AN – GUESS WHO'S HAD WRITER'S BLOCK FOR TWO MONTHS!
Hint: It's me…
The Memories
Sarid sat on the sofa before the fireplace, hugging her cloak around her and staring at the dark, charred wood and silver-grey ashes.
Why is he here? She wondered. He has no reason to be here…perhaps he wants something from me. Power? Control? Wealth?
…I have nothing to give him.
Her eyes narrowed.
He never gave me anything but lies. He tried to tell me I was weak and shouldn't defend myself…he wasn't going to give me choices, to force me to be a weak, helpless, USELESS woman…
Anger boiled inside of her, and she began to shake.
I was never ANYTHING to him! Just something to use! An asset, not a daughter!
She grit her teeth, he eyes squeezed shut.
I…I HATE him…
Her eyes opened.
I HATE HIM!
She felt a surge of energy, and she stood, forcing it into her arm and into her hand.
Pain.
She cried out in shock from it, yanking her arm back and holding her hand to her chest, looking down at it.
Blood seeped from her skin, over her knuckles where the skin was split.
It stung, and she grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.
Gah…
"Anger is a poor motivator, Sarid."
Flint's word rang through her head from a training session, though at the time she had paid little attention. Her emotions had still been locked away, so she hadn't needed it.
Going to the bathroom, she got a medical kit and put antiseptic on her knuckles, gritting her teeth as it stung. After it stopped, she bandaged it, then put the kit away, going back into the bedroom.
…I should speak with the commander.
She left her room and the castle, rushing down to the house Flint was staying in, across from Asher's Library, entering without knocking.
"Commander?" She called, hearing footsteps on the stairs. Looking, she saw him coming down them.
"Sarid." He said. "What can I do for you?"
"…Could we please…talk?"
"Of course." He told her. "Come on upstairs."
She went over to the stairs, both of them going up them and to the living room on the second floor, Sarid stopping. Also in the room was Doc, Pip, Mortimer, and Merlyn, all of them looking at her.
"…" She looked down off to the side, not knowing what to say.
"Have a seat, Sarid." Flint told her. She went to a chair and sat, pulling her cloak around her.
"…Might I ask why all of you are gathered here?" She asked.
"We were discussing what to do." Merlyn told her. "About…About Artie."
"…" She stared at him, then looked down at the ground. "…And?"
"…Sarid." Merlyn said. "We need to know what happened to you that night."
"I was abandoned." She told him.
"Sarid." Merlyn said, Sarid's eyes narrowing, though she still stared at the floor. "What happened?"
"…" She looked off to the side, turning her head away from them.
"…Sarid." Pip said. "Please."
"…"
She felt something awful, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. It bubbled up and swelled in her chest, she trying to fight it back. It lashed out and she felt worse, her hands gripping her cloak. It reached her throat and she swallowed, grappling it and finally restraining it, ignoring its roars.
It was forced back and locked away, and she lowered her head. She was…tried.
"…There's nothing to tell." She said calmly. "He left."
"Sarid-"
"HE LEFT!" Sarid yelled, staring at the ground.
"…"
She looked away again, hunching her shoulders.
"…" She heard footfall, and looking over to see Doc had stood and was walking over, stopping before her.
"…What did you feel?"
"…What?"
"A moment ago, you said nothing but did make some small movements." He told her. "You were fighting something. What did it feel like?"
"…" Sarid stared at him, then looked away. "Nothing."
"…What did you feel?" He asked.
"…" Her eyes narrowed. Doc stared at her.
"…"
Everyone was quiet, watching them. Sarid felt it trying to escape, to seep out wherever it could, so she tightened the confinement around it, a scowl twitching at her lip.
It's trying to come back.
I don't want it to come back…
She saw a fire before her, a blizzard raging outside of the cave.
I don't want it to come back.
She felt a chill spreading from her chest.
It's coming back…
It roared, hitting against its confines.
...99…96…93…90…
She counted backwards by threes, starting to calm down, warmth returning.
"Sarid."
The word had been quiet, but she blinked, looking back at everyone in the room. Doc still stood before her, looking down at her.
