Whispers and Shadows
Since the day Kumbuye scrambled through Doya's mind for answers, Doya's thoughts had been sealed off. Kumbuye had tried again, but it was useless. Maybe Doya had suspected us. I tried to get my hands on his bag, even once, but the opportunity never came. He kept it really close.
I glanced down at the compass in my palm. Its glow had grown brighter.
Finally, we arrived at an ice wall, a really tall barrier of frozen stone. The compass still tugged forward, pointing beyond it, to the other side. I stepped closer, pressing my hand to the ice.
"Ah, that's cold." I whispered.
"Okay," Kumbuye muttered, frustrated. "Dead end. Great. What now?"
"The compass says we go through," I replied, squinting at the wall.
"That's funny," he scoffed. "Because I don't see a ladder or a fucking door," he snapped, kicking the snow.
I moved along the base of the wall, pushing aside thick, frost bitten bushes, searching for anything that could help us over.
"There's something here," Doya called from the opposite end.
Kumbuye and I hurried over.
"What is it?" I asked.
A stele stood half buried in the snow. Its surface was carved with strange symbols.
"What are these inscriptions?" I asked Doya.
He shook his head. "Never seen them before."
"Kumbuye?" I asked. "Have you seen this before?"
"It looks familiar," he said, rubbing his chin. "But I can't remember where I've seen this."
I reached out, brushing the snow from the stone.
The moment my fingers touched it, the world shifted.
The forest vanished. Doya and Kumbuye were gone.
My breath caught.
"You are so close."
A man's voice spoke from behind me. I turned around fast.
"Who are you?" I asked, taking a step back.
"I am Malvorin," he said. "Your predecessor."
"H-How are you here?"
"I live inside you," he replied calmly. "I always have. Just like the rest of us who have come before you."
He stepped forward, and I took another step back.
"You cannot pass the ice wall with your friends," he said. "This journey must be completed alone."
"I can't leave them behind," I said.
"You can," he stepped closer again, and I moved back once more. "You simply do not want to... but what you want does not matter. The only thing that matters is the Cranium. You cannot pass that wall with them."
"Why?"
"Because what awaits you beyond that wall will kill them." He responded.
"I don't know if I can do this alone," I admitted.
"You will not be alone. The guardians are with you."
"Well, I don't know, I mean... where were the guardians when I was suffering in that horrible castle?" I asked him in a mocking tone.
But of course, he didn't respond to me, instead he said:
"Akaila homilka paspira troika froi-kolara."
"What?"
"The spell of passage," he muttered, his form began to dissolve into mist. "You know it. You have always known it."
"Wait—"
"Dana... Dana..."
Doya's voice broke through, waking me from the trance.
I gasped, feeling the cold rush back into my lungs. I was on the ground. Doya was leaning over me, with worried eyes.
"Dana..."
"I'm fine," I shoved his hands away, scrambling up. As I brushed the stele clean, the spell surfaced in my mind.
"I'm going to the other side," I said, staring at the compass. "But you won't be coming with me."
"What?" Doya asked.
"It's too dangerous."
"We can handle ourselves," he argued.
"You're not coming," I said firmly.
"What happens if we try to follow?" Kumbuye asked.
I looked at him, seeing the tiredness etched into his face. I didn't answer. I simply turned to the ice, closed my eyes, and whispered the words to go to the other side.
The massive wall groaned and a low rumble echoed, shaking the ground. The wall split open, revealing a narrow passage. And I stepped inside. Even with my hooded cloak, the passage was really cold. The vapor bit into my skin, making my teeth chatter.
When I finally reached the other side, the wall remained open behind me. I glanced back, and saw the silhouette of Doya and Kumbuye standing at the entrance of the other side.
As I moved forward, I heard the sound of rushing water. I took another step and breath left my lungs. What?!
A waterfall.
In the North?
In winter?
This place was different.
The air here was warm, carrying the faint scent of mud and leaves. There was a shallow stream leading to the waterfall. I glanced down at the compass in my palm, and the needle pointed straight ahead, urging me to cross.
I stepped into the stream, feeling the warmth of the water through my boots. I hadn't felt warmth like this in days. I knelt, cupped my hands, dipped it into the water, and drank.
"Ahhhh, gods this is so nice." I mumbled.
I kept moving through the stream and forced my way past the curtain of rushing water. The sound swallowed me whole for a moment, then released me.
On the other side, my heart swelled as a wide smile spread across my face.
There was no snow. No ice. The sun hung bright above me, warm against my skin. Birds cooed from the tall trees ahead. It was beautiful. I drank again from the stream before me. Then I walked toward the trees, reached up and plucked a red apple. I smelled it first, then bit into it, feeling the sweetness slide across my tongue. This was no illusion. This place was real.
Only then did I remember the compass.
I looked down at it. The glow flared brighter than it ever had, and the needle began to spin.
Well, that's a first.
I turned around, stretching out the compass, until the needle finally stopped, turning east.
A new direction.
I moved deep into the forest. I gradually started hearing that familiar hum as heat bloomed under my skin. The Cranium was close. I could feel it breathing through me.
As I made my way toward the call, a branch lashed out from behind, coiling around my waist and yanking me off my feet. I hit the ground as pain flared through my side. Before I could recover, another branch descended from above, thick and lined with sharp spikes, aiming straight for my chest.
My power reacted fast. It burst outward, slamming into the branch and hurling it back with force. I twisted just as another strike came from my side. I turned immediately, getting on my knees, and caught the branch. I pulled, until the branch tore free from its tree and dropped to the ground. More branches rushed into me from all sides. I channelled all my energy, slashing and slicing through them. The forest pressed in, and I pushed back harder. At some point, I started smiling. Then laughing. Then screaming.
When it finally stopped, my chest rose and fell as I caught my breath. The power was still humming inside me. It was exhilarating.
I continued deeper into the forest, until the night fell. The compass led me to an abandoned place. It was a ruin. Moss clung to the cracked stone walls, and vines were all over the place.
At the center of it stood a single red door, that a small step led up to. I moved closer, and a sudden wave of force rushed around me, tearing my hood away as my hair flew back. I stopped.
From behind the ruins, shadows began to come out.
They moved in slow circles around me, whispering in a language foreign to my ears.
My eyes darted from shadow to shadow. My stomach dropped. These were Shadowmires.
Their whispers grew louder and some of them were probing me. I felt my heart in my throat.
I slowly lifted my hands, wanting to summon a fire, and one Shadowmire jumped in front of me. I screamed, startled by it and fell to the ground.
These Shadowmires were different from the ones I've experienced before. They weren't attacking me or anything. It was as if they were judging me.
After a while, they started going back into the ruins they had come out from. My chest heaved as I stood from the floor, dusting off the sand.
I took in a deep breath, then turned to the stairs and ascended them, approaching the red door. A keyhole sat at its centre. I reached into my bag, drew out the key, and slid it in.
The door opened and I stepped inside.
At that moment, I was too tired to be impressed.
The room looked nothing like the ruins outside.
It had lit candles all over the place, and iron sconces trailing the walls.
And there it was.
Suspended in the air at the opposite end of the chamber, pulsing like a living heart.
The Cranium.