The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 12b

After six or seven similar gauntlets, the pair found only a single Vampire guarding the hallway. The monster might be a mighty one, but it fell under barrage of Anna's banish evil spells. Once the area was clear, Anna found a small alcove under a large emerald pillar where they could stop and catch some breath while remained quite hidden. Mercifully, the invisibility spell ceased working here, and the two warriors materialized before each other. Anna was glad to see that Atrus appeared unscathed after their gauntlet run, although the venom was still taxing to his stamina.

Immediately, and expectedly, Atrus collapsed to his knees and burst to tears.

This time Anna had nothing to say, for she was not without grief. The loss of her friends had been too much even for her to bear. She had been adventuring almost as long as Atrus, and she had lost many allies during her travel, but she could find no better friends than the one she had been traveling with for the last few years. And nearly all of them had perished within a single day.

And knowing Atrus, she knew that his burden was far greater still. He was aware of his destiny. He too was aware that their friends had died for him. She knew he was giving too much guilt upon himself. Also, knowing Atrus, she could do nothing to counter it. This time, silence was all he needed.

"Why...?" he said after a long period of silence.

Anna began, "Atrus--"

"Don't give me all those lies!" he quickly snapped. "Just save that preach for yourself! Don't tell me to keep fighting in their memory! I'm sick of fighting! I'm sick of it all!"

Anna was silent. She could brush her pained feeling aside. Atrus needed her, and she would not let her anger get a hold of her.

"What stupidity is all this?!" Atrus cried, not caring anymore if there were enemies abound. "One by one they left our group, did their own sightseeing and got squashed like a bug! One by one they fell onto the enemies' traps! One by one they were snuffed in vain! Just when I need us all together, they abandoned me to embrace death! What treachery is this?!"

Anna felt warmth creeping into her heart as Atrus bared his soul to her. She cast a minor spell and a large bubble materialized, covering both of them in its protective sheath. Then she sat before Atrus, took his hand, and caressed it softly.

"Honey," Anna called lovingly, "Do you have a minute? I may have an answer to the question you have."

Atrus was quite taken back by her sudden change of attitude and thought he might have somehow hurt his feeling. Her eyes, however, didn't reveal any pain or hate. He looked back at her with interest. "Go on."

Anna summoned a floating sphere of dim light, not too bright to be uncomfortable, but enough for them to see each other's face. This confused Atrus even more. The environment inside the bubble was cozy, and he shared the tight space alone with Anna, so close together. Her lighthearted mood somehow eased his troubled mind a bit as curiosity slowly took over him.

"Remember a few years ago when we wee in that old town, Tiras?" she began.

"Anna, this is not the time..."

"Please stay with me, honey," Anna said. "Please?"

Atrus shrugged and relented. "Yeah, I remember Tiras. Fancy little town."

"We were rich back then, with plunders from the bandit camp. Rich beyond compare, I'd say, since I never saw so much gold before in my life. We made a vow to sanctify the gold by doing a righteous deed with it. After saying that, you marched right into a brothel. I was confused beyond reason back then, thinking that you were indulging yourself inside there while I was left standing outside! I was ready to storm in and drag you out of there when you came out with a little slave, Maya, in tow. My anger melted when you decided to set her free from her bondage. Had I succumbed to my anger, Maya wouldn't have been the Princess of Aragon, perhaps a thief or a fugitive from her captors.

"Then we remember Gideon, the doomed city." Anna could see the grief in Atrus' eyes. "In confusion you defeated the demons, but you nearly killed me, thanks to my stupid rants. Burdened with guilt you left Maya and me, in search for the identity of your power. Then I declared that we would stop our search for the Champion of the Guardian and look for you instead, for I felt I had a price to pay."

"Never would you realize that you are searching for the same person," Atrus said.

Anna allowed herself to smile warmly before continuing, "Do you remember the Pyramid of Salthi?" Atrus' mood darkened immediately. "I know it's a painful memory to awaken. We were fighting a Lich to save Maya's life. To salvage our mission in stopping the undead from destroying Aragon, I surrendered myself to the Lich, to your dismay. Immediately after that, while everyone was preparing for war, you traveled to the Temple of the Magi to plea for their help. Knowing that there was a chance to save me, you journeyed into the Void blindly, determined to set me free and trap yourself in there, all those without telling me a thing. I was so mad at you when Calem told me everything, but then we revealed our feeling to each other, and the anger, again, subsided.

