《Endless Archives》


 1-Present, Past, Future

    The sun....it was bleeding. Crimson hue filled the skies as if blood was trickling down from the heavens itself.


    Hazy...my vision...... was it even my vision? There was someone there, no... there were many, in the next moment darkness fell upon the land. Horror filled my eyes at what I was seeing, the universe itself was here and there was someone beneath it.


    The rush of blood and excitement filled my body, "wait why am I excited?" The next instant the crimson hues lit up the skies once more and this time it was overwhelmingly worse, but I paid no heed to that rather it was to the person under the universe. With my vision still hazy I wanted to know what or who that was no matter the cost.


    "focus! focus on that person.... FOCUS!!!!" and then just for a moment my vision obeyed, and I saw her, for she was beautiful as if she was the embodiment of the cosmos itself. She conjured something in her hand and then all fell null as my mind was dragged into darkness.


    "Is that all? Seriously dude that''s not a lot to work off on, you know."


    "Will you shut up?" the woman replied to the guy''s complaints. For the last time, he said "That is All I remember yada yada "as she was patching up my bruises.


    Apparently, these two had found me sprawled on the floor of a freshly demolished ruins that they had been planning on exploring.


    "Well, it sounds hella suspicious to randomly find a guy with no memory in a ruin, doesn''t it?"


    The guy was slightly tall with average looking features with long blond hair and a sabre around his waist, overall, he looked ok I''d say.


    "And for all we know he could be a god who lost his memories or just a dumb guy who hit his head real hard while messing around, so quit with your bickering will ya?"


    As she continued patching me, she was just slightly shorter than me and had short yet fluffy silverish hair that was slightly messy from scooping around the ruins, but she held no weapon, not ones that I could see at the very least.


    "In any case then let''s drop him in the nearest settlement we find. I don''t wanna be mislabelled as a kidnapper."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Now that''s just too mean. I''d say let him join our group since we''re looking for people anyway!!" as she looked up to him with an eager smile and stood up.


    "I agree with her, please allow me to travel with you"


    He sighed, "Alright then let''s see if you''re fit to join us", he replied with a defeated smile.


    "Wait what?" but he didn''t wait as he pulled out his sabre and melodies started filling the air around us.


    "I am Lucas! Now then defend yourself."


    I was in trouble. I had no weapons neither a way of defending myself, if it came down to it, I would have to charge him head on and tackle him. As if reading my thoughts he scoffed. "Seriously? you don''t know how to fight? that''s an idiotic idea."


    "Let me show you the basics" as he held out his hand, a blade materialised in his grasp which he tossed to me, "This is a part of my skill as well as the melody surrounding us. Skills varies from person to person and are of different nature. They are neither passed down through genealogy or successions, but every skill requires one thing in common, it''s called ether."


    "Ether is the source of energy required for skills and other stuff, now enough chatter and En Garde!" The next second his blade that was aimed at me came in a flash. I sighed a breath of relief as I barely deflected his blade, but it was short lived as he squatted down and kicked me in my ribs sending me hurling towards the rundown wall.


    Trying to suck in oxygen, I raised my head to see where he was, but he was there no more. I scanned my surrounding, but he was nowhere to be seen only then did I hear a voice behind me. Turning to see, Lucas was sitting on top of the wall staring at me with a smirk, he spoke "I''m not real you know" as he scattered in a wisp of smoke. Pain in my lower abdomen and me landing on the ground suggested that he kicked me again.


    As I laid there sprawled on the floor again for the second time today gasping for air, Lucas walks over to me most probably to give me a remark, I grabbed a hold of his heels the moment he got close and with a triumphant laugh, I yanked him to the floor and with a "thud" he laid next to me.


    "Oh great!" she sighed "I''ve got 2 idiots to look after now" as she walked over and kneeled beside us'' she stretched out her hand over us as her palm began to glow faintly. The pain dimmed quickly, "I''m Uriel" she spoke as she helped me up "and that is my sword."


    Lucas woke up with a jolt and turned towards me " you cheated but that was fair. I''ll give you praise for that"


    "So.... did I succeed?" I asked hesitantly


    "Hmmmmn....honestly, you''re terrible but very interesting nonetheless and I doubt most people would expect that much randomness. In any case welcome aboard kiddo!!"


    I sigh in relief as Lucas and Uriel began gathering their bearing and scavenging for anything that might have been left behind. Daylight seemed to be nearing its end as we exited the ruins to set up a camp in the open plains, laying down on a bed of grass whilst staring at the stars. I closed my eyes voluntarily.

 2-Laws of Nature

    I dreamt of nothing. As I sat up from my spot, to see that the flames of the campfire were still flickering. "Daylight is still a few hours away" Lucas mentioned while he began re-adjusting a perfectly fine piece of wood that was burning, he was awake and tending the campfire while we were asleep.


