Chapter 4: Returning a Favor
Only a few minutes had passed since the fairies had given Seth their evaluation of him. Unable to come up with a more desirable solution, the visiting fairies all regretted speaking the truth of what they had uncovered, and soon left to return to the Fairy Kingdom.
Grandpa had been thinking about what the fairies had said in regards to Seth. He seemed rather baffled as to how he would handle the situation that was now at hand, but noted that he would look into an optimal solution that would accommodate everybody.
Meanwhile, Seth had gone upstairs and into the bathroom to freshen up. It was currently mid-afternoon, but that was no reason for him to back out of waiting any longer to pay a visit to the Singing Sisters. And now that he had learned about the darkness within him getting greater, and the fairies being unable to do anything about it, he wanted to visit the Singing Sisters more than ever.
Staring at himself in the mirror, Seth was feeling guilty about continuing to stay at Fablehaven if his increased darkness was aggravating to the fairies. Getting off the property to visit the Singing Sisters seemed like it would give him at least some time away from home. And if they did send Seth on another mission, it would only give him an excuse to stay away from the fairies for a while longer.
Seth continued to ponder. Perhaps if he could fulfill the Singing Sisters' request of him, he could then possibly ask them to look into a safe solution to his increased darkness. Sure, it would come at the price of having to complete a second favor, and he still had to tackle this first one, but at this point, he was feeling both eager and desperate enough to try anything.
The only hitch in Seth's plan would be that his family would probably respond to him asking the Sisters for their help again with a big "NO!". Although Seth wasn't a stranger when it came to breaking rules, there had been times when breaking the rules really did make things worse.
Once Seth had finished up in the bathroom, he made his way downstairs and into the living room, where the rest of his family was waiting for him.
"Are you ready to go, Seth?" asked Warren, who was sitting on the couch, wearing his brown leather jacket. He was holding Vasilis in his hand.
"What if something goes wrong when you're out there?" asked Mrs. Sorenson, as Seth stepped into the room.
"I don't know what exactly to expect out of all this," replied Grandma. "But from what I understand, all that Seth has to do is make a return visit to the Singing Sisters and let them ask of him whatever it is that they want."
"I can't see myself being gone for very long," said Seth. "Both times when I went to see the Singing Sisters, the actual amount of time I spent with them wasn't all that much. A couple of minutes, really."
"You're just going there so that the Sisters can assign you their favor, right?" asked Kendra.
"Let's hope so," said Grandpa. "I just hope this favor isn't something along the lines of Seth being their slave for four-hundred years."
"What if it is?" asked Mr. Sorenson. "We'll never get to see our son again!"
"Can't we just use the Omega Star to give the Sisters whatever it is that they want?" asked Kendra. "I mean, as long as they're satisfied, who cares if it wasn't Seth himself who got them what they wanted?"
"Let's just let Seth be on his way already," said Grandpa, as he stood up from his seat and walked up to Seth. "In the event that you are unable to return..."
Grandpa wrapped his arms around Seth, giving him a firm hug. Despite his age, Grandpa had a fairly strong grasp on him.
Seth then received hugs from Grandpa, his parents, Dale, Bright and Clover.
"I hope you'll be okay," said Kendra, as both herself and Seth were engaged in a hug. It wasn't often that the two Sorenson siblings hugged each other, but when they did, they could feel a special bond between themselves.
"Thank you for going along with Seth," said Grandpa, turning to face Warren. "It's not that Seth really needs any help, but I'm glad that you'll be there for moral support."
"No problem, Stan," said Warren, as he pulled the Translocator from out of the pouch he was wearing around his waist and presented it to Seth. "Well, any time you're ready."
"Okay," said Seth, twisting the Translocator and holding onto the center piece. Warren then placed his hand on one of the sides.
Everyone said their farewells as Seth envisioned his destination. In an instant, Seth found himself being warped through space, as he experienced effects of the Translocator again for the first time in quite a while.
Seth opened his eyes. Still holding onto the Translocator, he and Warren were now standing in the middle of a cavernous alcove. On one side there was an overlooking view of the river that lay outside. To their other side was a large door carved out of rock which featured a round, brass handle.
"So, this is the place?" asked Warren, taking a moment to admire their present surroundings.
"Yup," said Seth, gazing upon the door that stood before them.
"I need to hold on to the Translocator while you're in there," said Warren, pulling the artifact out of Seth's grasp. He then handed Vasilis over to Seth.
"I know."
"I could enter as an uninvited visitor, but it's probably better to not do so if I don't have to. I'll wait for you, I promise."
"What if I don't come back?" asked Seth, trying not to imagine what the Singing Sisters might do with him.
Warren winced. "I... I can't answer that. Look, I'll wait here for an hour. If you don't come back, I'll contact the others back home. Kendra can then try to use the Oculus to find you."
"I hope so," said Seth, thinking of how there had been circumstances in which the Oculus had failed to detect its target.
"Good luck, man," said Warren, giving Seth a hug.
