The Cranium
Dana's POV
The Cranium floated at the opposite end of the chamber. I felt its pull inside me, urging me forward.
The closer I got, the clearer it became — power radiated from it in visible waves. It was terrifying. It resembled a small, rounded skull.
I lifted my hand, stretching my fingers toward it.
"There are things you need to know before you take hold of the Cranium."
The voice stopped me cold.
I turned sharply.
Malvorin stood behind me in a faint, ghostlike form.
"What is it?" I asked.
"During my time as Guardian," his form flickered. "I made a terrible mistake. One that led to my demise. One you must never repeat."
I listened carefully.
"The Cranium's power is not meant to be wielded," he continued. "Only gods have access to such force. Your duty is not to use it, but to guard it."
"I thought the Cranium was meant to give me power." I said, confused.
"And it will," he responded. "But not its power. Only enough to keep it safe."
Oh well, I wasn't even interested in weaponising the Cranium in the first place.
"If you ever try to use the Cranium for yourself, it will destroy you." He warned.
"What did you use it for?" I asked.
He scoffed. "When Balshak cursed the Labyrinth, I tried to undo it... but that wasn't all." He sighed. "I also tried to save someone I loved.
"I tried to use the Cranium's power to change what should not have been changed. And it consumed me.
"You must understand this, Dana. This power does not belong to you. It is not a gift. It is entrusted to you so it may be protected.
"Do not make my mistake."
"What if Balshak comes for the Cranium?" I asked. "I would have to fight him, and I don't think I'm strong enough."
"You are strong, Dana," he said without hesitation. "We are strong." His voice rose. "The war against Balshak is drawing closer. And you will not stand alone."
"What do I do now?" I asked, needing a direction.
"You will return to the temple," he replied. "You will meet with the Ascend. They will tell you your next step forward."
Then his form began to dissolve into the light around him.
And just like that, he was gone.
I turned back to the Cranium pulsing before me. My hands met the surface, and a shockwave rushed into me. The power radiating from the object didn't just touch me, it coiled around my bones. Power surged outward, then inward, wrapping around my body, and lifting me from the floor. It felt like my soul connected with the Cranium. Raw energy flowed off me for a moment before my weight took over and I hit the ground. Gods, that hurt.
Thunder roared from outside the room, shaking the walls. I looked up. The Cranium had stopped pulsing. It fell on the ground, and I quickly shoved it into my bag.
"Oh that's quite heavy." I mumbled.
Within moments, I was already scrambling for the exit.
A thunderstorm raged as I stepped out of the chamber. The wind was howling so bad that it tore at my cloak and whipped my hair into my face. Debris started flying through the air, and rain began to pour violently.
Godsdamn it.
I fought my way through the forest, dodging falling branches as the trees groaned under the wind. The storm was angry.
I summoned fire into my palm to see clearly, but it couldn't hold in the rain, it kept going out. It was a nightmare.
When I finally burst out of the forest, heading to the waterfall, I quickly grabbed three apples from a nearby tree, and slipped them into my bag before pushing forward. The moment I passed through the waterfall, everything was different.
There was no thunder or rain... I could finally catch my breath from running too fast.
I moved toward the ice wall which was still open. The cold returned instantly, biting into my soaked clothes. I pulled my cloak tighter, but that didn't help. My teeth started chattering, and my body shivering.
As I stepped out, the ground trembled behind me. The ice wall groaned and slowly sealed itself shut.
I looked to my right where Doya and Kumbuye waited nearby. Doya was on his knees, with his face lowered to the ground. Kumbuye stood over him, holding him there.
I stayed where I stood, clutching myself against the cold. I couldn't even bring myself to call them.
Kumbuye looked up and saw me. He rushed forward immediately. "Dana," he said breathlessly.
"Hi," I replied, shuddering. My gaze drifted past him to Doya. "Is he—" my voice cracked, "Is everything alright?"
Before Kumbuye could answer, Doya looked up. He smiled faintly, struggling to his feet while holding his bag close. He walked toward me and pulled me into a hug.
I froze for a second, stunned. But I wrapped my arms around him anyway. He was trembling.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Yes," I said, pulling away. "Are—Are you?"
"We should rest here tonight," Kumbuye said, cutting me off. "We've been waiting for you."
"Yes. I'm exhausted." My teeth chattered.
"You're shivering," he said, pulling off his cloak and handing it to me. I quickly peeled off my soaked one and wrapped myself in his cloak.
"Let's get a fire going. I'll find wood," Kumbuye offered, disappearing into the trees.
Doya slumped against a tree, still trembling.
I sat next to him. "Are you alright?"
He just nodded. He didn't say a word.
I was worried. Doya was always closed off, secretive even, but I had never seen fear in his face before. Knowing him, pushing for answers would only make him shut down more. So, I waited. Whenever he was ready, he'd open up.
When Kumbuye returned, I muttered a spell and kindled a small fire. We huddled close, to keep ourselves warm and shielded the fire from the wind.
"So," Kumbuye said after a moment, "what happened beyond the wall?"
"Oh right, almost forgot." I reached into my bag and pulled out the apples. "I brought you both something. Fresh from the other side." I smiled holding the apples out for them.
Kumbuye grabbed one immediately, biting into it with a loud crunch. "This is... wow. Did you get more?"
"Only three. There was a thunderstorm."
"A thunderstorm?" Kumbuye's eyes went wide. "Ah. That explains why you're soaked."
"There was also a waterfall," I added. "I crossed through it."
He laughed. "Anything else insane happen?"
"The forest attacked me," I said proudly. "I fought it."