    "So, did you dream of anything?? Like... maybe a vision like before? He asked as he looked towards me with an anticipating gaze only to be met with disappointment when I told him nothing of that sort happened.


    "Aww Man. It would have been pretty cool if you got like flashes of the past and then it turned out that you were a prince or a powerf-" "I doubt anything like that would''ve happened" I cut him off before his imagination grew wilder.


    "Lucas, could I ask you a few questions?" There were a lot of questions I had in mind that needed answers.


    He nodded and put his hands behind him as he looked towards skies,"I''ll answer only three since you cut me off"


    "What is this ''ether''? And how does it work?"I asked without any hesitation.


    "Ether is the source of energy required to use ''skills''. I''d say everyone has a varying amount of it whereas only about thirty percent of the people are born with ''skills'' but they can''t utilize their skills a lot, as most people only have a small amount of it. The ones gifted with a decent amount of ether are generally listed to join the military force."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "That rather assuring as well as worrisome" I thought to myself. " Where are we anyway?"


    "We should be in Tavil right now, it''s the country to the east. The people like to call it the ''Land of Peace'', but they are facing a civil war as we speak, so we were travelling here in hopes of aiding the people and other stuff. The next country closest to us is ''Unos'' as they call it ''The merchant''s bay''. Towards the north is the Imperial city of Rin, that''s where Uriel and I hail from and far to the west is Aga ''The Lost'', it''s not actually lost its just that it''s a desolate land with almost no settlements. The east and west are separated by a vast sea that connects to the ''Great South'' ocean."


    "Why did you travel all the way here just to aid people?"


    "Is that your last question?" Lucas looked at me with a ''are you serious?'' look.


    "No, I''m sorry" I apologised as I asked my final question, "I am interested in you, your ''skill'' and the way you fought earlier could you tell me more about that?"


    "I''m very much flattered but I have my sights on someone else so it''s not gonna workout" he grinned and sighed," and on the off chance, you''re talking about my skill, it works like this."


    Soft and slow melodies began to fill the air once again but this time it was different from the one I had heard before, a small area around us began to change and transformed into a flower patch filled with little blue flowers gently swaying in the wind. "This is my skill, it''s called ''Echoes of symphony'' it''s like an illusion but only that it''s real, the melodies changes based on my emotions and the objects I create last until my mind or ether gives out." with that he conjured a blanket and laid down.


    "Keep an eye out and don''t shank me while I sleep!!, will you."with that he fell asleep, the melodies began fading away and I was left with only my thoughts and the flickering campfire.

 3-Kingdoms Turmoil

    The first streaks of daylight began appearing over the horizon and the campfire had long since disappeared. Lucas was the first one up, Uriel was not far behind and waved me a ''hello'' as she groggily sat up and proceeded to stare at the flowers with no thoughts for the next ten minutes. "She''s a heavy sleeper" Lucas smirked and whispered in my ear as Uriel shot him a deathly look.


    After we broke some bread, the journey to our destination began, we walked by creeks, luscious plains and small forests, it was serene, surprisingly we did not come across settlements or travellers.


    "Where are the people? I thought we would have come across a few by now"


    "The country is fairly vast and new compared to the others and most of the people are at the capital deciding on a new ruler after the last tyrant disappeared. The people have divided into two faction causing unrest at first and then lead to a civil war between them" Lucas shrugged


    "So, we''re here in hopes of maybe aiding them and finding out more about the situation" Uriel added


    "How long until we get there?"


    "We should arrive in a couple days that is if the weather stays clear that is.... oh, gosh I hope I didn''t jinx it heh" Lucas smiled wearily.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Uriel kept quiet, picking a pretty flower every now and then that we came across, mumbling a song under her breath.


    We continued until high noon and stopped to rest under a tree. "These people, why are they even fighting? Can''t they just join the side that has better intentions?"


    "They could, they very well could but there''s a slight problem you see. Do you remember anything about beings called ''Celestials''? They are people with skills so unimaginably destructive that they are sometimes even considered as gods" Lucas took a stick and started drawing on dirt."And unfortunately, there are seven of them"


    "Some of them are rulers and some of them are unknown but one of them is leading the factions in this country right now." Uriel added " Known as ''Cyrine the Oathkeeper''.


    "oooooooooooooooooooooo."Lucas adding a dramatic background music to that. "Sounds like she''d tower over us and beat us to a pulp which would be pretty cool."


    "Well, the surprising thing is that she hasn''t already taken over the country by now which would have been quite easy for her." Uriel spoke totally ignoring Lucas."Enough chatter now, I want to reach the capital as soon as possible."


