonds.

He would, however, just try to be a friend to Gideon, which was all he could really do.

"It’s a bitter night tonight Theos" Gideon muttered, avoiding bringing clarity to the subject. “We should go inside. I fear we will catch our death out here, either from the cold or the fiends.”

“Wait a sec, ya? What’s that?”

Something had caught Theos’s attention through the dense fog. It looked like someone picking up a body, and, if his eyes didn't decieve him, taking it into a nearby house.

He had seen this before.

Theos had spent the last years studying the strange fog of Squall's Calm meticulously. The Tetraplane, as it was known, seemed to contain and manifest the spirits of the dead, as well as various other phantasms and revenants that could not exist in the world of the living. The fog itself was a physical extension of the dead world into that of the living world. Through the Tetraplane he had found it possible to commune with those who had died, and in doing so Theos had been given a vision. He had kept it quiet from Gideon up until now, but he couldn't keep it to himself any longer.

He knew its significance.

"Gideon, come with me, ya. I'll explain on the way."

-

The interior of the destitute Fallien home was eerily silent; the only sound being a feint breeze brushing past the cracks in the wood of the window panes. Now out of the cold mist, Shinsou lay motionless on the dusty wooden floor being attended to by the ethereal form of Elthas.

The house around them looked like it had been abandoned for so long. Its once-quaint rooms with their small vaults and low wooden arches now seemed somehow filled with an empty sorrow. Fallien's homes, to an outsider, were never the safest and most welcoming of abodes, such was the Xenophobic nature of their people, but there was a feeling that the fond memories of what would have been a once happy household had been torn apart by something. Never again would the hearty laughter of a rural family fill the living area with cheer and mirth, or the narrative tale-telling from a father capture the imaginations of the children at his feet.

It was a sad reflection of this strange town. And, as they would soon find out, a horribly realistic one.

As he stirred from unconsciousness, the Telgradian realised he had no idea where he was. Looking up at a nearby window, the bright desert sun he had suffered earlier had been replaced with murky, rolling grey fog.

Wherever he was, it wasn't Fallien. Or, at least that's what he thought.

Elthas, with a cup of water in his hand, hurried up to him and knelt. As he took the cup, Shinsou paused, looking up at the man with a quizzical looked etched on his face.

"Who are you, and where are we?" Shinsou enquired suspiciously. Before he even took a drop of water from the cup, he needed to be convinced this wasn't some sort of trap or faux pas.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas saw that his companion stirred, his own memories were still a haze of confusion.

Elthas sat down against the floor of the old building and listened as the man asked a question. He saw flashes in his mind of the time he rescued Seth Terrentius from ruffians. Perhaps it was just his mind messing with him; but he could not help but notice the similarity in circumstance between his present situation and the past one. Once again, an issue of honour had called Elthas into action to prevent another needless tragedy in an already broken world. Time had passed since Elthas was once again upon the mortal coil. In that time, Elthas had acted and already inflicted great change on his environs. His eyes narrowed as he sat down after handing the youthful fellow his drink. It was at that point that Elthas realized he didn't even feel tired at all.

He wondered if that was a side effect of his phantom state.

I will never know...I can only go by the teachings of Seth Terrentius. Elthas thought simply to himself. His eyes had a distant appearance to them, and he adjusted his trademarked fedora hat. It was always worn tilted at a slight angle and cast a shadow before his face. Elthas had long, platinum coloured hair reflected, perhaps an aged individual. However, his facial features were youthful and quite handsome. He appeared in his late thirties despite his current phantom state. Elthas, as a phantom, was in a constant state of movement and flux. Partially, he was see-through to an extent. However, he could still affect many objects in the physical world by sheer force of will alone. Elthas sat down on the ground and looked at the lad before him. The question lingered in the air for a moment or three.

Then Elthas spoke, he spoke with the way that the people from beyond life spoke. It was a deep and echoing sort of voice, but strangely enough, there was no malice in it. Only a distinct sadness and a regret of past mistakes.

Elthas' deep blue eyes told all.

There was a fierce intellect that lurked there, but also a sadness.

Elthas had a hunger for knowledge, that was true especially when he was alive and would be true regardless of his state of death.