Once the two of them released their arms from each other, Seth turned around and walked up to the door. Without a second thought, he then banged the handle as though it was a door knocker.
A moment later, the door swung open. The gatekeeper, who was the river troll whom Seth had dealt with on his previous visits, was standing on the other side.
"Seth Sorenson," said the river troll, eyeing the shadow charmer. "You've returned. Who is he?" The river troll pointed over to where Warren was standing.
"That's my cousin," replied Seth. "But, he doesn't intend to enter. He's just going to wait for me."
"Very well. What brings you here?"
"I'm here to repay my debt to the Singing Sisters."
"Enter," said the troll, leading Seth through the door. Once they passed through, the door slid shut.
"I can't say that I expected you to return early to repay your favor," said the troll, as he led Seth down the gloomy stairwell before them. "But don't think that the Sisters are going to go easy on you just because you're trying to get on their good side."
Once they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Seth and the troll emerged in the cavern of the Singing Sisters. The three siblings were waiting for Seth in their large puddle in the center of the cavern.
"Seth Sorenson!" exclaimed Orna, as her two sisters huddled around her. "You've returned to us!"
"And he brought Vasilis, too" said Berna. "Such a clever boy."
"And he's more than punctual, too," added Wilna. "He came a good week early!"
Seth smiled and nodded. "See, bet you weren't expecting that, were you?"
Berna scoffed. "We've been alive for eons. One mere week, let alone an entire year, is nothing to us. Feels like we were conversing with Patton Burgess only yesterday."
"And besides," said Wilna, "Zavarok repaid his favor to us months ago. It was one of the first things he did after becoming a free dragon."
"You get the wraith I sent you a few months ago?" asked Seth.
"Yes," replied Berna. "It has served us well."
"Wait..." said Orna, looming down at Seth. "Something is off about this human. Moreso than before."
Berna and Wilna glared down at Seth as well.
"The darkness within him appears to be much greater now than it's been in the past," noted Wilna.
"About that..." said Seth. "This doesn't really have anything to do with you three, but the darkness within me has gotten stronger over the past few months. I was wondering if you three might know of a way..."
"It concerns us not," snapped Berna fiercely. "We've already provided our favor for you. Now it's your turn to do the same unto us."
Seth could feel his heart beating more and more heavily. There had been nothing but tension building up in his mind for the past few weeks. But now, it was all coming to a head. This was it. Seth's moment of truth. There was no avoiding it. And now it was time for Seth to face the music.
"So..." asked Seth. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"We don't get too many visitors coming here in search of our knowledge," said Orna. "We wouldn't want to put your services to waste."
"Well, why don't you three think about it for a while," said Seth, "and I'll come back in a couple of centuries when you've made up your minds."
"But Seth," said Wilna, "we've already come up with a favor to ask of you."
"You have?"
Berna scoffed. "You think the three of us just sat about all this time doing nothing? Hardly. We have all the time in the world to think, plan and fine-tune our ideals."
"Which bring us to our favor," said Orna. As she spoke, Seth could feel his heart starting to sink down into the depths of his stomach.
"Are you familiar with... Murdred?" asked Wilna.
"Murdred?" asked Seth. He had never heard of such a name. "Who... or what... is Murdred?"
"Murdred is the ruler of the Demon Domain."
"That's the realm where demons come from!" said Seth. "It's their homeworld. But, I thought Gorgrog was their ruler!"
"Though your sister may have slain Gorgrog the Demon King with that very sword you hold in your hands, other demons still thrive," said Berna.
"Gorgrog left the Demon Domain to invade this world hundreds of years ago," said Orna. "As did a host of other demons. Fortunately, several wizards were able to fell those demons and imprison them in Zzyzx."
"In Gorgrog's absence," said Wilna, "Murdred, his disciple, assumed his role as ruler of the Demon Domain. Murdred has never left the Demon Domain, thus his name and influence outside of that world is relatively unknown."
"So, what does this Murdred character have to do with me?" asked Seth.
"Murdred is a demon," said Berna. "And you're a shadow charmer. Yet you also possess a heart. What we want is for you to venture into the Demon Domain and defeat Murdred."
"Defeat Murdred?" asked Seth. "But... how?"
"Do whatever it takes," replied Wilna. "So long as it gets done. You don't even need to be the one to do so. However, neglect your obligation, and we promise that our pact that you made with us will kill you where you stand."
"Let me get this straight," said Seth. "You want me to travel to the Demon Domain and defeat Murdred, who is the ruler?"
"That would be the gist of it," answered Orna.
"May I ask why? I mean, this guy may be evil, but he lives in another dimension and it doesn't sound like he's caused a whole lot of grief. Why do you want him dead?"
"Murdred is an embodiment of sheer darkness and hatred," replied Berna. His very essence functions as a life force for all the monsters that inhabit the Demon Domain."
"We've conjectured that if Murdred is stopped, perhaps the demons may lose their power," said Wilna.