    "And back to walking we go"


    In a few hours nightfall started to creep in, over in the distance something began to appear, we could see-"LIGHTS!!!" Uriel shouted excitedly. There were ''lights'' approaching our way but in just a few seconds their excitement turned into seriousness, and Lucas pulled out his blade as Uriel got into a defensive stance with her arms out.


    The ''lights'' were approaching fast and precisely towards us.


    "Bandits" Lucas muttered. " And one of them can use skills"

 4-Bandits and HORSIES!!!!

    In a moment''s notice Lucas dashed to greet them with his blade out, sprinting at rapid speed. Uriel and I followed suit but nowhere close to his speed. At a closer distance I could make out four individuals amongst them, two with knifes, a sword wielder and a big, unarmed guy.


    "URIEL AND YOU" Lucas shouted at us. "Deal with the big guy! I''ll handle these three." As he dove into the crowd with the pointy tips.


    While running, Uriel turned towards me "Hit him as hard as you can when you reach him, I''ll stop him for a second." I nodded.


    We got into striking range of each other and threw our punches but right before we made contact-"STOP." The bandit''s body froze for mere seconds as my punch landed in his gut and sent him a few feet back. It was Uriel''s skill, some sort of speech manipulation, but it wasn''t obsolete as the man stood up again and was really pissed, from there it was pure fist.


    Punches to the guts and face, blows were being received and given, I began to spit out blood and my face wasn''t doing any better. Uriel had explosive strength in her punches despite her stature and was proficient in fighting, but the bandit was a beast on his own despite the teaming he was still having the upper hand, sooner or later this would end terribly.


    My body started to exhaust and then just for a second my leg faltered but that was enough for the bandit to grab me and hurl me away. I got up to look at the fight, Uriel was able to keep up with the bandit dodging and attacking staying out of reach for now. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Wait where''s Lucas? I turned around to watch his fight. Lucas was dominating his fight he had disarmed the sword wielder, had knocked the other guy unconscious, gracefully he was wielding his blade. He, met my gaze "Here." He, said as he tossed me the bandit''s sword "Go".


    I leaped back into the battle now armed to aid Uriel. In a blink of an eye, she was on top of him, she wrapped her legs around his neck as I slashed into his leg. "CEASE." Uriel used her skill again but this time it worked for less than fractions of a second but that was enough as she shifted her weight and brought him down.


    "ELAD!!! HELP!!" Someone shouted as we turned to see Lucas elbow the bandit who shouted and rendered him unconscious. "EUHH" the next second, I saw stars as I was punched down by an arm so massive it made the ground crack and cave in.


    The bandit who we had just been fighting had grown two massive arms almost wider than tree trunks. "AAAGH. Enough playing I''ll end it now" The bandit yelled as he raised his arms again, but Uriel swooped in and pulled me away as his fist landed.


    "It''s alright, we won" Uriel assured as Lucas stepped forward blade in hand. Melodies began to fill the air as a large patch of small red flowers began to sprout beneath our feet swaying in the breeze. "Scarlet Field" he ushered.


    The bandit started shuddering "how? a space?" Lucas went to work, precisely avoiding and slashing the bandits clumsy attempt of defending himself and eventually he was knocked out too.


    "Well, that was easy, good job on not dying" Lucas complimented while giving us a thump''s up but Uriel just gave fed-up look and walked away. "Now then let''s rob these bandits hehehe" He spoke with a sheepish nearly evil grin while rubbing his hands together....and robbing he did.


    "Awww man these guys have noth-NEIGHHHH"Both Lucas and I turned around so quick, to see Uriel walking back with " HORSIESS!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I love you guys sooo much" he thanked the unconscious bandits. "We''re gonna be reaching the capital in no time now!"

 5-The Tavern

    The gale of wind was genuinely a refreshing moment as we rode into the night. Uriel had pointed out that a storm would soon be approaching and lo and behold she was indeed right as clouds began shrouding the starry night and enveloping the moon too. It had been a few hours since we had our encounter, and we were nice enough to leave a horse behind for our former acquaintances who so had graciously brought us gifts.


    Soon enough cold droplets began to rain down, the chillness quickly encompassed our bodies. I could see both of them shivering, their bodies randomly jolting from the cold every now and then, their teeth chattering, it was funny sight to see.


    "OH, my goddd...It''s soo..oo CO....LDDD" Uriel cried out, her teeth still chattering. " Bu..t I''d rather freeze than speeeend o..oone more nig......night outside"


    Lucas laughed like a maniac despite the cold, he genuinely found it funny and freezing to death wasn''t going to stop him.