As Elthas spoke, the air seemed to vibrate and get considerably colder. "Be not afraid, young one." Elthas began. "In life, I was called Elthas. I wish for you to refer to me as such." Elthas frowned fro a moment as he heard himself talk. Fuck that damned jester has me sounding like a businessman too... Elthas continued to talk. "You were assaulted by this." He held up the dagger the other phantom used to cut Shinsou. It was a blackened blade that radiated a distinct energy. And had mysterious symbols upon it's surface. "I dispatched the fellow who did this to you and brought you here, to safety." Elthas said calmly. "You should rest and recover your strength, as I know not the properties of this weapon or how it affects your kind." Elthas continued. "In the time you were sleeping I treated the wound to the best of my knowledge." Elthas would admit he was no healer, but he had some knowledge of field dressing, basic survival tactics. I hope it will be enough. He thought to himself as he looked at the fellow before him. "In that goblet is some water I found nearby. It should help you get your strength back. I can help you hunt some decent food a bit later on. For now though we should talk..." Elthas said quietly.

He waited for the man's response.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

On reflection, it was fair to say that events hadn’t been particularly kind towards Shinsou lately. The two colliding pasts of Atlas Revaan and Shinsou Vaan Osiris that had fought for domination in his head over past few months had done nothing but cause problems for him. The events surrounding his “rebirth” had led to him committing himself to what would ultimately be a long and painful journey to destroy the evil Jal Shey lord Temperance, and in the process he would undoubtedly put himself in harm’s way innumerable times.

During the previous day’s travel through Fallien, Shinsou had kept his mind firmly on the reason for this one-man crusade. Temperance had to be stopped before he and his army came to Althanas and burned everything on its surface indiscriminately. But now, with this fog-smothered place replacing what was the abandoned township of Squall’s Calm but an hour ago, he wondered if he was even capable of such a task.

After all, if he couldn’t even find a Jal Shey portal in a ramshackle town in Fallien, how was he ever going to defeat Temperance?

Shinsou decided he was going to stop trying to make sense of how he got to wherever he was, because solving that problem was, at that moment, impossible. Now, he would focus on the present, which consisted of a mounting pile of issues including the most important of which being he was either now dead, or in another dimension.

The Telgradian absorbed the words of his apparent rescuer. The eerie house had turned spitefully cold as Elthas spoke, seemingly draining what energy and heat remained in this strange place and leaving nothing but an icy chill in the atmosphere, the hallmark of the manifestation of a ghost. Indeed the very words of the spirit in front of him did little to dissuade Shinsou from thinking that he was currently occupying the underworld, or a version thereof in another dimension.

“Firstly, thank you for your assistance, but why did you rescue me?” Shinsou queried as he quenched his thirst with the glass of water, which might as well have been sweet nectar to him. “…secondly, where are we? I meant to find the Citadel in Squall’s Calm, but now it appears we are no longer in the town, and possibly even Fallien.”

“And thirdly,” Shinsou peered at the phantom dagger that had caused him to pass out in the street, indicated to him by his ghostly carer. “…do you know why was I attacked?”

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas knew from the teachings of Seth Terrentius that his kind oft affected the living in adverse ways.

He had no way of knowing that the room was colder, he always felt alone.

The sense of isolation and purgatory affected the reality around the specter in the form of a persistent cold temperature.

He carefully listened to the words that the boy spoke.

He's rightly nervous. The one that attacked him likely isn't alone and there may be others lurking in hiding all around us. Elthas waited for the boy to finish speaking. There were questions asked, and Elthas only had knowledge of his current circumstance of death. His eyes narrowed as he studied Shinsou. Carefully studying every expression, learning everything that he could from their so far limited transaction. His desire for knowledge and perhaps a hunger for power had remained virtually intact even in his wraith-like state. When the last question was asked, Elthas allowed his own mind to come up with some sort of a suitable answer.

"Why did I rescue you...?" Elthas repeated the man's question for a moment. He already knew the answer, but it would have been difficult to explain just then. So Elthas came up with a shortened version of the answer. "You reminded me of someone I rescued one time...perhaps a little more than that. But that's the main reason. Couldn't just abandon you to let these wretched destroy you in such a way. Plus. I had nothing better to do just then." Elthas said truthfully, he saw a man in trouble and that was that. It was his impulse to help those in need despite his own ever-growing shadow. Elthas fancied himself a good man deep down. As he considered a suitable response for the other sets of question, he considered his own situation very carefully.