"You don't even know if this will work?" asked Seth. "I thought you sisters had the power to find out anything and everything."
"We are incapable of seeking any knowledge that has not actually been discovered," replied Berna. "We were able to inform you of the whereabouts of Vasilis and Hespera, because such information exists and was available for us to find. However, the mysteries of the Demon Domain are just that... Mysteries. Which is why we are unable to verify if our theory is truthful."
"So... say I do succeed in beating Murdred. But, his fall brings about no real shake-ups among the demon society. Will I have fulfilled my end of the bargain?"
"We are only asking of you to to defeat Murdred," replied Orna, "No more. No less. Whatever becomes of him after his downfall is irrelevant to our deal."
"How would I even get to the Demon Domain?" asked Seth. "I mean, it'd seem like such a waste to send me on a mission if there isn't really any way for me to get to my destination."
"You are friends with several power fairies, are you not?" asked Berna. "Surely they must have the power to transport you into and out of the Demon Domain."
"I... guess. I mean, it's not as though fairies like them have any real desire to visit a place like the Demon Domain or anything. Which brings me to my next question. What am I supposed to do once I enter the Demon Domain? It's not as though any of us have ever been there before."
"Find out where Murdred is lurking," stated Wilna. "And defeat him."
"But, how?" asked Seth, as he held out Vasilis in his hands. "In case you forgot, the reason I brought Vasilis to you three is because you requested it as per our agreement. Beyond Vasilis, I don't really have a suitable weapon for this sort of thing."
"I think we've accumulated enough treasure over the millennia," said Orna. "Although its power is unparalleled, you'd put Vasilis to much better use on your mission than we ever would. Hold onto it. You'll need it far more than us."
"Okay," said Seth reluctantly. "I can do this. This doesn't seem too impossible. But... how will you know what I'm up to and if I've defeated Murdred or not?"
"Believe us," said Berna. "As long as our deal is still in effect, we have our ways of discovering what you're up to. If and when you defeat Murdred, we'll know about it. And if you instead choose to abandon your mission, we'll know about it and let you die."
"Yeah... but, are you sure you really want to use up your favor on this this?" asked Seth. "Killing some demon that we're all unfamiliar with? If I die while going after this guy, your favor will go unfulfilled."
"We're asking for you to at least devote some effort to this," said Orna. "Whether you succeed or not is not something we have control over."
"Seth, if you'd rather we just kill you now..." said Wilna.
"Al right!" blurted Seth. "I'll do it. I'll find a way to reach the Demon Domain and defeat Murdred. But if I can't so much as find a way to even enter the Demon Domain, I'm coming straight back here and demanding a task I'm actually capable of!"
"Certainly is demanding, this one," noted Berna. "We wouldn't assign you a task if we thought it was impossible."
"Do you agree to go through with this?" asked Wilna. "If so, hold up your hand and confess."
"I agree," said Seth, raising up his right hand, palm facing forwards.
"Deal!" snapped Orna. As she spoke, Seth could feel a supernatural tingling sensation surging throughout his entire body.
"It's official," said Berna. "Seth Sorenson, you are hereby obligated to commit yourself into fulfilling our request of seeing to it that Murdred is defeated."
"Go now," said Wilna. "We have made our purpose clear to you. Travel to the Demon Domain and defeat Murdred. You are free to take your time with this. But don't you dare ultimately abandon your mission, or you won't live to regret it."
"I understand," said Seth, as he turned back around to face the stairway leading up towards the entrance to the Sisters' lair.
"Good luck, Seth," said Orna.
"You'll need it," said Berna under her breath, although her voice was still loud enough for Seth to hear.
Clenching Vasilis in his hand, Seth made his way up the stairway and pushed open the door that lay at the top. Once the door had been opened wide enough, the river troll on the other side greeted him.
"Another satisfied customer," said the river troll, displaying a devious grin on his face.
Seth paid the troll no attention. The thought of what he had just signed himself up for had now hit him like a ton of bricks. Warren was standing at the entrance to the cave. Presumably, he had been looking out at the river in the distance while Seth was downstairs in the lair of the Sisters.
"Seth," said Warren calmly, "how did it go?"
Saying nothing, Seth darted up to Warren, threw his arms around his cousin's body, and squeezed as tightly as he could. To Seth, the heat that came from Warren's body undoubtedly felt like the warmest thing in the entire cave.
"Warren," said Seth, who felt as though he was on the verge of breaking out in tears.
"Seth, are you okay? Why do you still have Vasilis?"
"The Singing Sisters... They want me to travel to the Demon Domain and kill the head demon. If I can't do it, the Singing Sisters will take my life."
"I've never seen you like this," said Warren, patting Seth on his back.
"But what... or how... am I supposed to do any of this?"
"I don't know. I think we better go home and talk this over with the others."
Seth nodded, as Warren held out the Translocator. The moment Seth placed his hand on it, the artifact transported both him and Warren out of the cave.