Chapter 3: Moonshadow
Dawn crept upon us like a hunter toward its prey. The forest was cold, a faint layer of frost rested upon the leaves of trees and the ground. The forest was quiet: not a single breeze ruptured the leaves, causing them to sway and hiss, not even the birds were awake, filling the air with their tweets and melodies.
Then, from the silence, footfalls could be heard. These were not the footfalls of man, demon, or daedra, but of beast. A fourteen point buck strode into this particular section of the forest, searching for food. Suddenly, the buck got a whiff of something that smelled good to him. Following the smell to its source, he found a small chunk of salt deposit ties to a string that hung from an arm's height branch. Sensing no harm in taking a lick, the buck began to lap away at the salt lick.
BANG!
A shot rang through the forest. Before the buck had any time to react, a hailstorm of daedric buckshot ripped through his skull, ending its life in a flash. The buck fell dead to the floor with a thud.
Cocking a fresh round into the barrel, I flipped the safety of Blunderbuss back on and sheathed it into one of the scabbard on my back. Retrieving a large knife from my messenger bag, I approached the now slain deer, kneeled over it, and quickly began the process of skinning it and removing cuts of meat from off its bones.
"Not bad, if I say so myself," I commented aloud. "That makes three."
o0o
I returned to Hui, Zela, and Varon sometime later. They had finally awoken and prepared a fire. They huddled around it for warmth. Placed around said fire was a small, metal stand, used to hold pans and kettles above the flame. It currently held the latter, which most likely contained the tea we purchased in Seyda Neen. Taking a seat by the fire between Zela and Hui, I began to reveal from my bag the spoils of my hunt: enough bear furs to cloth all four of us and a generous helping of raw venison.
"We heard your shots echoing from the forest earlier," said Zela, who was pleased to see me return. "I wondered if you would return successful, but I see now that I had nothing to worry about."
"Considering the weapons he wields," added Varon, "I had not a doubt in my mind. I mean no offence, but killing anything with those weapons seems quite easy."
Lifting the kettle off from over the fire, I placed a blackened frying pan on the metal stand and allowed it to heat up. "You think my weapons are easy to wield?" I asked Varon.
"I mean, let us be serious for a moment," replied Varon, "it is a simple matter of 'point and shoot,' is it not?"
"Would you be willing to test that claim?"
Taken back by the proposition, Varon sat silently for a brief moment before responding, "Yes, in fact I would."
"But you are blind. How can you possibly fire the weapon? It requires that you see your target through the sights."
"Inanimate objects, such as swords and your guns, appear as dark spots against the backdrop of mana I see. I will be able to see the sights just as well as you. Now, are you going to hand me the gun or not?"
Cocky bastard.
Varon and I stood up from the ground in unison. Reaching over my left shoulder, I grabbed the butt of Blunderbuss, slipped it from the scabbard and tossed it to Varon. "Catch."
Varon, with his heightened hearing, was able to catch the gun in midair, but it quickly felt striat to the ground with his arm along with it. "Too heavy for you?" I taunted.
"No," he replied as he lifted the gun off the ground and grasped with two hands, "just heavier that I thought. Now, what shall be my target?"
With that question, Hui rose to his feet. With a simple motion of his hand, he summoned a hovering orb of energy that glowed a pale purple color. Guideing it with an extended index and middle finger, he positioned the orb about forty feet before Varon. "Seeing as you can see mana," said Hui, "the orb should appear clearly to you."
"Yes, I see it perfectly," replied Varon. With that, Varon began to aim the barrel of the gun toward the orb. Already, I saw a major mistake in how he was aiming. He did not have the butt of the gun pressed against his shoulder. If he fired, the gun would go crashing into his shoulder blade, leaving a rather sizeable bruse.
This was going to be quite amusing.
After a long moment of Varon aiming toward the orb, he suddenly lowered the gun toward the ground. "It will not fire," he said. "The trigger seems stuck."
"The safety is on," I informed him.
Yes, quite amusing, indeed.
After correcting his error, Varon once again aimed toward the orb. Already, his arms were beginning to shake from the weight of the gun. Soon, aiming properly would become impossible. "Sometime today, Varon," I taunted once more, "before your arms give out."
Bang.
The gun fired.
He missed by a mile.
Not only that, but like I predicted, the butt of the gun slammed into Varon's right shoulder with enough force to knock him to the ground, causing him to drop the gun as well. "Damn it," Varon exclaimed, "that hurt!"
