CHAPTER EIGHT
Dark Amnesty
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as Rosan chased the blazing giant toward the gate. As he neared the gate, he jumped and aimed for the giant's legs, but the giant moved swiftly and avoided the attack before countering back. Rosan dodged hastily. "Damn, He moves fast to be so big. But I have to take him down," Rosan thought as he continued the chase. He noticed the gate ahead, with Rosetta and the others preparing for battle.
Rosan looked at the top of the gate, where he saw Silvara standing. He smirked and backed away from the giant as ice spikes rained down, momentarily pinning it to the ground. Rosan swiftly attacked the giant's monstrous head to end the battle, but one of the giant's axes interrupted, as it flew at him. He barely dodged it as it crashed through a house behind him. The giant roared as he broke free from the spikes. "You just won't go down, will you, big guy?" Rosan said to himself.
Rosetta glanced at the others. "We need to get out there!" she asked as she propelled herself over the wall. She landed on the other side and ran toward the fight. Talbis, Rivera, and Urision exchanged looks with each other.
"I think they got this," Talbis said with a laugh.
Rivera grabbed his ear and pulled him toward the gate. "Get over the damn wall," she said in a stern voice. She held onto him while he carried her over with giant leap.
Urision sighed. "Can we, for once, just go on a normal vacation?" he said as he followed the others, launching themselves over the wall.
The giant seized a porch post from a nearby house and hurled it at Silvara like a spear. Silvara quickly conjured an ice wall to intercept it, just in time.
Silvara summoned a gust of wind that extinguished the flame on the giant, causing him to stagger back. Rosan tried again to strike the beast's head, but got blocked again. The giant grabbed a nearby carriage and hurled it at Silvara once more. Silvara cast a spell but got interrupted when Rosetta unleashed a shock wave by punching the carriage. She watched the pieces fly around her.
"We can't let you have all the fun, can we?" Rosetta smiled as she spoke. Silvara smirked back at her. Rosetta looked as more undead surrounded them. "I love challenges." She charged in and delivered a roundhouse kick to one of the lifeless creatures. Each attack she made unleashed a powerful shock wave, tearing the monsters apart as she ran through them.
Silvara drew an Urumi—a sword as flexible as a whip. As she set it ablaze with magic, she launched an attack against the undead rushing toward her. "It seems like magic is the only thing that puts these things down for a while, at least." Her attacks resembled a dance as she moved gracefully, dismembering the undead.
"We must hold out until Elayne reaches the necromancer!" Rosan shouted as he thrust his flaming sword into an undead.
Rivera drew her bow back and launched an arrow in the middle of the crowd of zombies. The crystal arrowhead gleamed brightly before exploding. "I hope we can hold out!"
Talbis struck down a zombie that was about to attack Rivera. "She'll pull through, I know it!" He charged in, swinging wildly, with Urision following him, who drew a sword encased in ice. "Thought you'd chickened out!" Talbis made a teasing remark.
"You know what they say: the hero always shows up last," Urision said with a smirk. He looked at Talbis, who rolled his eyes and laughed.
"We need to stop this from getting through the gate," Rosan thought, slashing the giant through the chest. He looked at the others as he came up with an idea. "Silvara! The ice sheet, now!" He launched himself into the air over the giant.
Silvara placed her hands together, and a blue aura came from them. "Everyone get down, now!" A beam shot from her hands across the battlefield as everyone ducked low.
Rosetta looked at the undead as they had stopped moving. As if looking through a window, she saw a thin layer of ice above her. She reached out and touched the ice.
Rosan crashed down onto the giant, which was split in half by ice, striking its neck to sever his head from his body. The ice shattered, causing the undead to fall to the ground, defeated and dissolving.
"Defeated once more by a worthy opponent," the giant said with a smile as his body fell to the ground and turned to dirt like the rest.
Rosan and the others gathered outside the gate as the guards cheered from within. Exhausted from the battle, they approached the gate when suddenly Silvara halted. She cast a wind spell that swept everyone out of the way just as an incoming wall of fire attack struck the gate.
