The Red Glaive

The five of them stood before the chamber doors nervously. The structure was made of jagged stone but looked like it had been made thousands of years in the past. Inside was pitch black, but Caius stared at the darkness defiantly. He wanted the Path of the Leviathan like his father before him and there was not a doubt in Aeria’s mind that he would entreat the leviathan to appear.

Niko didn’t seem to care. His nerves were displayed clearly on his face. He peered into the opening wide eyed. “Strange magic lives there.” he whispered to Aeria. The other two in their group seemed just as nervous.

The sages, dressed in bright red hooded robes, came up to them and encouraged them to drink a strange dark mixture. It swirled with its own thick juices and steamed with magic. Aeria brought it to her lips and took a cautious sip. It poured down her throat like water and had a sweet taste. She chugged all of it afterwards.

Glaive Tarda appeared before them. “You will see things within that are beyond the realm of understanding. Prophecies both true and false. Things that were or could've been, but do not take what you see as utter fact, doing so will lead to folly. Some of these visions might be terrifying, but it is the will of the gods, they wish to test you, to see if you are worthy of their presence.”

“What if they don’t appear!” Niko said panicked. “If the gods don’t appear how do we escape that anguish?!”

The old glaive watched Niko with a kind smile. Then, brought his hand to his face so that all could see the mark that had been scorched into the back of his hand. “Then you find your own path.”

Niko gulped.

“Everyone please step into the chamber now.” One of the sages said. Aeria put her hand on Niko’s shoulder to reassure him.

Caius was the first to enter with Niko right behind him and Aeria right behind Niko pushing him lightly forward. Their other two companions entered just as nervously. All five looked at the opening as the sages blocked the opening and left them in the pitch black chamber.

For a long time no one said anything, the stood there in dark like deer waiting to be pounced on. Aeria stood for a long time, it seemed close to an hour.

“How long have we been waiting?” One of their companions said.

“About four hours.” She heard Caius say.

“Almost an hour.” Aeria said.

“A few minutes.” Their other companion said. She could only imagine the confusion on everyone’s face. They all had a different answer.

“Time is distorted here.” She heard Niko answer lowly. There was a strange sensation in the room, like the static before a storm. The air around them seem to hum.

“Hold on to me.” Caius said, Aeria felt around her but she couldn’t find Caius or Niko for that matter. They had been standing right next to each other when they went in.

“Caius?” Aeria called.

“I am here.” but his voice sounded so small and far away.

“They’re flooding the room!” One of their companions was heard shouting in the distance.

“Where are you!” Niko’s voice echoed, like he was shouting deep cave.

Aeria turned on her heel trying to pinpoint the source of his voice. All around her there was only darkness. There was a low growl behind her and when she wheeled to face it she felt herself being pushed backwards by some invisible force.

Aeria fell, but when she thought she would land she only continued to fall. Small speck appeared above her, stars, she was falling through space. The night sky painted with small shimmering stars and shades of violet and blue. She fell further, it wasn’t the sky but an eye that held the night sky within fixed upon a snowy skin and white hair.

There was a sharp cry, strange sounding then a child’s wail. Aeria looked above her and saw the ground coming at her at alarming speed. Aeria shut her eyes, expecting a gruesome impact. There was a child crying somewhere and Aeria opened her eyes. She was dressed in the black uniform of a glaive, her hood was pulled over her head and a mask over her face. She stood over a red haired woman.

“My son.” She cried with a trembling voice. There was a horrible gash on her stomach and she held her insides in her hands. “He must die, please!” she begged. “If you are a glaive, a true glaive, you end his life. . .” her eyes shut and her breathing grew ragged, before she collapsed.

The child’s cries grew frantic as if sensing his mother’s death. Aeria turned towards the cries. Another glaive stood there, his mask and hood pulled over his head. In his arms he held the source of the crying, a small child, maybe days old. “We can’t.” The other glaive said behind his obscured features.

Aeria raised her hand and enclosed around an invisible hilt. She yanked hard and unsheathed her sword from the empty space, it materialized in a shower of white sparks.

Aeria yanked backwards and she fell out the glaive’s body. She fell down, though the ground, looking up she see them standing above her as if they stood over ice. She drifted downwards until she landed gracefully on the floor on her side. A bright light shone on her and she could feel a thousand eyes peering at her though the darkness.

Tibats.

A voice ordered and Aeria rose but there was nothing to be seen. There was a spotlight on her and no visible audience but she knew they were there watching her just beyond the light.

There was a low rumble and Aeria turned. Illuminated under a second light, a withered king sat on his throne watching her in amusement. Aged white hair clung off his golden crown. All she had to do was see the red of his eyes to know that she knew him. She had seen him before.