Zela, Hui, and I all broke out into laughter. The defeated Varon rose back to his feet, picking the gun off the ground, and placed it back into my hands. "I would seem that I underestimated your skills, Zaden."
"Please," I replied, "do not feel defeated. Nothing can be mastered in an instant. Now, let me show you how it is done." Quickly cocking a new shell into the chamber, I aimed the weapon with a single outstretched arm toward the target, pulled the trigger, and hit my mark, the orb exploding in a shower of purple sparks.
"Damn showoff," Varon muttered jokingly beneath his breath.
When we finally returned to our spots around the fire, the pan was finally hot enough to begin cooking. I retrieved a few cuts of venison from the bag and threw them on, the aroma of cooking meat quickly filled our noses.
As I waited for the meat to cook, Zela began to examine the brown bear furs I had collected. "There appears to be enough for me to make clothing for us all," she commented before reaching into her bag and retrieved a small sewing kit.
"I did not know you were handy with a needle, Zela," I commented.
"In truth, I am not very skilled," she replied. "However, I know enough to be able to make some crude shirts and leggings. They will keep us amply warm if we are to continue north into the Jerall Mountain range. Your village is there, is it not?" she asked me.
"If the Compass is any indication, I believe it will be," I replied.
"Do you not recall any memories of your village? Any at all?"
"… No, I cannot. You know as well as I that, ever since my arrival to Vvardenfell, the memories of my previous years have been hidden away. I can only remember so much now, but-"
"Please, Zaden," continued Zela, "at the very least, try to remember some aspect of your village. Anything you can unearth will aid us in figuring out its location."
"… Very well, I shall try."
I closed my eyes and began to meditate, much like I did beneath the Tree of Dawn. Soon, all outside distractions were purged: the feel of the cold air, the smell of the cooking venison, the sounds of the hissing leaves above. I was within my own impenetrable bubble, where nothing could affect me. My mind began to drift deep into the corners of my mind, unearthing thoughts I have not touched upon in many years.
"I see… snow… mountains to the North… a village… its buildings circle around a centerpiece… a formation of rock… taking the shape of… a dragon's claw."
Suddenly, Hui's voice came ripping through the bubble, effectively ripping my from my meditative state. "That is it!" he exclaimed. "I know what village you speak of!"
"You do? What is it?!"
"Draconia. The village of Draconia. It is a small hamlet, surrounded on all sides my tall mountains. Reaching it will be a difficult task, for there are only a limited number of entry ways."
"… How in Oblivion do you know this?" I asked Hui.
Reaching into his bag, Hui retrieved his map of Cyrodiil, placed it upon the ground, and unrolled it, displaying the expertly printed map within. "It does well to study one's maps," Hui replied. With an outstretched claw, Hui pointed to a point near the center of the Jerall Mountain range. Zeal and I scooted in closer and peered closer to the map. Varon, however, who had no such love for the printed medium, remained where he was, and listened to Hui's words instead.
"This is where the village of Draconia is located. Now, if you pay heed to the surrounding area, you will notice a many number of mountain peaks circling it. This is how Draconia had been able to stay secluded for so long: no one would be foolish enough to attempt to traverse those high points."
"But if we are to reach the village," I said, "then would we not be forced to do the same?"
"Not exactly. Upon examinations of other maps, and through various texts, written by explorers from years past, I am convinced that there is a hidden pass that not many know of, a path that will take us through a narrow cut in the mountain. It will shorten what otherwise would be a three day climb, to a one day walk."
"This… This is good news, Hui," I said, "but something worrys my thoughts… If this pass is as efficient as you imply it is, why is it that it is hidden, and not known to many?"
"Well, there is much in the way of superstitious lore retaining to that pass. Some say that they have spotted powerful daedra near said pass. Some tell stories of those who enter the pass and never reemerge from the other side… But, of course, that is superstition, after all.
We have nothing to fear."
o0o
Four days of travel atop our horses had finally led us into the Jerall Mountains. With each of those passing days, we could literally see the world around us turn cold. With each day, frost upon all unmoving object became more apparent, our breaths became more visible as well, and, near the second day, I witnessed the first snow I had seen in years.
The fur clothing Zela stitched for us, which we all wore beneath our robesm turned out to be excellent in keeping our bodies warm. With the extra furs that were left unused, Zela was also able to make some temporary linings to the hoods of our robes, adding even more warmth. Even still, with all the fur that enclosed us, the Jerall Mountains were cold.