He doubted the two of them would get another chance to really get a good handle on whatever it was that was going on around them.

"I don't know the specifics of why you were attacked. Only that my kind...that is...the dead, are oft confused and in a volatile state. Sometimes incidents occur us that would affect us but not the living. You follow so far? It could have been a completely random event and I just happened to have arrived at the same time as you were attacked. Such is the way of things. Someone once told me this reality, at least on my end, is give and take. Maybe he wanted something from you, or saw you as a hostile or something. Different members of my kind will react in often terrifying ways...be mindful of that." Elthas explained very carefully.

When dealing with the dead; there were rules in play.

Rules that oft affected the living even if they were unawares of the rules.

Elthas knew that the dead were oft a spiteful lot, and many harbored ill will towards the living.

Even their former family and loved ones in life would be in tremendous amount of danger in the correct circumstance.

Through it all though, Elthas considered the boy an ally and would protect and guide him from the dangers that were likely waiting to ambush them.

Elthas looked down at the mysterious dagger that the wraith used against the boy. "I'm not entirely certain what is going on here, but I can say I was running from something terrible. I don't know if I escaped them in time, but we'll see as this mystery unfolds itself." He wondered if the mysterious robed figures would continue to come after him. I don't like the idea of placing the boy in anymore danger than likely already exists. He thought to himself. "The blade is marked with mysterious symbols I've never seen before. That might be a clue." He suggested to the boy and considered that it could be a start to getting the jump on a very dangerous enemy that surrounded them.

It was everywhere, and no where at the same time.

Those walls had eyes and ears...

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Shinsou listened intently to what Elthas had to say. He didn’t turn his face towards him, but rather kept his gold eyes firmly locked on to the strange artefact that his assailant had earlier tried to kill him with. Something about the dagger, with its runes, drew his gaze towards it, as if it were calling to the very depths of his scrambled subconscious. The markings seemed strange, but familiar. Eventually, the Telgradian broke from his almost dreamlike state and turned his attention back to Elthas, who was waiting patiently to see what he would say.

“I am grateful for your rescue attempt,” Shinsou started “and it’s obvious from what you’ve said that I am not ‘of your kind’, and therefore not dead. However, this does not explain where we are, or how we got here. You, yourself, seem to have been chased into this strange world.”

Shinsou paused for a moment, straining his expression as he thought.

“Do you taste that?” He began, rubbing his dried lips together and licking them with his tongue. “That strange metallic taste? What is that? Is that from the moisture in the air, from the fog outside? It’s charged with some sort of energy, I’m sure of it.”

Then, for a moment, something began to happen to the room. It started off as a gentle swaying, like the listing of a ship at sea on a choppy sea, before the colours of the oaken floor, of Elthas himself and the greys and whites of the world outside through the window all melted and coagulated into a murky whirlpool.

Suddenly, at the centre of the maelstrom, everything was sucked into a dark void, and Shinsou was left, alone, in silence.

He was in a place where night had swallowed the world in its entirety.

Suddenly, there was a bright, white light, like the beginning of a super-nova. Billions of fragments of silver and white burst and scattered across the darkness, and from the epicentre of the brilliant flash the remnants of a distant memory began to form.

Gaus, Telgradia.

Four years ago.

Unlike the bustling streets of the Telgradian capital, Garah, Gaus was a desolate and devoid place.

It had been pounded until it was nothing more than a ruined town on the fringes of oblivion, with not a single building remaining intact from the relentless assaults by the Jal Shey. The streets, still ablaze and billowing thick, sooty clouds of ash into the already misty morning air, were empty but for a smattering of mixed debris scattered in all directions. A church, its spire crumpled like parchment in a naked flame, had collapsed inwards as if it had given up the will to live.

Everything seemed sullen, smothered by a feeling of despair and hopelessness.

The blazing red flags of the Telgradian Army had once filled their followers with an almost palpable feeling of pride, of hope. Now, their banners torn and bloodstained, their rank and file soldiers battered and wounded, staggering along like injured cattle in double file, the very flag itself became a burden on its bearers. They silently, and secretly, wished they could leave it at the nearest pile of smouldering ash to prevent themselves being spotted by their foe, having to once again endure another volley of their terrible magic.