He stood and walked down the steps of his throne towards her. Aeria stepped back but she didn’t move place. The light wouldn’t let her leave. All the while, the king approached her his crown gleaming in the light. He seemed to age backwards as he moved until he was just in front of Aeria. His features constantly contorted and shifted, only the eyes remained the same blood red color. The same as hers.

Aeria couldn’t speak, her breathing was jagged, but she couldn’t hear herself. There was no sound.

Long thin fingers tucked her hair behind her ear before resting on her cheek. Aeria watched paralyzed. There was something almost tender in his touch, yet sinister in nature. His hands moved to her arms and they held her in place before he leaned in. Aeria clenched her eyes shut and felt his breath in her ear.

“I thought you’d be harder to break.”

Aeria’s eyes snapped wide open, cold grey eyes stared back her in malice. Shouting, Aeria pushed Dorian away from her. He was completely naked and Aeria reeled backwards but tripped over the folds of her massive dress. It was bigger than she remembered and the fabric seemed to spread over all the floor.

She was back in her father’s library, only not really. The walls were painted red, the books were off the shelves and stacked in tall piles on the floor and there were heavy bars over the door. Above her, her red pendant was massive and hung from the ceiling like a chandelier. In the corner, Donavan Finch stood blindfolded with his hands held over his ears.

“Papa!” Aeria called in a moment of weakness but he did not come to her aid.

Dorian was on top her, his bare naked flesh crushing her under his weight, he seemed so much bigger than her, he was growing. His hands closed painfully around her wrists and slammed them hard onto the floor, only it wasn’t made of wood, it was a mirror. “You thought you can hide? I will find you.” his voice was savage. “You are no glaive, I can see you.”

The dress vanished leaving her completely and utterly naked under Dorian, only it wasn’t Dorian. His eyes glowed red and his hands had contorted into terrible claws.

“Your so called friends will turn you in the second they figure you out.” he growled, “They will never call you their equal.” he said before he leaned in and his mouth began to suck on the skin on her neck painfully.

Aeria was at a loss. Everything she had done until know hadn’t helped her at all. She was still weak and she was still afraid. Still, she struggled hard against his grip and her wrists were already horribly sore. She glanced desperately at the massive pendant hanging off the ceiling as if it would give her the strength she needed.

No, her strength didn’t come from the glamour, or pretending to be Ariel. She got to where she was because she didn’t give up. Persistence was her greatest virtue.

It wasn’t Dorian over her, it was nothing but a lowly devil feeding on her fears. Aeria angled her hand towards the monster’s grip and released all the healing magic she could. The devil, still wearing Dorian’s face, pulled away giving Aeria enough space to raise her glowing hands to his face. It reared back, howling and clutching its face as it sizzled and crackled.

Aeria was on her feet quicker than devil could recover. Her hands trembled and she was terrified.

Dorian’s skin had turned grey and his legs contorted into beastly appendages. “You are nothing! Even your father didn’t want you, he sold you to me!” he rushed at her again and Aeria rose her hands to his face his flesh burned beneath her light but he ignored the pain. He gripped her by the neck violently. “You belong to me! My property!” he spat savagely.

“NO!” Aeria shouted and the light in her hands flooded out like tidal wave leaving Aeria temporarily blinded. The tight grip around her neck vanished and the devil could be heard screeching in pain. Aeria pulled her hands back, receding the magic.

Huddled in a ball on the floor weeping was Dorian Stone. He seemed like a small boy.

“I will never be yours.” Aeria said and he stopped weeping. He looked over his shoulder to look at her, the coldness of his grey eyes returned.

“That’s what you think.” he said with a smirk before vanishing in black smoke.

Every muscle in her body felt fatigued, Aeria needed rest. She felt her self fall but was caught in someone’s arms.

“Careful my love.” a soft voice whispered in her ear.

She was in a room with stone walls, a tower perhaps. Small birds sang outside the single large window. They were high above the tree line. There was a crib in the room and dozens of small toys were scattered about. A nursery?

“Let me help you.” the voice said as they walked her over to a rocking chair and helped her sit. There was a man in front of her, only Aeria couldn’t see his face. “Don’t overexert yourself, it’s not good for the baby.”

“Is momma okay?” A little boy appeared from behind her. Aeria watched him wide eyed, he looked like her, only with the hazel eyes of her sisters. No trace of red.

“She just needs a little rest.” the man said placing a hand lovingly over her stomach. Aeria glanced down, she was wearing a loose gold dress, but she could only focus on the bump over her stomach. She didn’t know what to think, or what was going on, only that within her belly there was life.

