I stood before the forest
just north of Damon's Spire. I took a deep breath. I was almost
there. I would meet with Damon before this day came to an end.
It was hard to believe that
I had made it thus far. Moreover I never would have believed when
I woke up that fateful day, not much more than a week ago, that
it would be the last memory of my normal life. It seemed that I
was now intended to walk alone. It was rather disheartening
thinking of such things.
A flash of light from a
nearby tree caught my attention and the melancholy thoughts were
forgotten.
"What are you doing!
He will see you!"
"He can not see us! We
are invisible remember!"
"But he looked over
this way! How can you be sure?"
"Shh! He may not be
able to see us, but he can hear us. Now be quiet!"
"Do not tell me to be
quiet!"
"Dare you not get
saucy with me! This was your dull-witted idea to spy on
him!"
"We are not spying on
him!"
"Really? And just what
do you call hiding behind trees and making ourselves invisible to
him exactly? Sounds a lot like spying to me!"
"Shh! He is coming
this way!"
I could not find the source
of the light I had seen, but I could hear arguing voices. Where
could they be hiding? I could clearly make out the voices yet I
could see no one. Odd, indeed.
"Hello?" It was
worth a try calling out to them. Or was it just my hearing? There
were so many things in this world that I could not be sure of
since my life had upended.
"Just great! This is
all your fault you know!"
"What! Are you out of
your mind! Look, I am out of here! Watch him all you want!"
"Eiyuu, where are you
going? Come back here this instant! Of fine then... Eek!"
She was a beautiful,
petite, Faerie. Black, shiny, locks, with oval, golden, eyes.
Eyes filled with embarrassment and... Fear. Damn! In all of the
commotion the wind had blown my hood off revealing my eyes.
Accursed eyes!
I pulled on the hood hiding
my face again. "Please, do not be afraid. I will not harm
you."
She stood there frozen,
akin to a statue... akin to the statue at Althena's shrine. I
tried to shake the feeling. It took effort for her gaze held
mine.
"I swear. No harm will
come to you by my hand. I am merely traveling to Damon's
Spire."
"I know."
I was taken aback. What did
she know?
"I know that you are
the cursed one. The one from the legend."
"Legend? What
legend?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'The
cursed one shall arise,
A traveler with devil eyes,
Trekking
to the great tower,
Unlocking hidden power,
Finding
his fate he will deny,
What is to be done en' defy,
Written
scripture in the book,
While there a life will be took,
Loss of
the one will be great,
Lunar's cry will resonate...'
A life taken? Should I be
dumfounded by this legend? Or should I dismiss it, as was my
first inclination? Should I worry whose life will be taken? I
wished so that I could keep a clear mind about this. Perhaps if
this legend were nothing I would not worry so. Though I did not
want to admit it, there was a part of me that could not just
expel its words.
I looked around the small
library I had been guided to. I was still in awe of the magic
that had reduced me from my human size to that of a fae. Zura,
the one that I had found watching me knew much of the legend. She
was convinced that I was the one it spoke of.
I looked back to the old
text and turned the page. On the back of the latter page was a
pictorial of the legend. The drawings looked as though they had
been drawn by a very young youth of about five or so years of
age. I had nothing in common with the 'cursed one' save for the
eyes. My skin was not pale, nor had I sprouted fangs, claws, or
knee-length, hair.
I smiled then. These
drawings, even if inappropriate, reminded me of Portia. She
hadn't an artistic bone in her body. She could have drawn these
herself... My smile faded then.... Worry not Portia, I am close
to the answers. Not only will I discover what has changed me; but
I will find you as well.
I turned a few more
pages... What? What was a mirror doing inside of a book? I
lightly touched its smooth surface. Strange. It was warm. I
continued to stare, for how long I know naught.
"Yasuo." My name
was followed by the appearance of an elderly fae. "I am
Hakushiki. Leader if you will, of the fae folk. I am sorry for my
delay. I hope that your interest as been piqued in our modest
library."
"Quite. I was
unfamiliar with the legend of the 'cursed one'. Zura believes
that I am he."
Hakushiki moved into the
room and took the seat next to me, and chuckled. "Yes, Zura
is most imaginative, which has gotten her into quite a bit of
mischief in her years. Did she tell you that her whole name is
Itazura?"
'Mischievous'. I smiled.
"Zura has told me that
you are on your way to Damon's Spire."
"Yes." I looked
back to the book. "I am searching for answers."
"Who is not. Would
this include the magic emperor?"
"Only if he is
involved. I am searching not only for answers to problems that
plague me, but for the whereabouts of a very close friend."
I tried to look away from the book then, but strangely I could
not.
"I see. Well then
Yasuo, it appears that you are fortunate that the magic emperor
is not involved. Although I have heard that he is not such a bad
man. He has come to me himself and asked if my people and I would
want his protection."
"Protection? From
what?" It seemed that Hakushiki realized he had said too
much and cleared his throat.
"Ah, nothing really. I
believe he was just offering. The fae are strong, but it is
favorable to have such a strong man on our side."
"Indeed." He was
lying, but it was no business of mine. I stood and picked the
book up as well.
"I see you have had a
chance to read the legend. It does not go into great detail about
the cursed one, so you see, anyone could claim to be him. Even
so, it is a legend to be wary of. No one is quite sure what will
happen to the cursed one after he reaches Damon's Spire."
"So, it is a definite
that the great tower is Damon's Spire?"
"I suppose. That is
what has been passed down for generations. I have read and heard
many other things concerning the legend. That may not even be the
original text you hold. It was once believed that it was
rewritten, or that translators embellished the true myth,"
Hakushiki replied as he too stood.
"What is this mirror
for? It seems peculiar that a mirror be placed in the middle of
the book."
"An ancient relic I
presume. I am unsure. It has never been used for anything useful
as far back as I can recall."
"To each his own I
suppose." I was suddenly hurled into a bookcase across the
room! "What is this!"
Hakushiki stood in place
with his mouth gaping.
The book floated before the
shelf I was about to place it on.
"I assume this has not
happened before." An idiotic question no doubt, but what was
there to say? Such things even in this land were bizarre to say
the least.
"I-it is a-an o-omen!
Ahhhh!!!" Hakushiki shouted as he ran from the room.
"Yasuo."
Only when I stood did I
feel the pain in my back. I would need to change the bandages on
my back; at least one of my wounds had reopened when I hit the
bookshelf.
"You are beginning
to believe, Yasuo. No matter how much you try to convince
yourself otherwise. Soon, you will know."
A breeze filled the room as
I walked towards the book.
"Yes Yasuo. You can
no longer deny this. No longer can you deny that this is all a
dream!"
The breeze grew to a strong wind, the lantern flames were extinguished, the room fell into darkness, and as I stopped in front of the book my hood blew off. Lightening lit the room for a split second, and my breath caught in my throat, choking me as though someone or something had slipped their hands around my neck! The reflection in the mirror had not been mine; it had bee the reflection of the cursed one!
§ Chapter 10 § Tear Main § Chapter 12 §