The Jal Shey had flooded the end of the city limits, forming a stiff and rigid perimeter. Squads of their soldiers flowed around burning trees and farms, coming ever forward towards the stream encircling Gaus’s ruins and the Telgradian’s battered and demoralised soldiers. They darkened the plain, filling it with a tide of black uniforms flecked with steel.

The Telgradian commander, a young, energetic man going by the name of Atlas Revaan, scrambled up the broken city wall with his bloodied hands and stood beside two officers of his division as they looked over the plains. The first of thousands of fires sparkled in the Jal Shey lines. Atlas shook his head, shading his eyes.

"I wonder how many more armies like that we'll have to meet before it's done..."

The two officers said nothing. They had been with Atlas the year before when he, working alongside a ragtag band of skirmishers requisitioned from a local militia, defeated the Jal Shey seperatists at Yasri and Ainitria. Yet, this army was ten times bigger than the force at Yasri. It was three times larger than the Jal Shey army at Ainitria, and twice the size of the force they had thrown out of northern Telgradia in the spring.

As they gazed into the fringes of the enemy front line the volume and density of the campfires increased by the second, as if a firefly's nest had been rudely disturbed.

It was frightening to behold.

"Those fires belong to the Black Fist squadrons." Atlas pointed out to his silent officers. "There are about five men for every light in that line." He paused, thinking for a moment before coming to his grim conclusion. ”The size of their force is simply staggering. Help is simply not going to come from the south in time, and we have to do something to prevent them from adding more to their numbers."

Atlas’s boots crunched on the broken plaster of the wall as his officers stood in silence, lost for words and for ideas. The quiet murmuring of his regiment below was the only sound creeping out from Gaus’s broken shell. They prayed for anything. A miracle would have done nicely, but here in this damned place, a miracle was going to be exactly that.

It was then Atlas remembered what was in his pouch, and he reached in for it. It was a Jal Shey ceremonial dagger, a “Keywan”, about seven inches in length and carved from scorched ivory. There was no leather or hide about the handle, just a smooth, polished blade that had been sharpened and inscribed with green runes at one end and a crude grip on the other.

“Do you know what this is?” He asked of his officers, who each responded in the negative. “This is a Keywan dagger. They aren’t weapons. They’re keys…specifically to the Jal Shey portals. They are only held by high ranking officers responsible for logistics and movement of troops…”

Atlas remembered that the poor bastard who he had taken the key from had fought hard for it, fracturing his wrist in the process. He had made a blurry nightmare sprint through the pencil branches of the fir trees and across the plains outside Gaus, where he had been skirmishing alone, towards the location he had been given by his one of his officers. The smooth and polished blade of his sword ‘Enpera’ gleamed in the beautiful silver glow of the moon overhead.

His mind had raced. He tried to calculate the possibilities of how one of the Jal Shey’s officers could have strayed so far into outlandish territories from their portals. It could not have been an easy feat, and certainly was no accident, of that he was sure. But whatever the reason or however the method, it was irrelevant for now. Atlas needed to find him.

He remembered the tree line beginning to recede quickly, and before long the firs reclined and broke into a smooth, leaf blanketed clearing filled with what appeared to be a limestone pedestal jutting from the middle. The Telgradian had slowed to a light jog and dug his heels into the floor, finding shelter behind a cluster of thick trunks. The branches were just high enough so he could see clearly into the centre of the clearing.

Atlas whispered to himself in prayer, kissing the hilt of Enpera for faith. As the cold steel pressed against his lips, his golden eyes caught a flash of a dark shape lumbering through the clearing, a dark blot pressed against the blinding white of the terrain.

The steel of Enpera had scarcely rolled off the curves of Atlas's lips before he leapt forward, swinging under his right arm and looping it into a one handed grip. His legs hammered the floor, kicking up clusters of leaves and followed his body through to the attack as he rushed the Jal Shey officer from the left side, his eyes wincing as the cold air stung his face.

The officer reacted straight away, and despite his heavy armour turned and swung for the black clad Telgradian with the butt of his scythe. The edge of the handle cracked against Atlas’s left wrist, extracting a painful groan from the man as he crashed to the floor in agony. It was then his sword loosened from his grip. The resulting pain was like a thunderbolt tearing through his flesh, searing his hand and scolding the bones.