"We want to help you, Sarid." He told her. "But you need to talk to us."
"…" Sarid stared up at him.
It roared.
She looked away.
"There's nothing to talk about." She told him.
"That's a lie." Doc told her.
It broke out, clawing at whatever it could.
Sarid's hands turned to fists, her eyes staring intensely.
She stood, swiftly leaving the room.
"Sarid!" She heard Flint call, though she broke into a run and left the house, taking to the skies and flying far, all the way to the Dungeon. Landing outside of it, she gasped for air, trying to contain the feeling inside of her. It screeched and fought, memories playing through her head in rapid succession, a fire, the cold, a farm, trees speeding by, anger, rage, pain, hunger, the howls of a blizzard…
Her breathing rate increased, air coming in shallow gulps of air and her head felt light. She was shaking, down on her knees, hands holding her head.
Stop…
It lashed out.
Stop…!
It clawed at her defenses.
Stop!
It seeped and bubbled through the walls.
I…
Sarid's eyes became voids.
I said stop.
It stopped.
Her pupils contracted, her eyes as they were when she first arrived on Terraria.
Back in your prison.
It shirked away, creeping back into the prison and it was locked away.
She lowered her hands and stood, not feeling anything.
…That's better.
She spread her wings, and flew back to the village.
Asher sat at the table in the library, his leg bouncing. He stared intensely at the table top, trying to think.
Sarid's father is back. He thought. This…I don't know what to think. I do only have her side of things, but Sarid abhors lying, but…she lied about being a boy to go to military school, but that was for a good reason, but Mr. Arthur…There's not a lot of room for error in Sarid's view. To her, he abandoned her…and who knows? That's just what Sarid told us, but…she lied about being a street urchin.
Why? Did she not want us to treat her differently? I can understand that…Though…Sarid. She was very young when this happened…trauma can cause issues with reasoning, could she have reasoned wrong?
There was a knock, calling him from his thoughts.
Getting up, he went to the door and opened it, the ruddy rays of the setting sun lighting the outside, cool shadows growing out from the buildings. Before him were Doc and Flint, Merlyn, Mortimer and Pip sitting on the porch chairs.
"Yes?" Asher asked.
"Ash, we need to talk to you." Doc told him.
"Of course. What about?"
"Has Sarid ever said anything about her father to you?" Flint asked.
"No sir…well, no, she…after she dug down to the underworld, she…had an episode." Asher told him. "She said that the underworld couldn't be real, because her father had told her about it, that it had been real."
"Real?" Flint asked.
"Yes sir." Asher nodded. "She said it couldn't be because her father was a liar. That he lied to her about everything."
"…" Flint and Doc looked at each other.
"He knows as much as we do." Pip said, staring out at the street. Flint sighed, his shoulders falling.
"She won't talk about anything related to it." Mortimer told Pip. "What do we do?"
"We need to get Arthur's side of the story." Doc said. "If we can find counter points, she may argue them and give more information to do so."
Asher heard the sound of wings, going to edge of the porch and looking up at the sky, seeing Sarid.
"Sarid!" He called, jumping down off the porch to the ground. She landed and stood, Asher running over to her. "Sarid are you-"
She turned her head to look at him, he freezing.
Her pupils were contracted, her eyes voids that stared through him.
"…Sarid?"
"Yes?" Sarid asked.
"…" He stared at her and said nothing. After a moment, she looked back forward and walked toward her castle, going up the steps to it. Asher just stood frozen in place, Flint rushing over to him.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"…" Asher blinked, then looked at him. "…She…she's reverted. Her eyes are how they used to be."
Flint's eyes went wide.
"What?" Pip asked, he and the other men coming over. "What about her eyes?"
"…" Flint looked at the ground.
"When I first met her…" Asher started, gripping his coat. "She…she always just…stared. Sarid never smiled, or laughed, or…anything. She never showed any emotions or…anything."
"What?" Pip asked. "She…"
He looked down, lost.
"This is bad." Doc said. He looked over at the clinic, then started speed walking towards it.
"Uncle?"
"We need to know what happened!" Doc said. Mortimer, Pip and Merlyn followed after him, Flint standing still.