Rosetta breathed heavily as she pulled herself up to her feet. Rubble from the gate surrounded her, and she could hear the crackling of fire nearby. Rosetta glanced at the ruined gate before turning to Silvara, staring down the street. She limped toward her.
Rivera got up and found Talbis trapped under the rubble, struggling to free himself. She ran over and helped push the debris off him. "Come on, we need you up."
"I think my foot's crushed, but that won't stop me," Talbis moaned as he got up with Rivera's help. "What the fuck happened?"
Urision walked over, holding his hand, which had been crushed. "Damn it. We let down our guard too early. You gonna run away now?" He laughed as he picked up his sword with his good hand.
"Oh, no. You know me better than that. I got plenty of fight in me. Let's go play some more." Talbis limped to the others. "We could really use Elayne right now."
Rosan took the lead as he stood at the front. The sound of armor clanked as a figure walked toward them out of the flame, replaced only by the sound of the figure's Glaive dragging against the cobblestone.
Silvara looked with certainty. "The Dishonored. One elf died on that battleground so long ago. Crossed by his own. The High Order even struck his name out in dishonor. To think this necromancer could use someone like him as a puppet. This concerns me deeply."
Rosan readied his sword. "Elves aren't easy to control, even when they are dead. This necromancer is playing a dangerous game. Disrespecting these fallen warriors is a disgusting act. It will cost her." Rosan glared fiercely at The Dishonored. "This is not a foe we can go easy on." He thought.
The undead swarmed around them yet again, rushing into the gate ruins. Screams filled the town as people fought and fled.
"Urision, Talbis and Rivera. You three go assist the guards inside the wall." Rosan ordered.
"But what about the three of you?" Talbis asked, questioning the orders.
"We'll be fine. Follow your orders and go!" Rosan ordered.
Talbis gave a look of disapproval, but Urision punched him in his arm.
"Come on, they'll be fine. Let's go help the guards," Urision said with a smirk. Talbis followed, limping behind.
Rosan stared at The Dishonored, who looked at him like he was nothing before turning and walking away down a nearby alley. A look of surprise crossed Rosan's face. "Where is he going?" he wondered. "Is he heading to the other gates?" As his blade ignited with flames, Rosan slashed through the undead horde with a wave of fire and gave chase. Silvara and Rosetta followed closely behind him. "We can't let him destroy another gate." He said.
Visions of fire and brimstone came to Dison yet again. The screams were not there—just silence as white pearly feathers flew all around him. Dison looked in confusion as if it was a moment frozen in history. He reached out and touched a feather. "Where am I?" Dison thought. Looking around, he saw a bright light and walked toward it.
"I'm here." A woman whispered, but echoed.
Dison stopped when he heard a familiar voice. "Hello! Where am I?" he yelled back, creating an echo. "Who are you?" The blinding light made him close his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Kaida hovering over him.
"Are you okay?" Kaida asked, her voice laced with concern.
He rose and felt the chilly night air on his skin. "What happened?" He remembered the events and felt where his chest wound had been, but it was gone. "How?" he thought aloud. He looked at Kaida with curiosity. "Did you?"
"I believe so. I felt something rush through me when I saw you collapse after we entered the gate," Kaida said, looking at her hands. "You scared me. You can't be so reckless." She tossed herself on him, embracing him.
Dison wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't do anything. I just got injured and had to flee." He looked down in disappointment at himself and wonder. "I should be dead." He thought.
"You tried to help. That's more than most would do, Dison. Papa might have trained you to be a soldier, but you must remember you're not invincible."
"I wasn't even there for him or Tina when they needed me." Dison said, wallowing in despair.
Kaida looked serious, before raising her hand and slapping him. Noticing his surprised expression, she offered a reassuring smile. "You aren't alone in this, Dison. Stop shouldering everyone's burdens. Dad had faith in you, and I will be by your side."
Dison looked around at the guards and the town before standing up decisively and laughing. "Alright, that was the ultimate pep talk. We need to find Eliza. It's the only way to end this." He extended his hand toward Kaida.