Atlas gasped for air as his throbbing hand reached out for the hilt of Enpera in desperation, only for it to be kicked away from him by the snarling, armour clad Jal Shey. As the officer came in close for the kill, the Telgradian had pulled a knife with his right hand, rotated it horizontally and slotted it neatly between a gap in the armour overlay, ending the Jal Shey office once and for all.

It was a difficult fight, but it had been worth it.

”We have to destroy that portal, behind the main line.” Atlas pointed a finger towards the tree-line over the wall, and then moved it east of that position to a glowing orb in a clearing. “I’m going to go alone…”

Present day

Then, without warning, the memory shattered into a million tiny fragments of sparkling dust, and the room, with Elthas and the fog, sucked itself back into existence.

Shinsou, at first, looked disorientated. Then, as he regained his composure, he stabbed a finger towards the dagger, whose runes started to glow a luminescent green hue.

“I know these markings!” Shinsou exclaimed. “These are the runes of a Keywan, a Jal Shey portal key. I don’t have time to explain, though. You see the way those markings have started to glow?” He ran his finger along the black ivory of the blade as if to emphasise the point.

Elthas looked momentarily confused, as Shinsou delayed his answer, but then started to understand as a frown slowly crept across the Telgradian’s face.

“…The Jal Shey are near, and judging by the intensity of the glow, there are many of them. We must get out of here, right now. I’ll explain more later.”

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The air around Elthas was always cold.

The phantom stood up casually, and it appeared as though he simply rose to his current position. Elthas studied his companion for a long moment as the command was issued. In his mind, he mostly saw the face of Seth Terrentius, but he knew that Shin was not Seth. The dead longed for and envied the living. Once he stood up, he carefully considered the situation at hand. If it is some sort of a beacon, it will lead them right to us! Elthas waited followed his friend's lead.

Adjusting his fedora hat very carefully, the phantom considered what could possibly be going on.

Shin mentioned the Jal Shey. That was something that deeply interested Elthas. He had no idea who or what they were, only that they were likely powerful enemies. Elthas had many questions for Shin, but he would keep them for now. He didn't want to worry Shin anymore than he already was. If they can locate our position with that thing...

Elthas spoke. "I suggest we get rid of that thing then. Key Portal or not, the device is dangerous." Elthas said carefully. "But you are correct that we should get the fuck out of here." His senses then caught it.

Elthas had always prided himself on the senses of his people.

He heard something outside with his sharp ears that most would have missed. A ripple, a sense of energy and then a sense of being. Something is out there... Elthas frowned. "We probably should find another way out...that front door is likely a suicide mission. I suggest we head out the back or another exit..." Elthas also noticed that the symbols on the dagger's blade were glowing mysteriously. The light made Elthas feel distant and very afraid for a brief moment.

His sudden strong emotions triggered an effect in the air.

"They are in there!" Someone from outside yelled.

Elthas cursed several times as they had probably just run out of time. He looked at his friend and nodded to him. "Can you fight?" Elthas asked. "We might have to in a moment or two if it's who I think it is." Elthas stole a glance out of where a window once sat. Just as he'd suspected, there were two robed figures outside emanating a powerful energy. They were speaking to several individuals that Elthas had never seen before. Don't like these odds... Elthas knew he would have to stop running sooner or later anyway. The robed figures would chase him to the end of days anyway.

Elthas looked at his friend. "Don't be scared I am by your side and I will never leave you."

On the battlefield, friendships and bonds were often forged through the trials that were faced therein.

Elthas had a feeling his relationship with Shin was becoming much stronger, and would likely define his new purpose in life.

He adjusted his standing position until the tension was mostly gone in his "body".

The phantom then decided he would confront his pursuers. "Shouldn't keep them waiting much longer." Elthas said in a half-growl.

He moved towards the door and prepared to open it.

"We have the place surrounded!" One of the figures yelled. "Do not resist and surrender yourself to our custody!"

Elthas knew that there was no way that the robed figures coming for him would know of Shin. He looked at his friend one more time, memorizing the boy's face. He then smiled calmly. It was a sincere expression. "Shin. Remember me...to the last." Elthas knew he was likely going to be defeated by the robed figures, so he prepared to start the suicide run and buy his friend time. He tipped his hat towards Shin and stepped outside, the door moved open after Elthas opened it.