    "I swear I feel as if my toes are gonna fall off, seriously why is it sooooo colddddd" Uriel then began cursing at the rain. " I''m go...ing to ... to be an ...ice figurine by the time we reaaaach the capital.


    "Come on y..you can do it, think of something hot maybe like Me!" Lucas spoke with a deep tone for the last word and gave me ''The Look'' then continued laughing his head off again." Oh, my god I''m dyingggg help me" Uriel couldn''t help and busted out laughing like a maniac together with him.


    I think they were crying while laughing but the rain made it hard to see, I could slowly feel a pang inside myself, bubbling up the feeling of being happy I think, and I couldn''t help but start laughing with them, both of them took a glance behind and continued laughing as we kept riding into a freezing storm.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    It''d had been close to an hour, the storm quieted down a little that we could at least see where we were going and to our delight, we made it onto a road of sorts not a very good one but one that had been used, we continued on this road for a while and there it was!! Lights! but this time it wasn''t moving so we hastened our horses towards it and soon enough we reached it.


    "Thank god it''s a tavern." Lucas sighed; we got down from our horses and enclosed them in the shed besides it, there were a few other ones besides from ours as we made our way into the tavern, it hit us the moment we opened the door the sweet and savory smells of bread, of the roast and stews. Oh, it was delightful indeed.


    Still drenched we sat down on the table closest to the fireplace that was lit, food was more important than warmth right now because we were famished. Uriel ushered the maid who was serving over towards us and ordered quite a lavish list of dishes, none of them sounded familiar to me, the maid looked at us with a concerned look but carried on with our order.


    "Would you like for me to conjure a robe for you milady, so you can change into it?" Lucas offered her. Uriel declined rather quickly so he turned towards me and gave me the same offer. I wasn''t bothered by the cold that much since the initial downpour and thought it would be rude to decline but before I could accept Uriel stopped me.


    "I''m warning you that''s not a good idea unless you want to end up naked and freezing to death in the middle of the night." I looked at Lucas and he had a look of jest in his eyes as he began to giggle to himself. "He can only maintain things if he is actively maintaining it or else it disappears that includes when he''s sleeping so unless you want to, I guess."  Uriel raised one of her eyebrows.


    "I..I''ll decline too" I stammered, Lucas just carried on with his antics.


    The food arrived and my gosh was it delicious, we vacuumed our food to every last bit of morsel, and drank to our hearts fill once we were done Uriel paid the maid and were about to inquire about lodging when a man in fine suit greeted us.


    "Ah greetings lady Uriel and Lucas child of Agnes" he took a bow and then he turned and looked towards me. "And you."he paused" You shouldn''t be here..."

 6-Secrets

    Blades were quick to be drawn out, inches away from the man''s neck, but he remained calmed rather he was not bothered at all. The light from fire glinted and flickered on his round spectacles hiding his eyes but his gaze remained fixated on us, slowly his lips twisted to amused grin before spoke.


    "I do apologise if I startled you, my friends."He smiled and gave us a graceful bow again. "Do forgive me for not introducing myself sooner and for my rash remark. Please call me Nic"


    "Who are you? An imperial noble?" Lucas barked, his blade still held steady."And how do you know about us?"


    "No, not all at all although you do flatter me. "He tilted his head slightly to the right still grinning. "Now then I would prefer if you did lower your blades for, I pose no threat." as he motioned us towards an empty table far in the corner with his cane...Wait where!? what? My mind raced he wasn''t holding anything a second ago.


    "Shall we then?"


    Lucas although reluctant he returned his blade to its sheath and turned towards us. "I do not sense any hostility from him neither does there seem to be any accomplice of his nearby but don''t get too comfortable now. I will rip your windpipe out if you try anything funny"


    "With due pleasure"


    We awkwardly and cautiously made our way over to the table and sat on the opposite side facing Nic who had now for some reason removed his coat and spread it over the backrest and it was indeed very much obvious from the get-go that there was an atmosphere of distrust looming above our heads.


    "Excuse me young miss" Nic waved at the maid and spoke with the polite tone contrasting the glow of the fire flickering behind him making him look like an intimidating shady dealer "Could you please fetch me a lovely cup of black tea and whatever my friends here may need?"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The maid rushed over to our table eagerly waited for our orders, Lucas raised his eyebrow and turned towards us.


    "So.... anyone getting anything...?"


    "I''m good"


    "Nope"


    "Alrighty then so me neither"


    And with that we had reached a new higher plane of awkwardness......Gosh this is embarrassing I thought to myself. This was something I had never experienced before.


    "My my, You guys are the most awkward bunch of fellows I''ve met. How have you managed to reach this far if all of you are so shy?"he sighed and dropped formal tone. "I really haven''t done anything"


    "Then how do you know about us?" Uriel was quick to question this unknown man who seemed to have known about them.