Kaida smiled with relief. "Okay," she said, taking his hand as she followed him toward the town hall.
The sound of chatter filled the monastery's hall. The crystal light flickered across the statues and stone walls. Elayne kept struggling to get the ropes that bound her hands to come loose. The suspicious girl sat against the wall in Elayne's sight. "Hey," Elayne whispered, catching the girl's attention. "Come here."
The girl looked around and crawled over to Elayne. "I shouldn't be talking to you. Father Dorient said you're not to be trusted."
"I'm an Aardocian knight. You can trust me. I'm here to help."
The girl examined her clothing. "You don't look like a knight to me."
"I'm a mage knight."
"Never heard of those."
Elayne grew impatient. "Look, I need you to untie me."
"I don't think I should. Father Dorient would be mad at me, and I don't even know you."
"Okay, what's your name?"
"Sara."
"Okay, Sara. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Look, I need you to free me alright so I can get rid of the monsters outside."
"The woman said we'd be fine in here."
Elayne looked with dread. "What woman?"
"The woman in the cloak, she was nice to us. She told us to stay here because she wasn't after us and we'd be safe."
"What else did the woman say?"
"Nothing much, really. The woman gave us water and told us we might be here for a while."
Elayne's eyes widened as she glanced over the pews, noticing people drinking from leather canteens. She saw a man hand one to Dorient and urged, "Dorient! Don't drink that!"
Dorient paused and looked at her. "What are you going on about?" He walked to Elayne in anger. "You need to shut your mouth. You're scaring the people here."
"The water. The necromancer gave it to them."
"What? Why?" The sound of choking suddenly caught Dorient's attention. He turned to see people collapsing, shaking, and trembling.
Elayne looked at Sara, who was terrified. The girl stared at Elayne with tears before coughing up blood. She collapsed and trembled like the others. Elayne glanced at Dorient, who looked confused. "Untie me now!"
Dorient stood there, looking around in disbelief. "Why? Why would someone do this?"
"Dorient! They're dying! Untie me now!" Elayne shouted urgently.
The doors burst open as Eliza walked into the hall. "Forgive me, Father. For the gods will not. Not for this, I'm afraid!" she said with an evil grin.
"Why are you doing this? What have these people done to you?" Dorient asked seriously. "What are you after? That's worth all of this?!"
"Oh, Father, you know what you did. You and that bastard of a son of yours did to me," Eliza said as she walked closer.
"I've done nothing to you!" Dorient said with confidence.
"Are you sure about that?" Eliza asked as she looked behind her at Juliana, who floated outside. "I will avenge my sister's death."
Dorient looked in confusion. "Juliana?"
"That's right, priest. Your wrongs have come for you." Eliza said as she walked toward him. Each step creaked eerily on the wooden floor.
Elayne watched Sara crawl toward her in pain. She laid her hand on Elayne's leg before taking her last breath. Elayne's eyes filled with sorrow and then turned to anger. Dorient ran over and cut the ropes with a knife he pulled from his pocket. She picked up her staff as Dorient went to face Eliza.
"It's too late to save her, Father, or anyone else. Danestria burns tonight," Eliza said as she twirled as if dancing.
"You're insane," Dorient said as he approached her.
Eliza cocked her head to the side with an evil smile. "You mean to hurt me with that knife? Not very righteous of you, Father."
"I do what I must. To save more from your evil." Dorient walked cautiously toward Eliza.
Elayne watched Juliana and braced herself for what she knew was coming, covering her ears as best as possible. "Father!" The piercing scream echoed through the monastery hall, filling the space with intensity. Dorient backed away, holding his ears in distress. Elayne glanced and saw Sara twitch and wide as she rose to her feet with lifeless eyes. Elayne readied her staff. The undead charged at her, aggressively attacking as she fought them off.
Dorient ran at Eliza and grabbed her. "You foolish girl. Your sister isn't dead."
Eliza looked in disbelief. "No point in lying to me. It isn't a good thing for a priest to do."