"An then during the battle against the undead, I had to unleash a destructive spell to undo the plague. I can still recall the intense heat and blinding pain of the spell swirling around me. I thought I wouldn't be able to hold on as my consciousness was failing. Then I felt you standing behind me, embracing me and supporting my body. I protested and protested, telling you to lie down, but you didn't hear me. You held on, enduring the heat and pain while keeping me standing. After all was over, you just collapsed; burn wounds were all over your body. Again I screamed for your name... but you never answered..."

Atrus remained quiet as Anna told the stories of the past. She slowly wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Atrus lovingly.

"Among all of us, you should understand this more, Atrus White Lion, for among your actions lay countless scores of stupidity. Yet now we all know what would have happened if you didn't do all those. You wouldn't have found your fate, the alliance wouldn't be so complete, and the undead would have overrun Aragon. And more importantly," Anna pressed Atrus' hand against her cheek, "I wouldn't be here fighting by your side."

"I've done stupid things myself, huh?" Atrus mused loudly.

Anna smiled warmly. "I think not. Stupid actions have no reason. I know you have reasons for all of your actions. They are even noble ones, I believe. I'm sure our friends, Aurelia, Holgreb, Lynn, and Calem have their own reasons. The difference between honorable actions and stupidity may be obscure, yet once you realize it, what a significant difference it is."

"Then how do I know that their actions are honorable or stupid?" Atrus asked.

"The answer, Lord Atrus," Anna replied, "depends on you. You are the Champion of the Guardian. You alone decide whether their struggle is a fruitful one, or just another wasted effort."

Atrus felt disturbed. He felt Anna's words challenging his conscience. But it was not a challenge of guilt. It was beckoning him to stand up and carry on. His eyes lit up with vigor as he answered Anna's warm smile with his own.

"Thanks, honey. I can't imagine what I can do without you."

Anna grinned. "I can. You'll be a pathetic Ranger replanting the entire Labrador forest."

That brought a light laugh to Atrus. Strangely, even the pain in his chest seemed to subside slowly. For a moment they remained silent, enjoying each other's company. Atrus felt the warmth in his heart in every moment he spent with Anna.

"Come, my love," Anna said finally. "We still have a mission to fulfill. And welcome back. We miss you terribly."

Atrus reached out and kissed her forehead lightly. "Thanks. Our friends have paved the way. Let us grant honor to their actions."

The pair departed for the next door, leading to the waiting gauntlets. Lacking of invisibility spell, they had to fight their way through. But this time Atrus could match Anna's vigor as they waded through the enemy ranks. For the moment, nothing could stand before them

For the moment.

Roberto now understood why he hated large-scale battle. He didn't know what was going on.

Compared to this, the battle against the undead back at Castle Stoke was a puny skirmish. He had complete command there, knew where his commanders were and knew where the enemies were. Now, his enemies were everywhere, and his commanders were all over the place. Hawk was be going on his own crusade, leaving Commander White Lion, the leader of the Human Rangers, to take over the lead. He was glad that the old general was still emitting aura of respect as he boldly led and oversaw the battle.

"The Dwarven Berserkers detachment were having problem at the northern pass!" Maya reported. "The Orcs axethrowers were raining them with projectiles, slowing them down. They need cavalry support!"

Roberto was glad Maya was still by her side. She was his second pair of eyes, watching where he could not. His mind quickly went to work.

He was about to send the fourth knight division to assist when a dozen Dragonriders swept over and charged the enemy ranks. The mighty dragons easily slapped any axes thrown at them and retaliated with energy barrage of their own while their riders rained them with arrows.

The axethrowers began to scatter, a bad mistake. The enemy's fear was the main component that fueled the Berserkers' fury. The Dwarven warriors, seeing the enemy scattering, went into battle frenzy, chased the fleeing monsters and pounded every single one of them into oblivion.

It was not a pretty sight. But Roberto was glad they were on his side.

He was about to fill up the hole the Dragonriders created in their ranks when the far east dimension door suddenly flickered, flaring madly, and collapsed in a bright blast. Left behind after the blast was empty air. No more dimension door and no more critters coming out, only a detachment of knights led by Hawk cheering their victorious cry.