"Now I really regret not following you," he groaned.
We both laughed. Doya didn't join in. He sat apart from us, staring into the fire. Before long, he fell asleep.
Kumbuye and I talked a little longer about the strange world beyond the wall. After I had told him everything, he leaned closer.
"Dana," he whispered, quiet enough not to wake Doya.
"Yes?"
"Something happened to Doya while you were gone."
"What happened?"
"I don't know how to explain it. We were fine, then suddenly... he started screaming. Wincing like he was being tortured. He kept yelling your name. Begging you not to hurt him."
My blood ran cold. "What?"
"It was strange. But what was stranger... the containment in his bag... It fell out. It was pulsing."
"You saw it? The containment?"
"It's an urn. And it has the same symbols as the inscription on the stele over there."
"I don't understand. Doya said he'd never seen those symbols."
"That's what he said." Kumbuye shrugged. "Doesn't mean it's true."
"When exactly did this happen?" I asked, glancing at Doya who was still fast asleep.
"It was a few hours after you went through the wall," he muttered. Doya stirred, and we both froze. When he relaxed back into sleep, Kumbuye continued. "He was in pain the whole time. It only stopped not long before you walked out of the wall."
"Did he say anything after?"
"No. He just took the urn and put it back inside his bag."
I stared at him, feeling my chest burn.
"I need that urn," I said quietly. "If he won't speak, I'll get answers myself."
Kumbuye frowned. "I don't know what's happening to him, but something's wrong. And I hope—" he hesitated, "—it doesn't put you in danger."
I looked at Doya again.
I was worried about him.
But I was also afraid.
Afraid that whatever was happening... had everything to do with me.
---
The next morning, I woke up feeling sore. Kumbuye was still asleep, but Doya was nowhere in sight.
I rose and moved toward the bushes, searching for him. After a few steps, I found him seated on a fallen log, his bag was open as he rummaged through its contents the way he had been doing for days. His back was to me. He had no idea I was there.
I took a silent step closer, trying to see past his shoulder, careful, but my foot landed on a twig, and it snapped. Shit.
Doya whipped around immediately startled by my presence. His hand flew to the bag, snapping it shut.
"Hey," I said, forcing a smile and a little wave.
"Hi." He let out a breath. He stood up, blocking the bag from my view. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, giving me a crooked side-smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yes, I guess." I shrugged, stepping into his space. I needed to see his face clearly. "Doya, you've been... distant. Closed off. I just want to make sure you're alright." I paused, searching for the right words. "You know you don't have to hide things from me, right?"
"I know," he said softly.
Before I could gauge his expression, he pulled me into a hug.
"You've become quite the hugger these days," I murmured into his chest. I pulled back, but he didn't let go. He drew me closer, bringing his hands to cup my face as his eyes found mine.
"I need you to trust me, Dana." He breathed.
"I do tr—"
Warmth pressed on my lips, stealing the rest of the sentence.
My mind blanked. I went hot instantly, giving in, but he broke away and buried his face in my neck.
"You have to trust me, Dana," he whispered. I felt his lips move against my skin, his hot breath making my body tingle.
We stayed like that for a while. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. I wanted more, to feel him closer, deeper, but I stayed still, savouring the moment, imprinting it into myself.
Finally, he kissed my forehead and gave me a weak smile.
"Let's get going."
We made our way back to where we stayed the night. Kumbuye was already up, kicking snow over the dying embers of our fire.
"There you are," he grinned. "I was wondering where you strolled off to. Thought you left me behind."
I laughed, the sound was a little shaky, I was still burning from the heat Doya had given me...
I went to my bag, dug in and pulled out the Cranium.
"This," I said, holding it up, "is the Cranium."
"Woah..." Kumbuye's jaw dropped.
Doya stared at it, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You need to keep that safe until we return to the Temple."
I snapped my head toward him. "How do you know we're going back there?"
"Because that's where it belongs," he said. "There is a place set for it there and it has to be protected. By you."
"So... the Ascend are expecting me?"
"Exactly."
"Wait." My head just processed what that really meant. "Does this mean I can never leave? If I'm protecting the Cranium... I'm stuck there."
"Until the threat is handled? No. You cannot leave."
"Oh gods." I let out a frustrated sigh. "It feels like a prison."
"The Temple is beautiful, Dana. The people there love you. You can make the best of it," Doya said, his tone reasonable and firm. "You were there for months."
"I don't think I have much of a choice anymore," I muttered.
"We don't have time to waste," Doya added. "The journey back is long, and the bounty on your heads makes things worse."
"We don't have to travel the whole distance, though," Kumbuye said, fixing his boots. "Dana can just veil-walk us there."
The shock that followed was suffocating.
Kumbuye froze. He looked from me to Doya, his hands still on his boots. He realized he'd messed up.
I hadn't told Doya. Weeks had passed since he came back, and I still hadn't told him I could walk through the veil.
Doya turned to me slowly. "You can veil-walk?"
"I—" My throat went dry. How could I explain that I could, but I couldn't? "Well... I have gone through the veil. Twice. But I never summoned it. It just... happened. I don't know if that makes sense."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His expression fell. It could see the hurt in his face.
"The... uh... the topic never... it came up," I stammered. "And... since you lost your ability, I didn't want to be... insensitive. I don't know. I should have told you. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologise," he said, offering a small smile. "And yes, that makes sense. Sometimes the veil answers to fear and instinct. It's rare, but it happens."
"So... I've never summoned it on purpose," I said, stepping closer. "I don't know how to control it. Will you teach me?"
His smile softened.
"I'd be honoured to teach you, Dana."