On the fourth day, snow turned from occasional to constant. Though it came down in a light manner, it was still a nuisance as it was. The further North we went, the deeper the carpet of snow became. What started off on the second day as a mere dusting, turned to snow that reached the knees of our horses on the forth. We could not survive in these conditions for long. We needed shelter.
On the sixth day of travel, the second day within the mountain range, we were able to reach the summit of a high mountain ridge. From there, we could see far to both the North and South. From here, it seemed the entire Jerall mountain range was splayed before us, enchanting us with its natural beauty. As we overlooked the range, I noticed, about a day's travel away, a strange land formation to the northwest. To attempt to visualize the formation: imagine if an ax blade too massive to put into words came crashing down upon a snow capped mountain ridge, creating a narrow cut through it. That was what I saw.
"Hui!" I called out to him. "Can you see that narrow cut in the range to the northeast? Is that our pass."
Hui gave a nod in response. "Indeed it is," he replied.
Given another day's travel in the unforgivable frozen lands that were the Jerall mountains, we reached the threshold. Indeed, as I visualized, the pass was a strait cut through the mountain, the opening on the other side nothing more that the tiniest specs of light in the distance. The pass was very narrow: it seemed that we only had enough room to ride our horses shoulder to shoulder.
We entered the narrow pass without as much as another word. As we entered, we all came under the realization of the inherent danger of this place. Being as narrow as this place was, we were venerable to attack. If, perhaps, loose rock would fall upon us, there was little place to escape to. Not only that, but it could very well impede our progress. On top of that, if we were to come under attack, we could easily be surrounded.
As it turns out, all such assumptions came true.
As we neared the halfway point in the pass, a loud and thunderous rumble shook the walls. Looking up, we bared witness to a cascade of boulders bearing down upon us. Snapping the reins of our horses, we quickly turned around and tried to outrun the avalanche. We barely escaped, and the boulders fell into a great pile, thus impeding our path to the other side.
Before I could even exclaim an expletive, my second fear came true. A trio of Winged Twilights came swooping down from the sky and knocked us from our steeds. Quickly jumping to our feet, we brandished our weapons, ready to use them against these adversaries.
"Who dares enter our pass?" asked one of the daedra.
"We merely wish to pass through," I replied. "Let this encounter not result in bloodshed."
"This pass belongs to our Goddess! Only She can allow mortals such as yourselves to pass through… and you have no such permission."
"… Wait a moment… Your Goddess? Do you perhaps refer to Azura?"
"Yes, as a fact of the matter, we do. What is it to you, human?"
"I am Nerevar Incarnate" I declared, "one of Her most faithful servants."
"Lies! What proof do you have to your claim?"
Dismounting Apoc, I approached the Winged Twilight, taking care not to show fear. Removing the glove from my left hand, I revealed not only the Moon and Star insignia imbedded into my skin, but the ring Moon and Star as well. There was no denying it now.
The face of the Winged Twilight turned to shock. "By our Goddess's graces, it truly is you! Since that is the case… it is more than coincidence that you have come here."
"What do you mean daedra?"
"Trouble has arisen from Her realm of Moonshadow. She has request that you have audience with her. Follow, Nerevar and friends."
Mounting my steed once again, we followed the Winged Twilights as they approached the pile of boulders. With a single wave of a wing, the boulders were levitated back above the ridge. As we followed, Zela nudged my shoulder from behind.
"Aruza seeks your presence!" she said. "I have always wondered what She was like. Is she as perfect as you describe?"
I nodded. "She is," I replied. "Her beauty is something to behold Zela. Of course, it is nothing compared to you."
"Oh please, how could I surpass a God? I suppose we shall see soon enough."
After about an hour of following, they halted before a strange formation of rock in the ridge wall. It looked inconsistent to what was around it: where all other rock surfaces were jagged and uneven, this section was flat and as smooth as the surface of a wooden table. With another wave of their wings, the section of smooth rock slid open to the right like a sliding door. Instantly, we were hit with a gust of the warm air from within.
We followed the daedra inside and the door slowly shut behind us. Overcome with the heat from within the room, we began to strip ourselves of our fur shirts and leggings. I took an assessment of the room: all the walls, the floor, and the ceiling seemed to be made from the same piece of rock. It was carved with such precision and perfection, it looked to be nothing less than the work of a God. I also noticed that the wall opposite of the door was bathed in darkness.
With yet another wave of their wings, the darkened wall was instantly bathed in an unknown light. There, standing fifteen feet tall, standing atop a pedestal, was a statue that depicted, as best as the stone medium could, the beauty that was Azura. She stood with outstretched arms, as if preparing for warm embrace. In her right hand, she held a seven pointed star, and in her right was a crescent moon.