Roberto smiled. The experiment worked. The wizards, assisted by a Priestess of Lycra, had succeeded in closing the gate to the Underworld. The east flank was secured.

Then, almost simultaneously, two more dimension doors sprang open before them, and another one appeared behind them.

For a moment he let dismay to overwhelm him, but Maya was already busy issuing commands for the troops to regroup and relocate their defense points. Again, he was glad that she was with him. The girl he so loved would fight with him to the bitter end, and beyond.

And, along with her, Roberto vowed, he would do he same.

As the pair ascended through the Emerald Tower, the enemies guarding the hallways were getting more numerous and powerful. Sometimes they just had to run toward the next door, evading the guards, only to find stronger guards waiting for them in the next room. Anna's banish evil spell still ruled supreme, and Atrus' Sword of Faith, although dormant, was still a magic sword imbued with divine power, and therefore could slice through the undead ranks with minimal difficulty.

They had lost count of the number of floors they had passed. The fight seemed endless, and the pair began to feel tired. Finally, appearing in the next room, they couldn't help but collapse from exhaustion.

Luckily, no monster met them.

"For a change..." Anna muttered.

The room was different than the rest of the Tower they had visited. The ceiling was higher, and the emerald pillars were grander, more majestic. The usual wall-mounted torches were replaced with magic-powered lights floating around the room, bathing it with soft glow of sapphire blue. For a moment Atrus and Anna enjoyed the comfortable look of the room. It was definitely a welcome change from the view of the wasteland or the repetitive gauntlets filled with undead monsters.

The air, however, was hot and thick, to the point where it felt uncomfortable. The pair quickly discarded their ruined coats, already full of holes, tears, and scratch marks. Anna suddenly stayed rigid when she spotted Atrus' alert expression. She could hear a soft humming in the air, but no more. Atrus, with his acute Ranger sense, could recognize a type of bird just by listening to its chirp a few miles away.

Atrus silently pointed at the only door in the room. The double door, compared to the dimension doors they had been using, was quite majestic, made out of strong wood carved with runes of unknown origin. Atrus slowly approached the huge door and listened carefully. He could hear some voice from behind the door, something like a whimper and a muffled cry. He drew his sword and nodded to Anna, preparing for a dash to the room.

"Please, come in already," a voice boomed in the hallway, leaving the pair dead on their track. "Yes, do come in! And leave the door in one piece, if you may. I'd rather keep it so."

Atrus received the same confused look from Anna and shrugged. They had been discovered, so there was no point on sneaking in. Still alert, he pushed the door, which gave away easily. He took a deep breath and entered the room, with Anna towing behind.

The room was big. No, it was massive. The ceiling was even higher than the hallway, with emerald pillars supporting on all side. The room was almost circular in design, with a pillar each supporting its many corners. Magical lights bathed the room in warm blue glow. The center of the room was an elevated circular podium with marble stairs surrounding it. The floor was covered with marble; its pearly white reflected the magical light well, making the room quite bright, but not uncomfortably bright.

Anna's gasp returned Atrus' attention to the center of the podium. Two metal crosses stood erect near the center of the room, facing each other. Strapped on one of them was a young woman Atrus recognized as Priestess Ursula, Anna's childhood rival and the traitor to the Order of Lycra. The former priestess was strapped naked on the cross, with her old priestess band on her neck serving more as a mockery than a badge of honor. She noted his arrival and threw her head away in shame.

The other woman, however, was beautiful beyond compare. Atrus had never seen such beauty in the entire realm, and Anna's stare showed that she was, too, in awe. The older woman's golden hair was a bit rustled and hung low down to her chest. Her expression was tired and in pain, perhaps due to dozens of whip marks across her body. Despite all her welts, she remained vibrant and vigilant. She noticed Atrus' appearance with excitement and relief. The pair instantly knew who this woman might be.

She was Gaea, the guardian goddess of the realm.

Behind both of them was a large frame made out of strange bluish metal. The frame was oval in shape, and stood so tall the top almost hit the ceiling. The surface of the metal was smooth, yet lined with beautiful sculptures of symbols almost identical with the ones found on the big door. The device was brimming with energy, as flashes of sparks occasionally traveled along the sculptures at seemingly random period. In the middle of the frame, however, was a large ugly swirling hole. Except to the occasional bolts of lightning shooting out of the center, the hole was pitch black, somehow reminding anyone of what could be found beyond it.

