The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 12a

"No, no, no, just listen to me for once!" Roberto quickly added. "Don’t be a helper… I want you to be with me… by my side…"

She was stunned by the offer. "B…by your side?"

"Yes… by my side… as my advisor… as my second-in-command…"

"B… but I c…cant…" Maya gulped. "I have no military background at all…"

"What do you mean?" Roberto asked. "You’ve been around Atrus, Hawk, and myself for years! Besides, I do have another purpose for this."

"To keep me out of danger?" Maya asked.

"That’s one. I also feel safer with you watching my back. Plus, it’s good for the troops’ morale, seeing my future bride being in the middle of the group with them. That will give them one more person to protect.

"Hey, I can take care of myself!"

Roberto grinned. "Then you’ll accept?"

Maya smiled. "Of course, my prince. I’ll be your eyes and ears."

The party gathered around Atrus, who was lying on the bed. Lord Falagor was silent, holding his hand and inspecting him with magic. No one made a noise, not willing to break the wizard’s concentration. Anna was sitting at the other side of the bed, gripping Atrus’ other hand with such force that one might think she was trying to crush his bones to pieces. Aurelia the Elf was nervously pacing back and forth around the room, unintentionally adding others’ stress and annoyance. Holgreb the Dwarf was just sitting at the corner, grumbling softly. Lynn was standing near the bed, flapping her tiny wings nervously, while Calem was sitting, staring expressionlessly on the wall.

"You said the creatures’ blood might be the cause?" Falagor asked, breaking the silence.

"Y…yes, that’s right," Anna replied. "What do you find? Can you cure him?"

"I can sense the foreign substance in his veins, and whatever it is, it’s resisting my magic." Falagor sighed. "The poison isn’t exactly killing him slowly, but it’s weakening him from inside. If he’s putting too much strain in his ability, the poison might devour him. That’s why he collapsed just now."

"Putting too much strain?" Aurelia frowned. "Then… he won’t…"

"He won’t be able to use his hidden power," Calem finished. "He’s a commoner, a simple Human." He quickly noticed Anna’s cold stare. "You know I really hate to say that."

"The poison seemed to resist the effect of my song, too," Lynn said. "It affected Holgreb."

"Aye, it did!" The Dwarf agreed. "That didn’t seem to bother him, though. He just rushed those beasts like Gurkhar the Dwarf when he’s just 17 years old! Man, you should have seen his action…"

"So anyway, can you cure him?" Anna quickly asked, annoyed.

"The substance resisted my divine spell," Falagor replied slowly. "There is only one cause..."

"The substance is devilish," Calem continued. "I’d bet Daemon or Agamesh must be behind that attack."

"They could have killed him," Aurelia offered, but quickly continued before Anna scolded her, "but they just weakened him… It’s kind of like bait, too, since they can infect Atrus by letting him kill them… But why?"

"To prevent us from assaulting the Emerald Tower," Calem said. "They know that if Atrus is disabled, we would postpone the assault…"

"Then… we’ll… have… to… depart…" Atrus suddenly groaned softly.

"Atrus!" Anna returned her attention to her loved one. "You’re all right, honey? Are you hurt? Tell me which part?"

"I’d suggest one question at a time, girl…" Lynn scowled.

Atrus suddenly cringed and jerked his chest upward from pain. Anna instinctively cast her healing spell on the spot, yet was surprised to find him jerking wildly from pain more intense than the previous one.

"W…what…? What h…happened? Atrus? Are you all right?"

"Stop it!" Falagor silenced her. "Haven’t I told you enough?! He has devilish venom flowing all over his veins! All divine spells will backfire against him now! You may think you’re curing him, but you’re just hurting him further!"

"A…Atrus… I’m really sorry, hon…"

"That’s all right…" Atrus struggled to reply. "I’m okay now… Thanks… for helping me out…"

"Don’t mention it," Calem replied. "How do you feel?"

Atrus closed his eyes. "Weak. Very weak. I don’t know why… Well… now I know."

"Miss Adriana has told me of your intention in invading the Underworld," Falagor muttered.

"Yeah… do I have any chance of winning…?"

"No," the wizard said. "Not with this condition. You’ve lost your power. Miss Adriana won’t be able to heal you, and Miss Lynn’s song doesn’t affect you. And with that pain in your chest, you won’t be able to go far."

"So we have to postpone the battle?" Holgreb asked.

"No, we can’t!" Atrus quickly yelled, but cringed at the pain. "The war in Elom would be tomorrow… If we don’t stop the demons by then… the realm is… lost…"

"But attacking the demons in your condition is suicidal! You can’t save the realm like this!" Lynn protested.

"I… don’t… care… even if I have to die…"

"Your death is the demons’ victory, Atrus," Falagor interrupted. "They have so much to gain and so little to lose. You, in this case, hold the fate of the entire realm in your hand. You must survive."

The party was silent for a moment. The situation seemed grim. The demons had, unfairly, gained upper hand, pinning the party in the game of gamble. Indeed, they had so much to lose.

"There’s got to be a way out of this…" Aurelia sighed.

"Oh, there is," Falagor agreed. "I didn’t say there isn’t."