Dorient reached into his robe and pulled out a letter. "I helped her, and she still writes to me." He put the letter to her face. "Read it. I helped her leave this place. The suffering your parents put her through. She lives in the eastern town of Galbrean. She's married and has kids."
Eliza took the letter, realizing the truth. "This can't be. Stop," she ordered the undead. They all halted.
Elayne felt a moment of relief as they nearly overwhelmed her. She created some distance between them and herself, backing slowly toward the back door. The raspy screeching sound coming from the undead made her feel uneasy.
Realizing the writing was her sisters, Eliza looked at Dorient with regret. "Why didn't she take me with her?"
"She wanted to, but felt like she couldn't care for you. You were young and your parents didn't abuse you like her. She figured you'd be alright." Dorient said.
"Why didn't she tell me?" She glared at Dorient, then turned to the banshee. "Then who are you?" The sound of Sara's screaming captured her attention. Eliza turned to see Sara shattering the occult crystal, which ignited her for touching it. She collapsed to the ground, burning to ash as the barrier disappeared.
The banshee glided through the doors with a wicked smile. "I am your sister," she rasped. "The sister who didn't abandon you."
"Reveal yourself, monster! Show us who you truly are!" Dorient demanded.
"As you wish, Father," the banshee laughed. Her face transformed before their eyes, revealing a young woman with scars covering her face. "Do you remember me now?" She said in anger.
"Imryll. My wrongdoings have truly caught up with me. It feels like divine punishment," Dorient said, filled with guilt. "You tricked the poor girl."
Imryll floated to Eliza. "I am the only one who ever truly cared about you. Your sister, your parents, even that boy from earlier. Where have they been? Ignoring you, just like everyone else in this town."
"You're right. No one even bothered to look for me when I left," Eliza said with conviction. Anger ignited in her eyes. "They'll pay for abandoning me. I'm going to pay my sister a visit. I have questions for her once we're finished here."
"She did what she had to." Dorient said.
"Shut up, old man." Imryll floated toward him. "Her sister will pay just like you will now. Do you remember what you and your son did to me?"
Dorient looked down at the ground. "I wish I could change that night repeatedly, but I can't." He recalled the last time he saw Imryll alive. His gaze fell on the corner of the pew, where he had witnessed Imryll trying to stab Dramus with a dagger and how he had stepped in between them. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself pushing her back, causing her to fall and hit her head on the sharp corner of the pew. He remembered the blood on that corner, which he continued to stare at.
Elayne stepped in front of Dorient and used her staff to unleash a blazing blast that engulfed Imryll.
However, a laugh escaped as Imryll emerged from the flames and seized Elayne by the throat. "You're being annoying. This is my moment. Get out of my way!" She tossed Elayne into the pews, but Elayne conjured a magical shield that absorbed the impact as she crashed through the pews and into the wall. "Wait your turn," Imryll said as she grabbed Dorient and lifted him.
Dorient struggled to breathe while held. "I am sorry for what happened. But this won't save you from your damnation." He said while he was choking.
"I don't want to be saved. I want you to suffer. Like I did. I've waited so long to be seen." Imryll smiled as she reached into his chest and grabbed his heart. "There it is. I'm surprised you have one."
Dorient felt Imryll's hand suddenly materialize inside him, causing excruciating pain. He tried to speak, but could not utter a word. Coughing up blood, he managed a smirk at her, filled with pity.
Imryll looked with anger as she pulled his still-beating heart out of his chest with his veins still attached. "Don't laugh at me! You killed me and concealed it from everyone, burying me on that battlefield to hide your wrongdoings. After your son and his friends raped me!" She screamed.
Dorient looked on with sorrow as he struggled to breathe. "May the gods forgive me. If I had known what he..." He took his last breath as she crushed his heart in her hand, and then Imryll hurled him against the wall and laughed hysterically.
"I stood before the monastery for what felt like an eternity, consumed by anger and a desire for vengeance. Yet, one person still deserves far worse than they have received." Imryll floated down to Eliza and said, 'Then you came along and spoke to me. You saw me, and I realized you were hurting just like I was. You and I are the same—betrayed and abandoned by the people we once believe cared for us."