The Underworld.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" a voice called out. "Such a priceless work of art."

Atrus stared coldly at Daemon, who was standing beside the portal. Atrus had seen Daemon only once during the trouble in the Temple of Lycra, but one encounter was enough to mark the face of his hated enemy. The Lord of Darkness was wearing a set of black plate armor, which was quite featureless except for dozens of sharp spikes protruding from almost all joints in the armor, creating a fearsome and dangerous look. He held a long sword in his right hand, almost as long as Roberto's Kaiser Sword, but this one was colored black, reminding Atrus of Falstoff's sword. The shape was also unusual, with ridges along both edges in a very asymmetrical fashion, perhaps designed more to inflict extreme pain than show off.

"Welcome to my abode, Champion of the Guardian. You, too, my dear Adriana," Falstoff addressed both of them with his best mocking fashion. "I do hope you enjoy our accommodation."

"Oh, by all means, yes!" Anna replied sarcastically. "We're even surprised you had time to clean up the place before our arrival."

"Yeah, it's pretty cozy," Atrus added. "For a hellhole."

"Don't you remember this place, Atrus?" Daemon swept his hand across the room. "Don't you have even a glimpse of memory of this place?"

"No," Atrus replied.

"Why, Atrus, this very room is your birthplace." Daemon smiled and gestured at Gaea's crucified form. "This is your mother. And I am your half-father."

"You are never my father!" Atrus shot back.

"Have you not met your half-brother?" Daemon sneered. "Did you not strike him down with that sword of yours? I am Falstoff's father, therefore I am your father as well."

"No! You forced my mother!"

"That I did indeed," Daemon nodded. "Yet the fact stands. You've killed your own brother before. You should have what it takes to kill your father, no?"

"You give me no life!" Atrus was clearly angered. "I will have no regret in taking yours!"

"Oh, what have you become, my son?" Daemon turned to Gaea. "What has become of your son, my dear Gaea? Has he really become an avenger? A berserker? A fool?"

Gaea started to protest, but her voice was muffled by the magical gag Daemon had put on her. This fact only made Atrus angrier than ever.

"What are you doing to her?! Let her go!"

Daemon chuckled. "What? She's my wife, I can do anything to her!" He smirked evilly, "You want to hear what I would do to you, my son?"

Atrus lifted his sword before him. "I said I am never your son!!"

With that, Atrus dashed toward the podium, sword ready to strike. Anna decided to take cover as the moment both swords met, serious sparks would be flying and anyone nearby would be in serious danger.

However, that moment never came.

Atrus' sword never touched Daemon's. In fact, Atrus was nowhere near the demon lord. He was suspended near the top of the podium, cringing as if trying to fight a strong magical force that was holding him still.

"Come on and fight me like a man!" Atrus cried in frustration.

"Like a man?" Daemon lifted an eyebrow. "But you're not fighting like a man yourself! You can't even touch me, my son."

"Just let go of your stinking magic and get on with this!"

"A tiger has its claws and a serpent its venom," Daemon chattered as he waved his hand. Instantly Atrus was thrown all the way back to the wall. "You fight with your sword and I with my magic."

Anna was about to come to Atrus' aid when three vampires materialized before her. The monsters grinned evilly, showing fine lines of jagged teeth. She had no doubt the teeth had an unnerving knack of getting into her neck. Each vampire carried a small crystal dagger with strange runes etched on it. From the look of it, each of those daggers had to be heavily enchanted.

However, Anna's sacred weapon the Sun Mace flared with hunger of evil blood. Anna furiously parried every blow the vampires made, and for every blow she deflected the Sun Mace flashed wildly, leeching dark aura from the monsters and blinding them, slowly weakening them. Slowly Anna gained upper hand and went offensive, striking at every opening she could find. A vampire made a terrible mistake of lunging toward her with his dagger. Anna easily dodged the attack, pivoted her stance on one foot and slammed the evil creature squarely on his back. The Sun Mace penetrated his back and exploded in bright flame, incinerating the vampire to cinders and leaving his still beating heart on the floor. Quickly she picked up his crystal dagger and pierced the black heart, finishing the blow and forever banishing the creature to oblivion.