One of the Winged Twilights approached the statue and bowed before it. "My Goddess, Mother of The Rose, Queen of The Night Sky, Queen of Dawn and Dusk, I bring before you your most faithful of servants, Nerevar Incarnate."
The room went dead silent for a moment in time. Suddenly, the statue began to stir. First, the eyes of Azura began to glow an incandescent violet, then Her arms broke their position, followed shortly after with the movement of the rest of Her body. Her head slowly turned to me. "Come closer, Nerevar," She said with Her perfect voice.
Overcome with emotions, I approached the statue of Her greatness. "You have summoned me?" I asked Her.
She gave a slight nod and gave a slight smile. "That I did," she replied. "As my servants have no doubt informed you, there is trouble in my realm of Moonshadow. There has arisen a dark presence that threatens to rupture is existence. If left to its own devices, this presence will bring about the end of Moonshadow, and thus, the beauty in the mortal realm.
Unfortunalty, for reasons unbeknownst to myself, I cannot retaliate against this being. That is why I have called upon you to rid my realm of this evil presence."
I looked to the comfort of my friends, who were too enthralled to be in the presence of Azura to give any response. Turning back to the statue, I gave my response. "I shall do your bidding, my Goddess. Send me to your realm, and I shall vanquish this thing."
The slight smile upon Azura's face faded. "Unfortunately, it is not as simple as I make out to be. I cannot simply send you to my realm. Mortals cannot look upon the beauty of my realm, for they would be instantly be blinded by it. No, to enter Moonshadow, you must, unfortunately, surrender your mortality."
"… I do not understand, my Goddess. What is it that you ask of me?"
"Zaden, to enter Moonshadow… you must die."
Turning back to my friends, the looks upon their faces could not be categorized. The most extreme forms of shock, despair, and fear were what I saw. Overcome with such emotions, Zela marched past me and stood defiantly before the statue of Azura. "Has the Queen of Dawn and Dusk gone mad?!" the bluntly exclaimed. "Why do you wish my husband dead?!"
I was about to stop Zela from carrying on any further, but Azura raised he hand. "Do not worry, Zaden. Zela's worries are completely understandable. An explanation must be given.
You see, my beautiful Dunmer, if I were to send Zaden to Moonshadow as he was, he would be in mortal form. He would be blinded by the beauty that is Moonshadow, thus making him useless for the task I have for him. However, if he surrenders his mortality, I will send his released spirit to my realm, and he will be able to see as well as he currently does.
I do apologize for what may seem an inconvenience, but this is the only way this can be done."
Zela fell to her knees in despair. Tears began to flow like the River Odai and dripped to the stone floor. As I bent donw and rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her, I inquired Azura as to "How must I die?"
"Either by your hands," She replied, "or by the hands of another, it matters not. All that does matter is that it must be done soon. The evil presence will not wait for your arrival, Nerevar, and I fear that Moonshadow will fall by day's end."
With seemingly no other alternative, I attempted to comfort Zela further. Tilting her head up, I looked into her now swollen eyes. "I cannot begin to imagine the pain you are feeling right now, my love, but I must heed this call."
"You promised me, Zaden," Zela sobbed, "that you would not leave my side! You promised!"
Now tears began to swell in my eyes as well. "I am sorry, my sweet." As she lowered her head back to the ground, I signaled Hui over. When he came, I told him to "Cover her ears and avert her eyes. I wish not for her to witness my next actions." With a nod, Hui took Zela by the hand and led her to the farthest corner from the statue.
With her senses impaired, I followed through on the act of taking my life. Retrieving a gun from its holster, I placed the barrels beneath my chin and, with one final deep inhale… squeezed both triggers.
o0o
Suicide was strange. I did not feel the penetration of the buckshot, nor the bang the shells produced. Simply, in an instant, quicker than the blink of an eye, my world went black, devoid of any sight, smell, taste, touch, taste, and hearing. I wondered if all victims of death experienced this.
Suddenly, from the dark abyss, a beautiful voice called out to me. It repeated the words "Fear not, for I am watchful." It first began as a whisper, but then grew in volume with each reiteration. Soon, it was spoken until the point of deafening.
Then, for a split second, Azura stood before me.
"Saved."
o0o
Plucked from the darkness, I was now bathed in blinding white light. I could not see where I was, only that I was lying flat upon my back. Then, one by one, my senses returned. The air smelled sweet of flowers, perfume, and wonderful scents I have never smelled before. I could then taste the sweetness of the air. Then, I could feel the ground beneath me, the touch of soft grass. My hearing returned shortly after: the air was filled with the melodies of birds, melodies so complex and beautiful, they would feel at home in an orchestra.