    ''Well, it is not that secretive when a noble of Rin and the Lucas travels through three countries and especially through the city of merchants and they haven''t decided to even leave replacements in their steads. It''s quite an easy information to get a hold off."


    "I guess that is true." It seemed after long consideration between them of just staring at each Lucas and Uriel decided they should hear out what this person wanted.


    Nic having seen them making up their minds took a sip of the tea that had been served "That alone is enough for the day, you all must certainly be fatigued after all that travelling I shall brief you tomorrow and rest assured nothing will happen"


    Lucas and Uriel knew better than to argue, they were indeed very tired and not to mention still soaked and this man did not seem to harbour any ill intention not to mention he definitely was hiding more than he let on so even if something were to go down we would be at a disadvantage and so Uriel got a small room to herself whereas Lucas opted a larger one for us to share.


    "Could I speak to you for a moment?" Nic called out me as we had begun tmoving to lodge for the night. Uriel had already made her way to her room it was now only Lucas, Me, Nic, and the staff. "Just for a second..privately." He ushered.


    I gave Lucas the ''it''s alright'' nod and he made his way up the stairs, but I knew he was still there prepared if anything went wrong. I guess we all knew since Nic came right beside my ears and whispered five words, at which my head dropped to the floor.


    "Meet me by the stables before dawn, before the birds awakens, meet me there alone. Now then good night." and with that he left, he walked past Lucas to his room.

 7-Land of Peace

    ''He'', came back last night with an emotion in his eyes that I couldn''t explain, it wasn''t fear, anger or dread. I should also speak to Uriel about giving him a proper name. In any case he did not sleep when he returned, he was up and way to the stables before dawn even approached and by what I can hear he seemed to have been sparring with the man called Nic from last night.


    With some new clothes on I went to meet them, and it seemed they had just concluded and were headed inside ''He'' still had that look of dullness in his eyes, but Nic seemed better spirit than he was previously.


    "Lucas" Nic called out to me "Morning how was your rest? Join us won''t you? it will be great if you did."


    We made our way back inside after we had made sure the horses were safe and fed, not much was spoken between the three of us ''He'' seemed a little preoccupied with his thoughts. Just what did Nic tell him? I worry for him, it had not been long since he woke up. Did they know each other? I have no idea but all that mattered now was that he was one of us and I have to look out for him.


    Uriel too soon joined us for a breakfast of eggs, ham and bread all washed down with a fruit drink that I haven''t had before in the City of Merchants let alone Rin. During which Nic advised us not to travel after dusk like before due to the increasing amount of normal people jumping into thieving and becomes bandits to make a living.


    "They aren''t bad people you see." Said Nic while chewing on some ham. "It''s due to their country being thrown into shambles so I would be really grateful if you don''t kill any of them if you encounter some. You could say in a way we are trying to achieve the same goal"


    "Oh? And what is that?" I asked


    "Help the people by stopping this war I guess" Nic smiled.


    It wasn''t a smile that masked evil intentions behind it, but it would be a lie to say I did not have a little bit distrust tucked away somewhere in the far corner of my mind. It would be better if I changed the conversation now as it seemed nothing more was needed or would be said about this matter.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Hey Uriel, don''t you think it''s about time we give him a proper name to call him by?". This was a pretty good time and way to divert the conversation. Gosh I''m a genius.


    "Oh yeah that would be lovely, won''t it? I did come up with a few names but first let me know if you have one thought up one for yourself" Uriel spoke as she began fixing his hair


    We looked at him, it wasn''t long since we found him unconscious lying in a puddle surrounded by ruins, his messy hair strands spreading out with the ripples and soaked wet. He wore a simple robe and pants his face was covered in grime, he didn''t talk a lot but was always curious and his choice to join us in this journey and how he ended up with us here was unexpected but it was nice to have his company.


    A minute or two went by but he couldn''t think of a name, so Uriel was more than happy to list out some which her hands kept busy.


    "Theo?"


    "Too many of those" I replied.


    "Oscar?"


    "Pretty good but doesn''t seem to suit him"


    "Kure?"


    "Too foreign I guess"


    "How about Ozzy?"


    "I think someone already has that name" Nic answered


    "Alright I guess" Uriel was racking her brains


    "But what if I already did have a name?" ''He'' asked.


    "Well, that''s alright, you can have this name until you get a real name" Uriel smiled


    "I see, thank you, I''ll choose the next name you pick then" He smiled gently, which was new and refreshing to see.