"Wha… How?" Anna blurted.

"Atrus might be paralyzed, but his purpose in this battle is clear, to seal the portal to the Underworld. I suppose you should forget the part of invading the Underworld by now."

Atrus nodded unwillingly.

"So if all of you can protect him all the way to the Emerald Tower, you can still save the realm and stop the battle from waging in Elom."

"But Atrus is hurt! He can’t stand a chance!" Lynn protested.

"I can find a way around it, but I might need your help." Falagor instantly saw resistance in Calem’s eyes, but quickly replied with sharper gaze. "Lord Calem, get warm clothes for all of you in my dresser, now!"

Calem hesitated for a moment, but sighed and obeyed the command.

"Now listen to me. I will cast a spell called Lifeleech. I will draw a small portion of life force from every single one of you and inject it to Atrus. You would feel weaker, but that won’t affect your combat ability too much. The combined life force would resist the effect of the venom. Atrus wouldn’t be able to fight with full potential, but he should be able to keep up with you."

Falagor paused, glad that he still had the party’s attention. "Remember, your task is to protect Atrus at all cost! If the Champion of the Guardian falls, the seal will be broken and the portal will remain open for the next millennium. By then, our beautiful realm would be reduced to lands of charred earth and scorched ground. Protect Atrus at all cost, with your life if necessary. Say your vow."

"I will do so," Aurelia replied instantly. "I will protect you with my life."

"And so will I," Lynn followed. "I will protect you to the death."

Holgreb blinked as Falagor’s deep stare fell upon him. "Oh… Uh… Sure, kid. I’ll protect you with this small, bulky form of mine!"

"And you know I will do so, honey," Anna said while holding his hand, tears falling from her eyes. "I’m willing to die to see you live."

"Anna, I don’t want you to die…" Atrus turned to everyone. "I want none of you to die."

"You have a task to fulfill, Champion of the Guardian," Lynn said. "We are to see that it would be fulfilled to the fullest. And for that, we are willing to sacrifice anything."

"Well said, sister," Aurelia agreed, then turned to Falagor. "Take what you need."

"The vows are sealed, then." Falagor turned to Atrus. "You have the hopes of your friends, and all people of the realm in your hand. Will you accept the responsibility?"

Atrus gazed around the room; to his friends he’d spent the last few years with. He could see a hint of determination in each of them, eyes burning with desire to fulfill their vows. They had been asked, and they had voiced their readiness. The question was now his. Indeed he had a task to do. Yet the fact that he was the sole hope of the realm’s continuing existence was burdening him heavily. And the fact that he might see his friends die was even worse. Yet, his friends were willing to lay down their lives for him. He would do it, whatever it took.

"I will do it."

The party suddenly jerked and twisted uncontrollably as Falagor’s magic took effect. Atrus quickly went panic as he lost grip of Anna’s hand, and watched in horror as the magic robbed his friends’ life force in a twisted manner. As the magic subside, the party one by one collapsed to the ground, heaving heavily from exhaustion. Falagor quickly touched Atrus’ forehead and he felt a sudden surge of electricity flowing into his body. He felt… refreshed… in a very odd way. The pain in his chest vanished suddenly. Power returned to his limbs. His mind became clear and the headache was gone. He felt brand new!

Yet he felt guilty. He quickly scrambled to his feet and reached out for Anna. She looked all right, although a bit dizzy. She recovered from whatever she’d previously gone through, and got back to her feet in no time. Lynn, Aurelia, and Holgreb were up soon, and they seemed unhurt.

"How do you feel?" Falagor queried.

"Strange…" Anna replied. "A bit weak, but okay."

"And my pain is gone," Atrus declared. "Thank you, all of you."

Calem returned, carrying warm clothes in both his hands. He was stunned for a moment at Atrus’ recovered form, and then proceeded to divide the warm clothes among them in silence. Atrus noticed this, and was about to ask when Falagor continued.

"I will open a dimension portal to the southern tip of the Northern Continent. You are then to proceed north through the mountains to reach the Emerald Tower. The land is now a wasteland, the result of the war against the demons millennia ago. The weather is cold and cruel, and demons most likely lurk that area. Work together. Support each other. And protect Atrus at all cost."

With that, Falagor opened a small dimension door, so small that even the Dwarf had to duck to get inside. The party one by one entered the door, leaving Atrus and Anna last.

"Thank you for everything, Master Falagor," Atrus said politely. "Wish us luck."

"I will pray for you, Champion of the Guardian." Falagor smiled weakly.

And they entered the portal. The black hole blinked for a moment before closing, sealing the entrance to the Northern Continent.

"Indeed you’ve spoken, Lord Guardian… Agony beyond imagination will threaten him… He will be tortured from inside out…" he sighed. "Be with him… be with him…"

He smiled, and closed his eyes. This time, it’s for good.

To Be Continued...

* * * * *

I’m sorry for the long delay. I got back from my vacation a month ago, yet this chapter took longer than I expected. As the next part might require a bit of thinking, I decided to split the chapter into 2…

Again, thank you for those who have sent encouragements (read: threats). No, really… I appreciate them. Here’s for you, folks...