Finally, my sight returned. With my head flat upon the ground, my first sight was the sky above, which was a beautiful aqua color and studded with stars (though it was the middle of the day. Regaining my strength, I finally pushed myself in sitting up off the ground. Now I bared witness to what was about me. I was in the center of a small grassy clearing, the grass vibrant colors of metallic gold and copper, in the center of a dense forest. The trees were unbelieveable colors, as well: the bark looked to be made of sterling silver and the oval shaped leaves looked to be made of mirrors.
"Could this place be… Moonshadow?" I asked aloud.
Rising to my feet, I admired all that was around me. This realm was so full of color, of such beauty; I feared that I would become lost in it. I feared that I might never wish to leave. However, a sudden stroke of thirst seemed to hit me like a lead weight, and snapped me from my trance.
"Does this realm have water?" I thought to myself.
Then, from the forest, a lunar moth appeared fluttering into the clearing. It landed upon my shoulder for a brief moment and said to me "Follow," then fluttered off to the West (or what I assumed was West.)
Ready to accept anything this realm would send my way, I followed the lunar moth deeper into the forest. The rays of light from the pink sun were impeded from the reflective leaves, causing the path I walked to become very dark. In this darkness, the moth illuminated itself in a mint green aura, thus making it an easier thing to follow. I asked the moth "Where are you taking me?" It replied with silence.
After following this creature for a long while we happened upon a river of silver water that sat at the bottom of a small dip in the geography. Resting upon a flat boulder, the moth told me to "Drink." I walked to the water's edge and bent down onto my knees. I could see my reflection on the water's surface as well as I would by looking into a mirror. Cupping my hands together, I scooped up a portion of the water and took a light sip of it.
"It… It tastes like-"
"Do you enjoy it?" asked Azura from behind me.
Jumping to my feet from shock, I whipped around to see Azura, in solid tangible form, laying upon the rock in a somewhat seductive pose. "Do you enjoy the river's water?" she asked again. "How does it taste?"
Normally, I would have gladly indulged Her question. However, today, I held anger toward Azura for what she forced me to do. I met her question with a stern stare.
She could sense my anger. "You are hostile toward me, Nerevar," She said. "What be the reason?"
"You know damn well what the reason is!" I snapped back. Was it wrong to talk back to a God? "How could you force me to do such a thing, to take my own life, in the presence of my loved one, no less! Have you no compassion?!"
Surprised to see how blunt I was with Her, Azura stood up from Her pose and folded Her hands on Her lap. "I do apologize for that, Nerevar. I feel terrible for having you to commit such an act. Believe me, if there was another way, I would have told you. Unfortunately, there was not.
Now, to switch gears… What do you think of my realm of Moonshadow?"
"It is… different, to say the least," I replied.
"Is it not beautiful in every sense of the word?"
"Beauty can be found anywhere, and it varies in the eyes of each individual. While I do admit that this realm is visually pleasing, there is much in the mortal realm that I would prefer over this realm."
"Such as?"
"Water that tastes like water, and not like aged burbon."
Azura gave a small chuckle and rose to her feet. "In truth, Nerevar," She said, "the waters of my realm taste differently to each individual drinker. It mimics the taste of your favorite beverage."
"I see… What do you taste, Goddess?" I asked.
"… I taste water."
Suddenly, from far to the West, from deeper in the forest, a boom ripped through the air and shook the ground along with it. A huge ball of black fire and a tall mushroom cloud of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky, blocking the rays of the pink sun, casting the forest into darkness. With that great rupture, the perfection about us began to change: the air no longer smelled sweet, the color of the trees began to fade to bland grays, and an eire silence was all that could be heard.
"That be the presence?" I asked Azura.
"That it is," She responded. "I shall leave you to your work, Nerevar. Be careful: his magic is strong and he only grows stronger by ripping my realm of its mana. He must be dealt with quickly." Azura then vanished, leaving me alone to face this unknown threat.
Removing Blunderbuss from its scabbard and flipping the safety to the "Off" position, I followed the plume of destruction to its source. The closer I stepped toward the looming cloud, the more decayed and ravaged the land seemed to become. The ground became littered with the corpses of the woodland animals that lived in it. Coming into a quarter mile of the epicenter of the blast, the trees no longer remained. Disintegrated away from the heat, all that was left was a blackened, barren wasteland.
