The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 09

Atrus saw a flash of bright flare before him. He knew his eyes were shut. He went panic when he realized that he could no longer open his eyes. His panic peaked when he realized that he no longer had any control over his body. His body had gone numb. Yet his mind soared in space like a firefly.

Then he felt nothing.

Roberto never ceased brushing her hair, trying his best to comfort her. Maya's rigid body lay unmoved before him; her head rested on his hip. Her eyes remained open wide with fear. Roberto had positioned her head so that his face always occupied her vision. He had hoped she would then felt a lot better, although he had no way of knowing this.

"Don't worry, Maya..." Roberto soothed her. "You'll be just fine. I will protect you no matter what. Your master will soon come with the antidote and you will return to normal..."

He watched her face in anticipation for responses but found none. Her skin had turned cold and rigid as stone. She was indeed slowly turning to a statue, yet the spell kept her soul alive until the last moment. He couldn't imagine someone could invent such horrible spell.

He moved his head so that his eyes were staring right into hers. Then he noticed it. Her lips ceased trembling. He had finally made contact with her. Slowly he rubbed her hard cheek and smiled. He couldn't hold the tears from falling.

"I know you're listening, Maya... I know you're still there..."

There was no answer but the eerie sound of the sandstorm outside the walls. The tunnel was very silent. Yet his world was also silent. Since he established eye contact with her, he knew that there was no one else but both of them, and he knew he wouldn't let her go.

"I don't know if you're listening, Maya... But I want you to know... You're the first one who understood me... Without you, I won't be like this... I won't see Atrus as he is... I... I..."

He hesitated to say it, yet the feeling was torturing him. He had to say it, or he would burst.

"Maya... I... I just want you to know... I... I admire you... I'm really thankful that I know you... But this is not a farewell or some sort..."

I have to say it... I have to say it...

And in an uncontrollable yet clear voice full of passion and despair, the balance of the cosmos shifted as the words came out.

"Maya... I love you... And I won't let you go..."

The busy town of Salthi stood in the middle of the vast green pasture, its majestic town center towering the surrounding landscape. The streets were full with crowds doing their business and gathering near marketplaces. Multiple farms and ranches surrounded the town, adding more beauty to the landscape. A small river flowed through the city, flanked by many reservoirs in each side. An extensive network of aqueducts covered the city, providing the people with fresh water all over the year.

Atrus stood on a small hill outside the city, marveled by the view before him. He'd never thought that the ruins he'd seen had actually once been a great city on a green pasture. He'd never thought that such glamour would vanish, replaced by wrecked ruins surrounded by desert parched by the sun.

Then he suddenly saw a long cloud of dust on the horizon. Then a large number of crowds appeared beyond the rising dust, creeping slowly toward the city. A loud cry confirmed his fear.

"THEY'RE COMING!!!" It's an invasion!

Atrus reflexively reached for his sword, but it wasn't there. He realized that he was not being himself. He was in another world. He was another person. He was having a nightmare from the past.

The people all over the city were scrambling for protection, something they couldn't afford. The city was totally defenseless. From a distance, smoke began to rise from the outer farms unlucky enough to be on the raiders' path. Behind them three tall towers strode across the land, heading toward the city. Siege engines! Atrus had never heard such advanced technology being used by barbaric tribes. Although the siege engines couldn't do anything due to the city's lack of town walls, they had won the psychological war. The citizens were definitely running for their lives.

Then the anomaly began. A large, dark cloud appeared from nowhere and covered the city centered at the town center. The cloud was so menacing that the huge band of raiders ceased their advance. Lightning crackled across the dark sky, adding more terror to the civilians. Then another dark cloud rose, apparently from the east part of the town. Then with a loud roar, the cloud soared through space and toward the raiding parties.

Numerous blasts and explosions appeared inside the invaders' ranks, scattering the raiders. The dark cloud flew through the land, sending massive destruction on the invading armies. One of the siege engines suddenly exploded in flame, sending tiny debris that could even reach where Atrus was standing. It was apparent that the raiding parties began to retreat, but the dark cloud showed no mercy. Multiple lightning bolts blasted the ground, killing more raiders. A small yet powerful whirlwind appeared from behind, scattering the raiders and tumbling another siege engine down on the ground with a crash.