Eliza looked at Imryll with an evil grin. "We'll kill them all."
Amid the chaos, Elayne made her way to the occult crystal shards. She equipped a crystal shard into her staff, which then glowed with a bright white light. She cast a fireball of golden flames at Imryll, setting her ablaze. Imryll flew into the air, screaming and struggling to extinguish the fire. The bright glare blinded Eliza. Just then, Elayne rushed in and struck her with the staff. "You can end this! You killed all these people for nothing." Striking Eliza once more. Elayne shouted, "Tricked into becoming a monster!" as she knocked Eliza to the ground.", then went for the finishing blow.
Eliza looked with anger. "Kill her!" She summoned the remaining undead.
They emerged from their frozen state and attacked Elayne. Elayne cast a blazing blast that burned the undead to ash. Eliza seized the opportunity to run outside. She wiped the blood from her face, trying to compose herself as footsteps drew closer. She turned to see Dison and Kaida. "Why didn't you leave when I told you to?"
"How could you do this, Eliza?" Dison looked at her with wrath in his eyes. "The people who were always there for you."
"They were never there for me! No one was," Eliza said in rage, a cruel smile curling her lips. "My sister is gone, and they all knew she abandoned me. When I'm done here, I'll go visit her and her new family."
"I was there for you, Eliza. All of those days help you with chores and play after. That meant nothing?" Dison said.
Eliza looked down with uncertainty. "You..." Unexpectedly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and saw an arrow lodged in her. Turning, she noticed Kale stepping out of an alley with a bow.
"I'm not running this time," Kale said coldly. "You are the one who killed my family." He pulled a dagger and walked toward her as she stumbled away.
"Kale, she's done, don't," Dison said. "It's over."
"Nothing is over as long as she lives," Kale said seriously. "Look around you Dison. She's murdered so many."
Imryll flew out of the monastery into the puddle of water, disappearing entirely, extinguishing the flames.
Kale backed away with caution. "Where did that thing go?"
"We're not done yet," Imryll rasped as everyone looked around. She rose from the ground in front of Eliza and screamed. Everyone covered their ears in pain. The undead came dashing in from all around.
Dison regained his footing, though he still felt dizzy. Drawing his sword, he positioned himself between Kaida and the approaching undead. Suddenly, icy spikes cascaded from the sky, forming a wall separating Dison, Kaida, and Kale from the undead horde. Dison looked above to see Silvara floating down in the wind. Rosan and Rosetta landed beside them.
"Mind if we crash the party?" Rosetta said with a smile.
Dison returned the smile and said, "You're late." he said as he walked to her side and drew his sword.
Eliza stumbled down the street, gasping, "Not yet. I can't die yet. I'm not finished." She said before collapsing onto the ground. "I can't die here."
Imryll approached her and gazed into her eyes. "You're not giving up, are you? This was always a possibility; you knew this."
No, I am prepared to risk everything for this. The Brotherhood of Zoldranas is my family now. I promised them my life, and I must go on."
"Will you do anything to keep that promise?" Imryll asked with an evil grin. "Our survival depends on you doing anything."
Looking at Imryll with confidence. "Do it."
Imryll let out a melodic laugh. "As you wish," she whispered. With a tender yet deliberate motion, she cradled Eliza and forced her body into Eliza's. A shiver coursed through Eliza's body as her skin transformed into a deep shade of gray, casting an eerie pallor over her. Her eyes, once ordinary, now shone with an enchanting crystal blue, bright and otherworldly. Eliza's fingers elongated, stretching like tendrils, while her facial features subtly shifted, sinking inward as if she were becoming something ghostly. Their voices blended together, making it sound like they spoke simultaneously. "We shall bring chaos to this world and rule over their despair. For we are The Lich."
Dison looked at the monstrosity Eliza had become. "What have you done?" he thought. "Who filled your head with this madness?!" He listened as she, the Lich, roared, calling to the undead.