The climb up Mount Kharath was steep, with the cold wind howling through the jagged peaks. The air grew thinner as Soren and Jupiter pushed onward, their breath visible in the frigid air. The mountain loomed above them, a place of ancient power and danger. Soren kept his calm demeanor, but he couldn't help noticing how quiet Jupiter had become.
"So," Soren began, breaking the silence. "I know the stories you shared in Arkelion weren't true."
Jupiter, always quick to joke, laughed softly, though the laughter faded almost as soon as it began. He couldn't shake the feeling that something familiar awaited him up on that mountain. His usual carefree attitude wavered, and Soren noticed. As they climbed higher, Soren asked again, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Jupiter replied with a forced smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Just enjoying the view."
Soren wasn't convinced. "Are you worried about Elara?"
Jupiter shook his head. "Of course not. She's strong as hell, stronger than she looks."
"Then why are you so quiet?" Soren pressed.
Jupiter sighed, the weight of his memories pulling him down. "It's not about Elara. It's what Dr. Skarvald said... about the ruler of this mountain. Someone who can thrust through towns with a lance. I… I knew someone like that once. But that was a long time ago."
Soren, sensing the gravity of the moment, walked beside him in silence for a few moments. Then he gently urged, "Tell me more."
Jupiter didn't respond at first, but the memories were too heavy to keep inside. He began to speak, his voice quieter than usual, as the past came flooding back.
Five years ago…
Jupiter lived a peaceful life on an isolated hill, near a small village. He was mentoring a young girl named Runa, who was 13 at the time. She was bright, full of life, and always eager to learn. Jupiter had grown close to her and her older brother, Raven, who was the same age as Jupiter. The three of them spent almost every day together, training, laughing, and enjoying the simple life.
Jupiter remembered teasing Raven constantly during their training sessions.
"Why do you always thrust with your lance?" Jupiter would ask with a grin. "Are you ever gonna learn any other moves, or is thrusting your only trick?"
Raven would roll his eyes, his competitive spirit never letting him back down. "Shut up, Jupiter. I like fighting like this. It's precise."
Their banter would always be interrupted by Runa, pouting and stomping her feet. "Mentor Jupi! Stop messing around and teach me something cool too!"
Jupiter smiled, patting her head. "Alright, alright. Wait for me, okay?"
As night began to fall, they returned to the house, working on alchemy and potions, something that always fascinated Raevyn. That night, Jupiter had a special lesson planned.
"Raevyn," he said, holding up a dead flower. "Wanna learn how to bring this back to life?"
Her eyes lit up with excitement as Jupiter went to gather the ingredients. While preparing the resurrection potion, Jupiter placed the potion cup beside a cup of juice. a knock came at the door. Raven had returned from his training.
"How's Runa doing?" Raven asked, stepping inside.
"She's great," Jupiter replied. "I was just about to show her something cool! Come in."
But before they could continue, a loud thud echoed from the alchemy room. Jupiter and Raven rushed in, only to find Runa collapsed on the floor. Her veins had darkened, and her skin began to lose its color. Horror washed over them as she slowly transformed into something unnatural—undead.
Jupiter's heart stopped. His eyes darted to the floor, where the cup he had placed the resurrection potion was spilled. The potion had been meant for the dead, not the living. In her excitement, Runa had mistakenly drunk it, and now she was becoming something monstrous.
"No... no..." Jupiter whispered, panicking.
Raven, on the verge of tears, screamed at his sister. "Runa! Wake up! It's going to be okay!"
But Runa wasn't Runa anymore. She lunged at them with unnatural strength, her eyes devoid of life, her body now a puppet to death. Jupiter, in shock, couldn't move. He had done this. He had turned his student into a monster.
Suddenly, Runa's body suddenly went still.
Raven, crying and desperate, looked at Jupiter with horror and rage. "What have you done? What happened to my sister?!"
Jupiter's words failed him. He tried to explain, but the guilt consumed him. "I… I didn't mean to... I'm sorry..."
Before he could say more, Raven punched him, hard, sending him sprawling to the ground. Jupiter laughed bitterly through his tears, then cried, overwhelmed by the weight of his mistake. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Raven, unable to bear it, ran out of the house with Runa in his arms, desperate to find help. But as Jupiter lay there, dazed, he heard an explosion. He staggered outside and saw the village below in chaos—a blizzard had descended upon it. People were screaming, and fires were being snuffed out by the icy storm.
Jupiter looked up, and in the stormy sky, he saw a figure—an ethereal being carrying two children. Then, in a flash, the being and the children vanished into thin air.
Back in the present…
Soren walked beside Jupiter, listening quietly to his story. "I'm sorry," Soren said softly, understanding the depth of the guilt Jupiter carried.
Jupiter, though, waved it off, forcing a smile. "No, no, it's okay. I mean, were you the one who turned Runa into a zombie? No? Then we're good!" He chuckled, but the laughter didn't quite reach his eyes.
Soren, thinking about the figure Jupiter saw in the sky, furrowed his brow. "Do you think it was Khione?"
Before Jupiter could answer, a cold voice echoed through the mountain pass.
"You still remember all of that, don't you, Jupiter?"
Soren and Jupiter stopped in their tracks. Emerging from the shadows was a figure Jupiter hadn't seen in years. Raven stood before them, his eyes cold, his face hardened by years of pain and loss.
To be continued...