For some people, the scent of victory might be sweet. Yet for Atrus, the view before him was horrible. He did not approve raiding innocent people, but he couldn't approve the method used before him. He could never approve such hideous magic. He stared helplessly as the raiders were utterly destroyed.

Then his attention was brought back when he saw that the cloud had turned its attention and moved toward him. He knew he was defenseless. He tried to move but his feet were frozen in place by his fear. The view of mass destruction had paralyzed him. He just watched in terror as the cloud swept past him. A terrible pain washed over her body. He raised his hands and screamed in terror and pain as he saw his hand melting. The heat was immerse and agonizing. His vision went white as the air around him exploded, shredding his body into pieces.

He screamed...

Just to find Anna holding his body tight.

They were back at the ruins of Salthi. The blue magic barrier still covered them both. There was no one around but Anna. She appeared into view with a small cloth and began wiping the sweat off his face. He realized that he was drenched with sweat. Yet he was pleased to find that his body was intact.

Anna placed her finger on his lips before he began to speak. "I know..." She said. "You don't have to tell me. I was there too, so I know what happened."

"You were there?"

"Yes... I... I was in one of those tall towers... I remember how the tower exploded in balls of fire. I remember how the fire consumed the other people's body... including mine..."

She tried to be brave, yet her body was shaking from the experience. Atrus held her close, his mind working hard. Yet there were things he couldn't understand.

"The spirits did that, right?" He asked.

Anna nodded slowly.

"But why? Why did they show us that?"

"I knew this is the reason..." Anna said slowly. "I knew it from the start..."

"What do you mean?"

Anna stared at him, grief hinted in her eyes. "The spirits had shown us the terrible mistake they had done... They had made an agreement with the demons to protect their city and its citizens... They had erected a Gate and invoked its power when the raiders came to loot their city... Then the demon turned against them and attacked them... The eternal alliance had been made, and they couldn't break the seal..."

"I can't believe it..." Aurelia gasped.

"Neither can I..." Hawk muttered. "I never thought I will ever meet that thing ever again..."

"I know... but..." Holgreb paused to think. "By the way... what the hell is that?!"

They were crouching behind a large boulder at one corner of a large room. The room seemed to be the junction of all tunnels in the underground sewer network. It could contain enough water to please an entire city if it's only clean enough. Instead, the room smelt like rotten flesh. And in the center of the room a large black circular swirling hole hovered on the ground. The hole produced eerie hiss, the sound they had been hearing since they entered the tunnel.

"It's the Gate." Aurelia whispered. "It's the passage from the demon world to our realm. It is also apparently the main source of our trouble."

"Can it be that the demons are the one that actually destroyed the city of Salthi?" Hawk asked.

"Good point, but I don't know." Aurelia answered. "We have to get out of here quickly."

"What? Can't we close it?!" Holgreb protested.

"No. Once the Gate is opened, it can only be closed from the other side." The Elf explained. "You want to volunteer to go to the other side?"

"NO!!"

"Good. Now let's go! We have to warn Atrus about..."

The word was interrupted when a sharp hissing sound was heard from behind. The Dwarf turned around first and was hardly fast enough to deflect the vicious claw attack with his axe. Hawk retaliated but the creature withdrew as soon as his attack failed. But standing behind it were another dozen beasts, all wielding malicious claws on their fingers.

"Damn... this is bad..." Aurelia cursed.

And it was getting worse. Behind them, the Gate produced another loud, piercing sound. The swirling cloud within rotated faster and faster. And to their horror, beasts popped out of the hole one by one.

"The Gate is opened..." Hawk muttered.

And they were trapped...

Atrus stood before the massive building. The town center stood before him, completely dwarfing the rest of the buildings around it. The giant stone pillars held the front part of the structure. The design was magnificent, showing how high the architectural technology at that time. Every curve in the building was perfect, although a little bit damaged by the test of time. But he had seen the building prior to the raiders attack. It was indeed magnificent, yet it had been more magnificent before.

Now the building looked more like a deserted haunted mansion. It might not actually be haunted, but the building kept a hideous memory of the terrible event many years ago.

Anna appeared beside him, eyeing the building carefully. "Be careful. The power of evil is incredibly strong here."