    "Alright then it shall be...." Uriel paused intentionally, she''s no better than me honestly in matters like this. She was done with his hair as she began tying it all up together and my... he really was beautiful, now that I looked closer his skin like sand with a brush of red, his hair kind of long that seemed like wheat swaying but instead it was white, it was tied up like an asymmetrical multi-tail, with it darkening around the ends.


    I gave my nod of approval to whoever got it, seriously my pal was a dime to look at.


    "Oliver!? We can call you Oli " Uriel exclaimed, she quite liked that name, Nic seemed quite content with it, and I had no objections either.


    "I guess it''s about time Oliver and his band make their way again. We will meet again soon." And with that Nic bade us farewell as we continued on our journey away from the comfort of the tavern.

 8-Tales of Death

    Oliver'' that was my new name. I had lot up my mind that I wanted to tell them a lot of knowledge that seemed forbidden, I caught glimpses of them as we rode but Nic''s warning from earlier in the day began to haunt me.


    "It is up to you whether you tell them or not, your choice to hide it or avoid it by yourself but know this, your choice will have massive consequences if not now then the future, would you trust them with your life or would you lie to remain companions?"


    My mind was in a battle torn between itself for I did not heed Lucas calling out to me a couple of times "OLIVER!" he, called out which finally pulled me out from my trance "Look ahead it''s the capital"


    Indeed, there was a large city looming in the distance which sat upon a plateau surrounded by fortified Wall as far as the eye could see. Large fields of greenery could be seen towards the left of walls with little people that looked like ants toiling in the fields and on the right side nothing much was there just plain ground with a few trees to make up for it.


    "By the looks of it, we should reach before sundown" Uriel mentioned, she was quite adept at navigating and had been the one leading us ever since we began our journey. We rode down the path as it finally seemed to be getting better the closer we got and the horses could now gallop faster, the breeze was beginning to feel cooler, and the sun''s glare now became a warm embrace. We were soon at the massive city gates.


    The closer we got, the better detail of the place became, walls that look slightly damp and cold that had seen better days, a group of what seemed like farmers were also returning after a day''s work, but they seemed to have hate or anguish in their eyes.


    "I do not think they look so happy now do they?" Uriel whispered to Lucas " And they seem to be going a little overboard with the security even for a gate" Now that she mentioned it there were indeed a lot of guards, and their icy gaze were locked upon us


    "State your business" one of the guards step forward Infront of us his tone wasn''t very friendly or welcoming.


    Uriel stepped up and with a graceful, yet formal tone spoke."Kindly grant us passage for we have arrived to aid the people nothing more nothing less."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Please wait, I believe one of you in the very least has the ability to use a skill proficiently?" his tone was more polite now, swayed by Uriel''s presence and her demeanor.


    "Yes, we do although Oliver here cannot. Will that be an issue?"


    "I will have to apologise milady, but you will need to turn back. The Divine Regent has issued a decree after he came into power that no one with ''skills'' are allowed to enter unless it is her own people of this country."


    "But that is impossible!" Both Uriel and Lucas seemed shocked. "How can that decree be declared while the Oath bearer  still lives? The divine Regent whether he holds that authority over the country would fear being destroyed for going against a Celestial rank."


    "Oath bearer or Cyrine as people would call her, was ranked last of the seven ranks but has remained unchanged for almost a century, she had power so great that when she did use her power the people who witnessed it would go blind. She stood for good and at that time there was another city as large as this called Clare as this was where she fought the tyrant that was ruling this country to a draw but ended up obliterating that city to rubbles. She then made an oath to work for the good of the people earning her the title of Oath bearer. A few weeks ago, After the disappearance of the tyrant, people believed she had ended him for good but then the civil war broke out which was surprising as we thought the people of this country would be thrilled to live under Cyrine''s rule."


    The guard after listening to Uriel explain the story to me, took a deep breath and turned his face firm.


    "Cyrine the Oath bearer is dead, and you will now turn back, or we have been issued to kill.


    The atmosphere turned cold in an instant they were firm in their resolve, Money or other things would not waver them for they had the call of duty in their eyes. But that wasn''t going to let them stop us either.


    "Let''s turn back guys, they won''t let us pass no matter what, time to head back to the tavern" Uriel beckoned us.


    And so, we walked back as the stars began to sparkle and the moon began to creep over. Uriel began gathering up some sticks to light up...... "WAIT!" I blurted out accidently a bit too loud and bit too quick.


    "What''s wrong Oli?" Uriel seemed concerned at my reaction and so was I.


    "Can''t Lucas conjure a flame instead? I pleaded.


    "I could but that uses ether, and we have sticks lying around so I could just light them up instead of actively maintaining one" He was slightly suspicious, but I couldn''t blame him.


