He took a quick step back, away from that scythe’s edge as he placed his palm on the horse’s chest.
The scythe swung down, but it was too late for its owner. It never connected.
“Miniaturization.” observed Maliken, “Quick thinking.”
“You must have forgotten what I can do after all these years,” he said, as he bent down to grab at the now nonthreatening daemon.
“And you must have forgotten I am still here,” was the reply.
Looking forwards immediately, the Witchslayer ducked as the sword wreathed in green flames flew towards him, aiming to behead his body, Maliken now standing free from the tombstones that had crushed him to the ceiling, the sword flew behind him now as it missed its target…
But wait. He blinked. Maliken was gone. And then he remembered, before he immediately twisted his body clockwise to block the downward strike from the sword with his dagger. The weight of the swing forced him to fall in his awkward angle, and now the sword was pressed down tightly on the dagger. The only thing keeping him alive was the flat of the dagger’s blade, pressing down onto his chest, preventing him from drawing breath…
And then the green flames changed color. They weren’t green anymore. They were now a cold, deep blue.
And the flames spread down from the sword, seeking to consume him, seeking to engulf him. It burned. It burned his flesh. It burned!
But he could not draw breath for any spells.
He struggled, but all he could do was pass out…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He was enveloped in light.
Where was he?
He was…flying.
He looked down, and to his shock, he saw his own body. His body was flying in the air,
“I must apologize for the suddenness of this experience, but you must say, it is quite an experience.”
He turned his gaze around. His vision seemed to obey his thoughts, seeing as he had no body he could see.
An old man was standing in front of him, a corporeal form. He immediately recognized him and tried to bow.
“Illumined One.”
The wrinkled old face smiled.
“To answer your unsaid questions, you are currently unconscious because I had to separate your soul from your body and hide it before Maliken could take it. I am currently in the process of transporting your body elsewhere, where you will be needed.”
“What happened to…?”
“The Chapel is destroyed. Abandon it for now; Maliken has already left and seems to not be interested in laying waste to the rest of Arasunia. It does not matter. Structures can always be rebuilt. What is important is our faith.”
“And the Enlightened Council members…?”
“I sent away their souls before Maliken could prey upon them.”
“But that means…”
“Yes. We are dead.”
He was sad. But then he realized the meaning of the Illumined One’s usage of the word ‘we’.
“There is no need for you to worry. What is important is that our knowledge be passed down. Rest assured; one of the Enlightened Council members was a proxy. The real one is safe at the Shining Abbey, and he will take my place. Even though we took the precaution of not announcing our meeting and keeping everything a secret, it can only be called misfortune.”
“Then what is my duty?”
“Rest. My magic will hold enough for you to reach your intended destination, and in the meanwhile, I ask that you give an old man some time to explain to you what transpired. It is my will that you ascend to become the newest Enlightened Council member, representing Arasunia. For that, there are things you need to know.”
“Your will is my command.”
The Illumined One inclined his head slightly in thanks, and then said, “It all begun with your meeting of the Legion’s soldiers, bearing Jereziah’s message. After reading its contents, the former Enlightened Council member of Arasunia requested a summons of us to make a decision.”
“And that decision…?”
“The Prince had taken upon himself to ally with the Beaste Hordes. In the letter, he detailed the betrayal of the Hellbourne and his future plan to attack a Shrine and stem the incoming flow of Hellbourne.”
This was…shocking. The Beaste Hordes had been their enemies for nigh a decade now.
“So you were deciding…whether or not you supported him?”
“That was the dilemma. And we have decided: yes, we support Jereziah. I supported his father, and his father united all of mankind. I will support his son, who will now save mankind.”
“But Maliken… Maliken… he’s now…”
“He hasn’t sold his soul to the Hellbourne.”
“He hasn’t?”
“No. His soul resides in that sword. The Sword of the Damned.”
“So he’s still…redeemable?”
“Not quite. I do not know what conspired between him and the Hellbourne. He has been missing for almost three decades now. If you can somehow steal that sword, though, there may be a chance. I do not know how though.”
“What does the Sword of the Damned do?”
The old man frowned slightly, and said, “From what I saw, it steals souls…life. Maliken most likely bargained to trade souls to the Hellbourne. He’s using the Sword to contain souls. But I think that’s not its only function,” he added, “I expect it can also use Maliken’s own soul or life force to amplify its flames.”
“Then…where am I going?” He was confused. It seemed that there was nothing for him to do.
“Ah,” replied the old man, “You are going to assist Jereziah.”
He blinked. “Assist the Prince?”
“Yes,” was the confirmation.
“But I do not even know where…”
“He stated where he is, and since I was the one who was in charge of mentoring him during his time at the monastery, I can feel where he is. I am sending you to the Forests of Caldavar.”