He placed a hand over her chin so that she could look at him. Aeria stared directly into his eyes but it was as though her mind couldn’t register what she saw. He kissed her softly.

“That’s gross!” the little boy exclaimed and shielded his eyes from the perverse display. The man smiled and pulled away.

“I don’t understand.” Aeria said, but it was as if he didn’t hear her. He placed another kiss on her forehead.

“Poppa someone’s coming!” the little boy said by the window and the man went to stand by him.

“See the banners?” the father said. “It’s your patrino.”

“The king!” the little boy said excitedly and made his father laugh.

“You know how upset he gets when you call him that.” he said and ruffled his son’s hair. The little boy groaned and attempted to fix his hair. Aeria didn’t understand what was happening or what she was being shown only how content it made her feel.

“Is Uncle Telfer with them?” the little boy said and his father replied but there was no sound coming from his lips. Instead there was a rumbling and the walls shook, then a loud rumbling voice was heard.

mutpircsni tse murutuf…

The room stopped shaking and Aeria glanced back at the father and son and Aeria gasped. They spoke to each other with soundless words as if nothing was wrong, but staring back through the window a massive eye stared back at her with a vertical slit pupil. It eyes burned the color of the sun.

It pulled back and Aeria could see its massive maw opening revealing a line of jagged teeth and a forked tongue. Before Aeria could warn the unaware father and son they were engulfed in a torrent of fire. Lunging forward, Aeria foolishly attempted to grasp onto the pair but her hand caught empty hot air as she too was consumed by the fire.

The fire pulled back and Aeria was dressed as a glaive, only her uniform was worn and torn in places. Ahead of her stood a strange creature she had never seen before. Its coat was the purest shade of white she had ever seen like snow under moonlight. Four nimble legs supported a sleek body and thin neck. Nestled between and slightly under over sized ears was a coiled horn and Aeria knew immediately what it was.

A unicorn.

Its eyes, filled with the stars of night sky, stared past her like she wasn’t even there.

Aeria turned and came face to face with a beast she knew immediately, a dragon its hide black like the emptiness of the abyss. It roared, the power of its cry knocked Aeria off her feet. Her very bones seemed to vibrate.

Then the fire came aiming directly at the unicorn, but it was ready. It reared back, its horning glowing with a familiar white light, before coming down again. A wall of fractured glass appeared before it and Aeria and caught the flames. The glass cracked and chipped but held.

The dragon stopped its torrent only to see the unicorn, tiny in size by comparison, charging forward. The dragon reared and flapped his leathery wings in a attempt to fly but the unicorn managed to impale its horn onto its leg. There was a strange sound and the dragon roared as white light moved under it’s hide before bursting onto the surface.

Hot blood showered down to the scorched earth and the dragon fell as its leg was left a mangled mess. Without its leg it couldn’t launch itself into the air to get away. The dragon swiped its talons at the unicorn in a attempt to defend itself, but it brought its horn up and a pillar of stone rose up from the earth stopping the blow.

Its horn shone again and the white light split into four and launched at the wounded dragon like spears cutting through flesh. The dragon whined, its eyes blazing with fury and defiance. It roared again and a down pour of fire emerged from its maw again. The unicorn froze before building its glass wall again. The glass cracked and crackled but the deluge didn’t stop. Large chunks of glass began to chip away as the fire only seemed to grow in strength.

metrom da euqsu eratrec sitaf muger muroud.

The unicorn’s strength wavered, but the dragon limped closer as fire spewed from its maw. The cascade of fire only ceased when the dragon was close enough to snap its jaws around the body of the unicorn.

The unicorn cried in it’s maw and blood poured out of it’s wounds like liquid gold. It twisted in its maw before its horn found the soft flesh of the dragon’s maw. The dragon screeched and dropped the unicorn.

The unicorn stood on shaky legs, in its eyes determination. None would fall to the other without guarantee of mutual self destruction.

The fighting had to cease. It would only lead to the end of them both.

Aeria stood and raced to stand between them. “Stop!” she pleaded and it was as if they could finally see her. “Stop. . .” Aeria said wearily.

Retnegilid tigele aut caf. seger retni ats ut.

She could hear the voice. The unicorn and the dragon froze as the voice spoke in it’s twisted language. Only, this time, she found that she could make out what it meant vaguely. Something about kings and a choice. Aeria glanced a the dragon then at the unicorn; she stood between kings.

The ground rumbled in a terrible quake. Aeria looked back between the two mythical creatures but they were frozen in time.