    In that moment my head exploded to barrage of what ifs and should I? What if they turn against me what if they don''t? but it all came tumbling down like a deck of cards when Uriel put her arms around my shoulders.


    "It''s alright, you can tell us Oli, we won''t do what you think we will do." And then she smiled it was now or never, this would decide my fate.


    So, I grabbed a stick that Uriel had been picking and lit it ablaze.


    "I......." My voice still unsure and hesitant finally spoke out.


    "I have a red shadow."

 9-Sneaky Fellows

    With every flicker their gaze became more fixated upon a lone red shadow dancing by itself to the rhythm of the wind and flame. There was no choir of crickets or cries of birds to accompany it, for it seemed suspense was not necessary. It was dead quiet broken up only with the occasional rustle of wheat in the distance.


    I was ready to accept whatever befell me. If I had to face retribution for the sins of my past I would do so with open arms. I waited and waited yet there was no sound of steel leaving its rest neither was there any sense of bloodlust or hatred directed towards me. I sighed a breath of relief, it seemed the worst I had imagined did not come to pass.


    "A red shadow......" Lucas murmured while staring at me, I was unsure if he might hold any resentment towards it or me. "I can''t remember hearing about it."


    "The red shadow...I do know a little about them" Uriel spoke trying to recall."I remember reading about it in the library back at home, it was a lullaby that went."


    "Little red shadow, little red shadow.


    Loved by light and yet it hides.


    Kissed by her flaming lips.


    Dancing where the fire never dies.


    Little red shadow, Little red shadow.


    When will you rest your weary eyes?


    Shifting faces, a veil of lies


    Burning bright, yet fading slow


    Little red shadow, little red shadow


    Who will guide you to your rest?"


    "A hauntingly sad lullaby but that wasn''t all that was written. It has been recorded there has been a couple of sightings of people with red shadows, but none of them seemed to have been captured or killed but one thing has been confirmed" She looked at me. "All of them have the ability to use flames that burn red"


    Was it coincidence or my imagination? I could feel tingling sensations in my arms and body as if flames would burst out engulfing me, but nothing happened it must have merely been my mind playing a joke on me. We decided it would be best to talk while we rode back.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "You could be part of a special group of people like the ''Maximus of Unos'' or maybe like Lucas..."she seemed to have hesitated. " Like he''s from Agnes but that''s a story for later"


    "I''ve also heard of a cult calling themself ''Children of Light'' who do not interfere with any country in specific" Lucas mentioned. "Also get ready."


    By now we had reached a grove of trees, and they began unmounting, puzzled I got down and followed their lead, Lucas held his hand out for the torch in my hand and fastened it on the horse side by conjuring a handle to hold it and let horse loose on the path we were heading, out of the grove. It was then I realised they were tricking the guards in believing we were leaving and instead planning to make a run though the field undetected, I was in awe.


    "They will never expect a noble to run through the fields, especially one who is a fine and charming lady like me." She boasted while running ankle deep in wet mud


    I ran beside them as Lucas was kept an eye out while also conjuring and maintaining a camouflage of some sort. It wasn''t long before we reached a part of the wall which seemed unguarded. Uriel began climbing the wall with her bare hands and that too with absolutely no support, in a matter of seconds she was on top, she waved at us and disappeared behind the merlons and shortly a rope slide down, prompting us to climb.


    Over at the top we could see the vast city spanning out with little lamps lighting up the homes, torches hung by every house and signs...maybe a bit too many. Down below soldiers patrolled the city with their red uniforms as a few people walked around and right on top a mound stood a large fort.


    We got on top of a roof and began moving discreetly, mixing and pretending to be one of the locals certainly would have been a good idea but due to my shadow exposing us that was a no go, fortunately the houses were close enough to each other that just a simple leap would suffice.


    "Where are we heading?" I asked and we all paused


    "Looking for a lone person to question" replied Lucas. " And by the looks of it people have divided themself into three factions. First the people supporting and partaking in the military, Next the people unhappy with the military force and last but not least the people who aren''t bothered by these two and instead have taken up arms to become bandits or just has been ignoring all of them. Since the military are against us it would be a good idea to find someone who doesn''t like them."


    "Like the farmers from earlier. "Uriel added." They seemed pretty unhappy so maybe we could find one."


    "We could also maybe find the regent inside the fort and maybe have a talk?" I added


    "That would be a bad idea." A voice spoke behind us as a silhouette of a woman appeared and stood there. " You guys are some really sneaky fellows"


    Lucas tried manifesting a blade, but it seemed to no avail, was he out of ether? Knowing him that wasn''t the case. In a flash even faster than Lucas she dashed towards us and pinned him down while she grabbed Uriel''s throat disabling her from issuing a command and tried knocking me off my feet which I managed to dodge. "Not bad little rabbit." she praised only for her other hand to slam me down.