As I neared the plume, a figure appeared from its center. This figure, cloaked like the Grim Reaper, hovered menacingly above the ground. His face was hidden beneath his hood in the darkest of shadows. When his gaze fell upon me, he hovered to a stop.
"So," he growled in the voice of a demon, "the servant has arrived. As I scorched this realm, I began to wonder if any opposition would be sent to silence me. Never did I expect Nerever Incarnate to grace my presence.
Before out senseless fight comes to fruition, I wish to ask you something: Why is it that you fight for Her? Is it that you are merely loyal to those who aid you… Or, perhaps… you wish to be with Her?"
"What nonsense you speak!" I retorted back. "How could you suggest such a thing?"
"Because, Nerevar, I know you have thought such things, and they plant seeds of doubt and betrayal into your subconscious… Azura loves you, you know. She loves you like a wife loves their husband. She wishes you for Herself, regardless of the fact that you are already committed to another."
"… How can you be sure?" For whatever reason, I was beginning to believe his words.
"I have seen how She acts in your presence, how the tone of Her voice changes when She speaks to you. She holds undeniable love toward you… I suspect you can see it as well.
I also wish to ask this: Will you accept such love from Her? Will you abandon your marriage and-"
"Enough of this talk!" I exclaimed. "Why are you here? Why do you wish to destroy the realm of Moonshadow?"
" I am here to make way to the events that are to come," he replied. "With Azura stricken from interfering, my lord will have that much less opposition to inact his plans for the mortal realm."
"What plans? What lord do you speak of?"
"That will become apparent to you in the course of time, but for now… I believe you were sent to kill me, were you not?" I nodded in reply. "Then please, begin. I shall allow you the first blow."
I wasted no time. Unholstering the shotgun on my right, I fired both rounds into the being's chest. The buckshot merely passed right through him, thin whips of smoke emanated from where they pass through. Swapping guns and firing two more rounds, the effect was the same.
The being retaliated by throwing from its right arm a ball of black fire. Stepping to the left to dodge, I fired a spell of my own, and to my surprise, a fierce column of blue flames eminated from my palm, and it engulfed him entirely. This time, my attack made contact, but when the flames cleared, he stood unscathed.
Levitating himself off the ground ten feet into the air, he fired black fire into the sky, which then fell down upon me like a heavy rain. I cast a shield above my head that protected me, but even so, it barely held to the barrage.
The being then summoned a sword of black smoke in his right hand. Launching himself downward from the sky, he grasped the sword in both hands and prepared to deliever a powerful downward chop. With barely enough time to unsheathe my own sword and fall into a fighting stance, I was able to block his attack. With immence strength, he bared down me.
As our swords were locked, I got a better look at my opponent. Before, I assumed he was wearing a black robe, but in fact, he was surrounding himself in a thick black smoke, and he manipulated it into the form of a robe. Unable to hold off his strength any longer, I pushed his sword aside and rolled out from beneath him.
I launched another spell at the being. Sending a frost spell in his direction, a varitable blizzard engulfed the being, encasing him an boulder of twelve inch thick ice. Before he could break through, I launched a lightening spell at my now immobilized opponent. Rather than my normal white lightening, a brilliant purple lightening leapt from my fingertips and struck the ice with great force. The frozen water shattered, and the being was sent flying backwards twenty feet. For the first time in the battle, he grunted in pain.
"If I am to defeat him before day's end," I thought to myself, "I need to harness the mana of this land." I then attempted to reach the mana currents beneath my feet… only to find that, in this place, where the being scarred and blackened it, there were none. Just as Azura mentioned, this being was destroying the mana of Moonshadow. If I were to harness it, I needed to leave this area and reach undisturbed land.
As the being began to rise to his feet, I launched another frost attack at him. Once again enclosed in ice, I took that opportunity to run away from this area. About a quarted mile away, the forest was unscathed, and I could sense vast amounts of mana flowing through it. I only had a few moments before he would break free. Using all the strength in my legs, I sprinted toward the refuge of the unmarred forest.
I made it about half the distance before the frozen statue that was the being stirred. With a powerful blast that shook the ground, the being broke free from his frozen imprisonment. Assisted by his magic, he easily caught up to me by means of levitation. Positioning himself between me and the undamaged forest, he cast a levitation spell upon me and threw me to the side as if I was a ragdoll. I bounced and scraped along the ground for about forty feet, incurring long burns along the exposed skin and extremities.