Atrus heeded the advice. After seeing the vision half and hour ago, he decided that the force of evil was not to be underestimated. He held his sword tightly and advanced inside the mansion, Anna following behind him. The mansion was uncomfortably silent. The beasts that had been giving them a hard time were nowhere to be seen. Whoever or whatever was distracting them, Atrus gave his warmest thanks.

The first door led to a huge ballroom. The majestic room was now covered with molds and dust. Multiple old paintings hung on the high walls, portraying many great men and women who were responsible for the greatness of Salthi. Most of the paintings were already ruined and torn, yet they still gave the sensation of how grand the lost civilization had been.

Atrus opened the next double door. It led to another huge room covered by old, dusty carpet. The blood-red color had slightly faded by age. Multiple banners of the same color decorated the wall. Yet the main attraction of the room was the great number of statuettes in the room. They looked more like victims of the demon's spell. Instead of representing great heroes, they represented figures in awkward postures and frightened face. And they had been fated to carry the expression forever.

"This is it." Anna said slowly. "The gallery room."

"Whoever you are!!" Atrus yelled. "Show yourself!!"

"Why, I'm here..."

The man with the long dark cloak was hovering on the ground, staring at them. He hid his smirk under his high collar. He kept most of his body under the cloak, not eager to reveal too much.

"I must welcome you to my sanctum, heroes... the word of your exploits has traveled far..."

"Let's get over with it, demon!" Atrus grumbled.

"Ah... The Prophet of the Guardian... I'd never thought I would ever see you in person..."

"Why did you do this...?" Anna asked.

"Why, that's a very interesting question..." His voice turned sour suddenly. "I'd never thought someone would care!!"

"Why did you do this?!" Anna repeated. "Why did you do this to the race that helped you?!"

At this point Atrus didn't know what Anna was talking about, but he kept silent. He cursed himself as the demon read his expression. "See... You've made both of us confused now..."

"The spirits!! Those lost souls!! You manipulate them!!"

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about..."

"I know who you are, Gareth!!" The demon and, of course, Atrus, were shocked at the mention of the name. "It's really you, isn't it?"

"Anna, how do you..."

"She spirits showed me more." Anna replied. "They have revealed everything."

The demon stayed quiet for a while, so Anna continued. "There is a man named Gareth Lightbringer, the member of the Great Magi Council in northern Aragon, years before the council was disbanded. He has heard the news about the destruction of the city of Salthi in eastern region, so he went there and found the city lying in ruins. Yet the citizens lived around the ruins, tirelessly tried to defeat the demons they had invited through the Gate. So the mage joined hand with them and fought the demon.

"Yet they were losing the fight." Anna continued. "The demon came to him and offered him power beyond imagination. He decided that the fight was already over, so he took the offer and betrayed those innocent citizens who put their hope in him. He killed them all. To cover his crime he erected massive city walls around the ruins and locked the lost civilization, including himself and the lost spirits of the citizens inside the pyramid. Then he became the leader of the great ruins of Salthi, with the lost souls as his slaves, and the entire ghost city as his empire." Anna stared at the demon. "That man is you."

"Those damn culprits..." The demon cursed. "They talk too much. "I'll deal with them later."

"There is one more matter to address..." Anna added. "You're still as young as ever, so I conclude that you've sold your soul to the demon... Correct me if I'm wrong..."

"FINE!!!" The demon roared. "You know about me now!!" He slid one of his hands off the robe, and to everybody's surprise, the hand was no more than bones and rotten flesh. "Perhaps I need to introduce myself. I'm Gareth Lightbringer, a Great Lich and a general under Lord Daemon, the supreme leader of the Army of Darkness."

"You're an undead creature?!" Atrus gasped.

"Two hundred years..." Gareth barked. "I asked my fellow wizards to assist me in my battle. Two hundred years I waited for them to show up... No one came... They really didn't care about me... They said I'm a geek... They said I'm incompetent... I showed them... I withstood those demons... Yet they abandoned me... They urged me to take the mission because they wanted to dispose me..."

He tightened his knuckle, flashes of lightning bolts crackling from it. "Now I must have my revenge... They shall pay for ignoring Gareth Lightbringer... The forces of the underworld will succeed and they will see me as a victor of war!!"

"You won't win, demon." Atrus said. "You're fighting the wrong war."

"That's right. You're not a victor of war." Anna added. "You're the victor of your own war."