    It was then I noticed, both of her eyes had different colours, and they were glowing.

 10-Weird Woman

    "I believe there are only two things that are the hardest to do in this world...I hope they''re doing well." A man spoke to himself as he quietly spectated a pair of glossy beetles colliding near the fireplace. Their legs tangling in a brief struggle before one was flipped onto his back, it kicked the air helpless for a moment. It was perhaps by chance or merely the act of fate that he nudged the bug upright again. Who knows? After all he knew not of what the bugs spoke of or what fate whispered.


    He exhaled, with practised ease he gently cleaned his glasses the faint reflection of light and lives flickering in the lenses. Taking another sip of his tea, he let its warmth settle in his chest and then he spoke again as he looked back down.


    "They would fall, yes...but I believe someone will pick them if not then they still will"


    Back to the current events happening on the roof I was still pinned under her insanely powerful arm, my eyes looked for answers everywhere, a way to break free, a way to get us out of this situation but nothing seemed to help. I tried to uplift her restraint using my strength but her raw physical power far exceeded mine. Time was running out as looked at my companions, Uriel was wrapped around her arm trying every method she could to break free but to no avail as the light in her eyes were beginning to dim.... slowly but surely passing out.


    Lucas was desperately elbowing her ribs which seemed to be made of wood but that did not help either, his hair messy from being unable to move or do anything with her gaze glowing and fixated on him seemed amused.


    "My you surely live up to the rumours, don''t you? " She commended "And you fight well too girl"


    This was no time for praises, Uriel body was going limp, and I could nothing. "I don''t know who you are, but I WILL TEAR YOUR ARMS OFF " Lucas roared.


    "Oh? and how do you think that will happen my love, You can barely mov-"


    "I SURRENDER!!!" I screamed at which she calmly turned her gaze towards me, she was calm, way too calm as if her glowing eyes could look through me.


    "And who might you be love?" she questioned but that was enough I had done what I could and gotten her attention, the rest was up to him. The cold hard floor became soft and mossy the scent of flowers and hymns of anger began chiming in.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    FEAR.


    For a split-second warning rang all over the woman''s eyes and mind as she instinctively lunged back releasing Uriel who began gasping for air but that wasn''t the only thing that happened, Lucas was right there where the woman was going to land with his knees in motion and blade ready to be dyed red as he swung.


    The woman gained back her composure mid-air, and her eyes regained their glow for this wasn''t truly "The Rift" or as the common people call it " a space". This one was merely a bluff, but it did startle her and now she had to pay the price for it but as much as Lucas would have liked the idea, it wasn''t going to be with her life.


    She twisted her body mid-air, but Lucas was faster


    His saber whistled through the night, a silver arc straight into her exposed side. Too late to be dodged completely. "Tch" she thought to herself, she had shifted just enough, letting the blade glance off her ribs instead of it cutting deeper. A sharp sting bloomed as she felt warmness spread, slightly unfamiliar.


    She landed lightly her boots skidding against the tiles of a different rooftop. For a moment there was silence. Then she laughed.


    It began with a short chuckle then she erupted into a full-bodied laughter, she raised her head up as if she continued laughing. "Not bad" she grinned. " It''s been a while since that happened."


    Uriel was back on her feet but was still healing herself. The air was tense on who would attempt make the first move.


    "Thats enough" The Woman exhaled, rolling her shoulder as if shaking off the sting. Then, just as suddenly as the fight had begun, she stepped back and raised her open hands to her shoulder level.


    Lucas did not lower his guard down, Uriel clenched her fist as I kept my stance, anticipating another move. She let out a small sigh, watching us. Well, it would make sense.


    "Relax my dears," she said, shaking her head and spoke cheerily "I was just curious how strong you were"


    Uriel narrowed her eyes. "You attacked us outta the blue for that??" she was very obviously pissed.


    There was silence. No one could argue.


    The woman wiped the blood from her side and glanced at us again this time without hostility. "You''re all better than I expected. Thats a relief."


    "And why does that matter to you?" Lucas questioned.


    She did not respond right away. Instead, she turned her gaze to the city down below watching the distant torchlights then she towards the vast open space outside the walls.


    "You came here thinking you''d slip by unnoticed? But I saw you long before you crossed those walls" Her tone sounded that of genuine praise. " That kind of skill I had to check for myself.


    You''re the Regent, aren''t you? I questioned


    The woman blinked and let out an amused laugh. "Me? No."


    "I am Evane Daneith, the daughter of the former duke of Clare and now the leader of the rebels" She declared her name with pride.


    She looked back at us, crossing her arms and smirked. "I am not the regent, but I know who is."