A massive hand appeared from the heavens and took a hold of Aeria with the gentlest of holds before pulling her up. Aeria gasped as she was brought upwards right up to his face. He was a massive man made of earth and clay, his hairless body the most perfect male form Aeria had ever seen like the flawless statues she had seen in books. His eyes glowed a vibrant yellow as it stared back at Aeria.

sussoloc oge. Arret tse aem.

It said, but Aeria only understood a little. Colossus. she had made out, but only that.

“You’re the colossus.” Aeria said unsure of how to act before a god, she was stunned but unafraid.

Reilum se ut. Adnucui mauq.

Aeria didn’t understand. His eyes held a thousands of years within. “I can’t understand you.” Aeria said nervously.

The colossus with eyes like living amber peered at the tiny mortal standing on wavering legs in complete and utter awe.

“Mine is the land!” his voice came screaming in her head so loud she fell to her knees. “The immovable rock beneath thy feet bends to before my might!” Aeria gripped her head as if to quell the pain his voice brought her. Though the god’s lips never moved his voice boomed in her head. “I am the Colossus, and I am with thou.” His voice calmed but her ears still rung. “Art thou with I?”

Aeria shut her eyes and all she could see was the rich grey bark of the trees of her father’s grove, their roots tunneling deep into the earth that held and supported. They were with her even now. She knew her answer.

“I am with you Colossus.”

“Here lies the birth of a new covenant.” His voice came and the ground beneath Aeria’s feet began to tremble as the Colossus began to close his hand over her. “I lend thee my strength, let it be the guiding force in thy path.” His hand closed over her body leaving Aeria in darkness before everything just began to quake.

All around her everything shifted and she felt like the walls around her were closing in on her. She screamed but nothing could be heard over the roar of moving earth. The walls came down her her and she couldn’t breathe under the weight. The earth calmed, but every breath she exhaled shifted the hard surface further against her skin so that she couldn’t take a breath in.

“Yours is the path of hardship but you cannot move forward if you die here.”

She knew that voice. How did she know that voice?

“Do you plan to die here? After coming all this way?”

no. Aeria thought. I will not fail here!

Aeria shoved her hands forward and the stone in front of her shifted before receding completely and exposing a bright light. Aeria fell through it and landed on the soft warm sand of the arena. Aeria blinked to adjust to the cavern lit by dim torchlight. Her hands felt strange and when she looked down she saw a strange yellow sigil floating above the back of her hands before vanishing.

“The Path of the Colossus!” a sage exclaimed and Aeria was greeted by a group of happy sages as they helped her to her feet.

“Ariel!” Niko came rushing to her side and unabashedly gave her a hug. “The Colossus is fantastic!” Then when he pulled away said, “I didn’t think the gods would come, but then she appeared, the Goddess, she was so beautiful Ariel, I wish you could’ve seen her.”

Aeria was worn and sore. Niko led her to the side where a series of five cots already prepared for the group of apprentices. Aeria plopped down on the only unused one. It felt like everything she had gone through had been real though there were no bruises or injuries. “How long were we in there?” Aeria asked, her voice felt raw.

“You’ve been in there for three days, you were the last one out.” Niko said. “I came out second, Caius right after me.”

“Caius. . .” Aeria looked around her but he was no where in sight. She wanted to see him, she needed to know his path. “Where’s Caius?”

Niko grew gravely quiet. “They took him.” he said nodding to the sages who now worked to prepare the chamber again.

“Took him? Took him where? Why?” Aeria asked.

“He came out of the chamber in a ball of fire. He got the Path of the Beast of Aestus and they took him away because of it. They think he’s some kind of Aestus spy. . .”

“Caius?” Aeria said disbelievingly. Did Caius entreat the Beast? He was so adamant on the Leviathan though. It’s not like Caius to change his mind once he was set.

“The sages aren’t saying much but I’ve been listening when I could.” Niko said. “The gods like to choose apprentices who already worship them,” Aeria blinked, the Colossus was her patron god, was that why he chose came to her? “It’s not always the case, but for the Beast to appear. . . . That’s something the sages take seriously especially how things are with Aestus right now.”

“So the sages think that Caius’ patron god is the Beast? That would mean. . .” Aeria couldn’t put it together.

“It would mean that Caius is from Aestus.” Niko said. “It would explain why the Beast doesn’t appear as much, I can’t see any man from Aestus laying down their life to serve a king they despise.”

“But he’s Reimar’s son?” Aeria said. Reimar was a glaive, he served the king loyally. Caius was cut from the same mold.

“And yet, it was the Beast’s sigil that burned in his hand when he emerged.” Niko said. Only adding to her fatigue was the dilemma that now presented itself before her. What would happen to Caius now? She wanted him back and nothing could stop her if they decided to do anything to harm him.

The Colossus was with her now, she felt unstoppable.