***

Stepping outside, the harsh afternoon sun created a glare that affected his sensitive eyes.

There was a breeze that carried dirt with it from West. Elthas' eyes were narrowed into a serious expression as he looked at the three robed figures. Only three...I saw more the last time. And there were other figures dressed in a fashion that was likely native to the local region. Elthas could tell the newer figures were alive. They radiated warmth. He stepped towards the group of warriors, almost floating across the sand. Elthas wasn't even afraid. If this is my fate so be it. Elthas Belthasar looked at the robed figures without fear, and with a serious expression.

"All this for just me...I'm flattered." Elthas found himself saying.

The folks standing near to the robed figures had their weapons at the ready but did not approach Elthas.

One of the robed figures stepped forward and looked at Elthas.

The hoods they wore completely covered their faces.

"Elthas. Do you know why we are after you?" The robed figure suddenly asked.

"Not entirely certain, but I can guess at the why of it." Elthas was almost certain that Yosef Terrentius had something to do with the robed figures that were chasing him.

"You're not terribly far off from the truth." The robed figure said. "Peering into your mind, we can see the doubt etched in on, the taint of purpose and insanity." The robed figure continued. "You are only seeing the half truth. But the one on your mind did have something to do with this situation you are now in." The fellow explained. Nobody else spoke, they merely observed Elthas. There were a dozen or so armed warriors on top of the three robed figures. "When he was slain, it sent a ripple across The Tree of Fate." The robed figure said. "You hold the hand that slew Yosef Terrentius. You also hold the weapon in your possession. But that is only part of the reason you were chased."

"Go on." Elthas had to know the truth of it all.

"The clown said you took something else did you not?" The robed figure asked.

Elthas frowned. "I only took the item that was requested...my target was Yosef." Elthas responded.

"Choose your answers very carefully, son of Belthasar." The robed figure continued. "Our kind have sometimes subtle effects on the living world. Now I ask you again. Did you take something else from the battle with Yosef Terrentius?"

Flashes in Elthas' mind. He suddenly found himself thinking back to his battle with Yosef. There were quick images of the last few moments of the battle. Suddenly, his mind's eye cleared. He saw the phantom of Yosef Terrentius in his head.

"You." Elthas said in his mind. "How are you here?"

Yosef walked towards Elthas. "Not quite sure how it happened either. But when you killed me...I somehow became a part of you. You took my soul into yourself and I was not able to face judgment. That's probably why they are after you now. Do you know even who they are?"

"Doesn't really matter to me. But I hope you don't plan on staying in my mind too long." Elthas frowned, he didn't like the idea of having an enemy in his head.

Yosef continued. "They are Archon Judges." Yosef explained. "They oversee those of us before we go to the final places of judgment, sometimes they act as carriers of the dead. Other times...they act as a policing force." Yosef said. "You must have done a lot of shit to piss them off like this."

"How do you know all this?" Elthas asked.

Yosef tapped the side of his head. "Know your enemy, Elthas." He continued to speak. "Even in this sorry state we're both in...you will always be my enemy. And when I have the power to...I will destroy you in this existence as well."

Reality returned to normal.

Elthas looked at the robed figures. "You are after what I supposedly stole?" Elthas asked. "I know who you all are now. Archons." Elthas explained.

There was a momentary pause. "Seth Terrentius has taught you well." The Archon said. "The item in your possession belongs to us."

"First. You will tell me what is this item that you think I have!?" Elthas asked.

"We are after the soul of Yosef Terrentius. Myself and my associates believe that you have somehow absorbed it into yourself...you took something that was not yours to take." The Archon moved a bit closer.

At that point, Elthas drew one of his daggers. It reflected the sunlight despite it's current spectral state. The Archon swiftly moved towards Elthas and now stood directly in front of him. "Now I wonder. Will you give up that item or not?" The Archon asked.

Elthas looked up towards the Archon and in his elevated state, could detect something flowing from the Archon.

Fear...they are afraid of me... Elthas thought to himself. "You have no power over me." Elthas said suddenly. "And I can taste the fear you feel right now. The item you seek belongs to me." Elthas said. "I shall never give it up! To you or anyone!" Elthas yelled.

[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. "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.

[b]"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