The being was already on top of me by the time I returned to my feet. Brandishing our swords once again, they met blows. Every attack he made, I blocked, and every attack I made, he blocked. With our swords, we were evenly matched. It was in the realm of magic that we differed greatly. Where I was a battlemage, my magic solely offensive, his magic was more diverse, possessing the abilities to levitate and affect the opponent's body directly.
Breaking free from the sword duel, the being summoned a cloud of black smoke from his arm. Said smoke quickly enveloped me and, in an instant, I could not breathe. I clutched my chest and desperately attempted to fill my lungs with air, but within the cloud, it was impossible. The being then, struck me with a powerful blast of telemetry, and I was once again thrown another thirty feet or so. Thankfully for me, he threw me in the wrong direction.
When I finally stopped tumbling, I found that I was on unscarred land, where the mana was strong, and I was able to harness it.
Jumping to my feet, I channeled the mana from the ground, into my legs, and then into my arms. Overcome with power, I released a powerful lightening spell that connected with my opponent and it coursed throughout his body. He was suddenly paralyzed from the spell, and his extremities began to convulse wildly. Now, the being began to scream in pain, a sign that the tides had finally turned in my favor. Channeling even more power into the attack, his screams grew even louder. I maintained the assault for a full minute, until the screams ceased, and his body became limp.
Ceasing the onslaught, the being's body fell to the ground with a satisfying thud. To make sure that he would not rise to his feet ever again, I channeled more mana and threw a searing ball of fire into each of his extremities, disintegrating them in an instant.
I walked over to my now defenseless opponent. The silver glow in his eyes had now faded to a dull gray, signifying that he had been mortally wounded. His breaths were now irregular and pained. He did not have long to live.
"You… have bested me, Nerevar," the being admitted. "I underestimated your skill. How was it possible?"
"Unlike you," I said, "who seeked to destroy mana wherever it was, I harnessed its power. My potential at that point was infinite."
"… Kill me, if you wish, Nerevar. My has failed here." I unsheathed my sword and aimed the tip of the blade at the being's heart. "Just be wary," he continued, "of what I spoke of, Nerevar: Azura wants you for Herself. Do not fall prey to her charm and beauty."
With that last warning, I raised my sword high above my head, swung downward with all my might, and plunged the blade into the being's forehead. His death was signified by him turning into a plume of black smoke and then fading off into the sky above.
With a sigh of completion and the personal declaration of "It is finished," I suddenly had a strange feeling overcome my body. I felt myself become exponentially weaker by the second. My vision became impaired, blurred to the point that my eyes became useless. I soon fell to the ground, unable to even support my own body weight.
A split moment before I slipped from consciousness, the same beautiful voice from before uttered onto me, "You are safe."
o0o
I awoke an undeterminable amount of time later in a heavy daze, the pink ceiling above me spinning madly, as if I was in a dream. Slowly, but surely, the spinning dissipated, and I was finally able to clearly see where I was. I was laying atop a plush bed, in the center of, what looked to me, a large rose. The sunlight from the outside shown through the thin, flower pedal walls and casted a calming light throughout the room. When my head seemed to finally clear, I stood up from my bed and got a better assessment of my surroundings. To my right, standing next to the bed, was a small oak table that had atop it all my gear: weapons, messenger bag, and clothing.
It was only then did I realize that I was completely naked. Why that was, I do not know.
Quickly slipping on my clothing and strapping on my weapons, I decided to expolore this strange place. Taking the only door out of the room, I walked into an expansive grand hall which, as well, seemed to be placed within a large, pink rose. The floors were decorated with beautiful white marble, indescribable chandeliers burned overhead, and from some unknown source, a piano played a soft and whimsical melody. A grand stairwell, its banisters made from solid gold, lead upward to the second floor. As I walked toward the center of the grand hall, Azura's voice seemed to emanate from the top of the stairwell.
"Come to me," She whispered.
I did just that, and followed the voice up the stairwell and to the second floor. When I reached said floor, I found that Azura was not there. Then, Her voice called out again, but this time, it came from down a hallway to my right. I followed it to its end, only to have the voice call out from being a small, opaque glass door.
Opening it, I was instantly hit with a gust of fresh air from the outside. The door led to a balcony that held host to a grand view of Moonshadow. Off in the far distance, a lake shimmered with silver waters, a vast forest of colors laid beyond it, and there was not a cloud to be seen.
There, sitting at a small, round table, was Azura. The table was decorated with a delicate white table covering and was adorned with an exquisite tea set: its cups, kettle, saucers, implements, and so on, were made from untarnished gold.