"What?!! I'm stronger now!! I'm a full, competent mage!!"

"You killed innocent citizens to get your ambition." Anna replied. "I believe your friends will not approve that..."

"THEY'RE NOT MY FRIENDS!!!" The ground shook as he roared in anger. "They abandoned me... Now they will see that I can do something. The entire realm will acknowledge me as a great man."

"Or a great traitor." Atrus shot back.

"I don't care what you think, Humans! You are all nothing but my filthy preys!"

"Don't do this, Gareth..." Anna pleaded. "Please turn back before it's too late..."

"SILENCE, YOU ALL!!!" The Lich roared again, and produced a long vial he'd been keeping under his robe. "I believe you want this..."

Neither Atrus nor Anna countered it. "Good, now that I have your attention, I can ask what I want." He pointed at Atrus. "I want you, Prophet of the Guardian. You will come with me in exchange of your friend's life. You will meet your ultimate destiny, your death!"

"Wait a minute!" Anna said. "How you we know you're not betraying us?"

"You will know," Gareth responded, "that I'm a man of honor, despite my betrayal. I will fulfill my ambition. Your friend's life will not affect the ultimate outcome of war, so I don't care. If you give the potion in time, she will live."

"Why do you have to do this, Gareth..."

"No more discussion, Lady!" Gareth turned to Atrus. "This is it, Prophet of the Guardian. It's your choice. Is it your friend's life... or yours...?"

"You don't need to ask." Atrus answered. "Take me to your master."

"Atrus, no!"

"We've had this discussion, Anna. I will not risk Maya's life."

"But the fate of the realm is in your hand!" Anna insisted.

"And now it's in yours." Atrus answered. "I'm just a messenger. But you must continue to forge the alliance. You must find the Champion. Our survival depends on it." He paused for a while. "I'm sorry, Anna... I've broken my vow. I can't be with you anymore."

Anna just stared in disbelief as Atrus walked slowly toward the Lich. She couldn't believe it was happening. Atrus couldn't die! He's her best friend. She wouldn't want to see it. Tears sprung from her eyes when she saw that Atrus was taking off his sword. I have to act! Or else everything is lost.

"Wait!"

The Lich looked annoyed. "Now what?"

"I want to raise the stake." Anna said, wiping the tears off her eyes.

"What do you propose?" The Lich looked interested.

"I want you to raise the bet. I want you to free the souls you've enslaved in this pyramid. I want you to save our friend Maya. Lastly I want you to shut down the Gate in this region."

"That's a very hard bargain, Lady." Gareth snorted. "What do I get in return?"

Anna hesitated for a while, then answered. "You can have me."

"ANNA?!!"

"WHAT?!!"

"You know you don't need Atrus." Anna continued, purposely avoiding Atrus' stare. "I know you want me. I know that you want to get rid of me from the realm, because you know that you will meet your ambition better by doing so. A fast and surgical strike, am I right?"

Atrus just stared at Anna at lost of word. The Lich also couldn't say anything. Anna choked on her word for a while before continuing.

"Go ahead... Take me... And let my friends go..."

"Anna, you can't..."

"Agreed." The Lich grinned. "I will make you feel sorry for your decision."

"No, demon!"

Atrus charged the demon, but an invisible force pushed him against the wall, destroying a few statuettes in the process. When he recovered, he saw the vial hovering before him. To his horror, he saw Anna standing next to the Lich, staring at him with determination and grief.

"Go and take the vial." The Lich said. "You still have an hour. Drop the content to your friend's mouth and she will survive. I have fulfilled the first part of the bargain."

Then he raised his hand. A deep blue glow appeared, and the room was suddenly filled with thousands of ghouls that they knew were the lost souls of the former occupants of the city. With a wave of his hand, the ghouls vanished instantly and the room was silent once more.

"The souls are free. The bonds I've fastened onto them have been broken. Therefor I have fulfilled the second part of the bargain."

Atrus just watched in horror as the agreement was made. He couldn't break it. They have made an agreement with the demons, and they have no way to break the seal.

"As for the third part, I don't know how to close the Gate. All I can tell you is that the Gate lies inside the city sewers at the eastern part of the city. Do whatever you want with it, but be careful with the monsters. There... I have fulfilled my part of the bargain."