Where Spirits Dwell

Jiordano walked down the dirt road with Skylar, mulling over the words of the seer as they walked towards what they hoped to be civilization. He tried not to let it bother him as he had no control over what was to come, or at least, that’s what he tried to believe.

As they were taking the road, Skylar was far ahead of him, scouting. He was amazed by how connected they were becoming, even in just the short time they’d been together. They were becoming like one entity, moving in reaction with the other, able to sense each others presence and intentions. Let alone the fact that they could now communicate telepathically, if Skylar initiated it.

He wondered when, or if, he would get these abilities on his own but whenever he asked her, she merely said he wasn’t ready yet. he found this remarkably true, he wasn’t ready for that, or any of this, yet. Just a couple of days ago he was merely a boy who worked at the inn. Now he was having supernatural experiences along with his guardian spirit and meeting god-like seers. Yet somehow, sticking by Skylar made it all easier to accept, even if she herself, was one of the constant impossibilities he was faced with.

His thoughts were interrupted as Skylar returned to him. She initiated a conversation telepathically; as they now did on a regular basis as they realized him talking to the air, wasn’t inconspicuous.

“We’re approaching a city, so be on guard and be ready. Prepare to flee if anyone senses something odd about you. And above all, do not, I repeat, do not disturb a Child of Eden.”

He wanted to question her more, but his mind got shut off, the connection severed. He cursed her inwardly as she roamed ahead again; perhaps he was ready for these strange skills he was supposed to possess after all. Then he rounded the corner and was shocked by what he saw.

It was a gorgeous city, with walls of pure white, unblemished despite the constant muck of nature. The sky above was a crystal blue, without a cloud to mar its clear boundaries. Guards stood by a massive gate in the center, their uniforms made up of unique blues and greens with a simple white feather emblazoned on them. Travelers stood in a long line, waiting to enter, many looking just as he was, shell shocked by the beauty of the outer walls. If he was an artist he would pull out a canvas and paint this scene so it could be viewed in awe for generations to come. A word rarely used came to mind, perfection.

Realizing he was no longer alone, he turned to see a lone girl running up to him.

“Hello! Welcome to the holy city of Zamaranth. Blessed be and may The Guardians be with you!” and with that she skipped away, twirling off to greet other newcomers.

He walked over and stood in the back of the line, marveling at the strange girl while Skylar materialized beside him. He felt her open the connection between them.

“What is this place, Skylar? What kind of people are these? It all seems like it has come straight from the land of imagination and dreams,” the line and he moved forward, both waiting for an answer.

“This place is called Zamaranth, better known as the City of Angels. Do you understand now? Just like your home, this city holds a factions influence as well, in fact this place is the very stronghold of The Guardians of Eden and the home of many of Eden’s Children.”

Then he paled as he truly was faced with the fact of where they were. He had only heard snippets of tales about this place from others, as cities under other influence were rarely discussed due to fear of The Order. It was said the leaders of Eden came from heaven itself, sent down to bring peace to mankind. Yet he had also heard other stories, of how the Children of Eden were truly fallen angels, come to this earth to revel in their sins, their faction merely a front. Both stories were a cause for alarm, regardless of which one turned out to be true.

Picking up on his emotions, Skylar responded, trying to soothe him, “It’s true the Children aren’t as holy as their followers would like you to believe but you have nothing to fear as long as you stay away from them. We need a place to stay to figure out our next move and it’s either staying here or out here, with the monsters.”

He closed his eyes, wishing everything could just go away. He had no wish to meet these so called angels, or enter their city, no matter how beautiful. Yet he knew that going in was wiser than staying out; the monsters had been restless lately, attacks becoming frequent, people going missing, entire villages going off the map. He swallowed his fear and smiled up at the guards as his turn came to enter the city, stronghold of a faction and sanctuary to deception.