Azura, with a graceful hand, pointed to a chair opposite of her. "Please," she said, "join me."
I was more than happy to accept.
Taking a seat, I poured myself a cup and took a light sip. I was suddenly overcome with memories. "This tea," I commented. "This tea tastes of the tea from Seyda Neen."
"I knew it to be your favorite," She replied, "so I took it upon myself to fetch some for this occasion. Please, drink as much as you like, for there is plenty to be had."
Azura and I spent the next few, silent moments in each other's company, sampling the delectable drink that was prepared. As I drank, I could not help but notice that, every moment or so, I caught, Azura gazing at me with… loving eyes.
"This is truly wonderful," I said to Azura, "but is there a reason that you have summoned me here, to this balcony?"
"Only so that I may personally thank you for your services," She replied with a warm smile. "For a moment, I feared that you might have fallen beneath the might of that dreadful thing… but I can see now that such thoughts were unnecessary. You have truly been my most faithful of servants, Nerevar, and for that, I thank you."
Finishing one final cup of the wonderful tea, I rose to my feet. "I thank you for this time together," I said, "but, if you will allow it, I would like to return to my friends."
Azura stood up from her chair as well and approached me with perfect grace. "Wait but a moment, Nerevar," She said. "I have still to personally thank you for your service."
"… I do not underst-"
Before I could finish that last word, Azura's lips made contact with mine. They were soft, like the skin of a newborn. With loving embrace, She continued to thank me for what seemed a blissful eternity. However, at the same time, I was struck with worry.
At great length, her lips finally broke from mine. "You know, Nerevar," She said, "I have never felt such… love… for another person before. It is a strange emotion, love. It twists our perceptions, and causes us to do things that, in our right mine, we would never do. You hold such love toward Zela, it makes me, and dare I say it… jealous.
It was just as the being had foretold. Azura had true love toward me!
"Please, my Goddess," I said, attempting to persuade Her away from such feelings, "I am committed to another, to Zela. This relationship would be immoral!"
"There are no rules that state that a God cannot share love toward a mortal," She replied.
"But I am married to Zela!"
"She need not know, Nerevar. This could be our own secret, one hidden from all others. We can meet when you dream, and we can be together. You and I, Nerevar, together, in this perfect paradise I have created. We can-"
Before She could continue any further, I ripped myself from Her tender embrace. "Enough!" I exclaimed. "I apologize, Azura, but I simply cannot agree to this union!"
Azura reeled back ever so slightly. The love in Her eyes slowly turned to despair. "… I see," She whispered. "I suppose I cannot force this upon you, Nerevar… I apologize for my behavior… If you wish, I can send you back to the mortal realm, to be reunited to your friends."
I gave a simple nod in reply.
With a motion of Her hand, a ring of orange light circled me, and a column of orange light soon surrounded me. With a final "Farewell," I was plunged into the darkness once again.
o0o
I woke up in the stone room of Azura's shrine. I slowly reached for my head to check for any gaping exit wounds, only to find that I was without one. Turning my head to my left, I saw Hui sitting next to me, his head bowed to the stone floor, puffing away from his pipe. "Hui," I whispered.
Hui's head suddenly lifted. "You have returned," he whispered back with a smile. "Were you successful in completing your task."
"Yes," I grunted and I sat up from the floor. "The realm of Moonshadow has been rid of the destructive presence."
"How was Moonshadow, Zaden? Was it as beautiful as the stories tell it is?"
"That," I replied, "is not of importance. How is Zela? Is she all right?"
"… She was very much heartbroken when you left us, Zaden. She cried herself to sleep about an hour ago."
I looked toward the far corner of the room. There, partially hidden in the darkness, Zela was resting upon a small bedroll, with Varon by her side. I slowly crept over and took a seat next to her. I then gently shook her. "Zela," I whispered. "Wake up, Zela."
With a soft moan, Zela stirred from her sleep, slowing peaking open her beautiful eyes. "Zaden?" she sleepily asked. "You have returned?"
"Zela, I cannot even begin to understand the sadness I have caused you to experience, but I promise you, I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I promise to-"
Suddenly, Zela reached out with her arms and wrapped them around me tightly. "Shut up, Zaden," she wept, "just shut up."
Author's Notes: Damn, this chapter came out longer than I expected to. Sorry it took this long to post it, but with college and all that stuff, it was hard to find time to settle down and write. Not to mention that I was, on numerous occasions, stricken by writer's block. Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. More to come soon, so stay faithful, my fellow readers!