"Mr. Flint?" Asher asked.
"…" He blinked, then looked up at him. "I failed."
"What?"
"…I…I didn't want her to go back to that state."
"Mr. Flint, it's not your fault!" Asher told him. "I don't want her to be in such a state either!"
"…" Flint blinked.
"…" Asher stood, lost on what to say. "Um…c-come on, let's go hear what Mr. Arthur has to say."
He took Flint's hand pulled him toward the clinic.
Later…
"He'll wake up as soon as he smells this." Hannah said, holding a small glass vial of smelling salts. They stood around Arthur's bed, he still asleep in it. "Are you all ready?"
"…"
They nodded.
She unstopped the vial, holding the opening under Arthur's nose.
He was still, then his nostrils flared, and his brows furrowed down. She pulled the vial away, his eyes cracking open and blinking. He took a breath, then squinted his eyes open.
"…SARID!" He exclaimed, sitting up. "Where – where?!"
"She's not here." Hannah told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I need-"
"You need to stay here." Hannah told him. "You're still weak, and we need to know what happened that night."
"No, I-"
"Artie, she's right." Doc told him, he stopping and looking at him. "Sarid won't even look at you right now. We need to know what happened so we can know how to help."
"…" He sat a moment, then sighed and sat back. "…It's fuzzy."
"Just do your best." Doc told him. "Start with after you and Pip were separated."
"…" His eyes dimmed, sighing.
Arthur ran as fast as he could, sword in one hand and Sarid in his arm, she clinging to him.
"Wh-where's Mr. Pip?!" Sarid asked.
"I don't know." He told her. "But don't worry, he's a strong man, he'll be okay." By the gods, let him be okay…
Some creatures screeched and he ducked behind and crumbling wall, able to hear rapid, heavy footsteps and he peeked out, seeing some robed persons and monsters rushing by. They turned a corner and he ran out, Sarid holding tighter to him.
BOOM
He skidded to a stop, dust flying up and rushing over him, he turning his head to Sarid's to block what he could. When the dust settled, he looked, feeling the warmth drain from his face.
Some monster, looking to be made from flesh came up from the ground, eyes staring down at them. A mouth opened, showing jagged, yellowed teeth, a roar coming from it.
He turned and ran, hearing the ground breaking up behind them, a sound of fear right in his ear. Looking back, whatever it was was following them.
I need to get her to the shelter. He thought, looking around.
PEW
He darted to the side, hearing a burning sound.
PEW
He darted to the other side, then turned and ran around a corner, hearing the ground still breaking. Something snapped right behind him, making him look back and see some tendrils with small, toothy mouth snapping at him. He spun, slicing them with his sword and kept running forward.
More snapping.
What?
Looking back, the mouths were now flying right at them.
He looked back forward and tried running faster.
The ground rumbled.
He started to turn, but the ground broke and flew up, sending him flying, he holding Sarid close and turning in the air, though he hit his side and felt Sarid and his sword slip from his grasp. He tumbled and rolled, then finally stopped, getting up as fast as he could.
Sarid was nowhere in sight.
"SARID?!" He yelled. "SARID!"
"Over here!"
He heard footfall, then quickly looked around, spotting his sword sticking from the ground. Running to it, he grabbed it and pulled it out, some robed persons coming from behind a broken building.
They wore purple, orange, blue and green, the piping on the robes different colors.
"It's the king!" One, a man, yelled.
"Seize him, our Lord wants him!" Another, a woman, yelled.
He got ready.
Two charged, one swinging their sword, he dodging and stabbing one through the ribs, pulling out his sword and kicking them out of the way. The second one brought their sword up, he blocking and right when they began to draw back, he struck them in the temple with the pommel, making them stumble, then sliced their neck with the edge of the blade.
He looked at the other two, his sword ready, and they approached slowly. One held two daggers and the other a claymore, their glowing eyes trained on him. The one with the claymore suddenly charged, raising their claymore and about to bring it over their head, Arthur rolling to the side so it missed, coming up on his feet and swinging his sword so its edge embedded in their head. They fell limp, and the last one charged with a battle cry, Arthur jumping back and blocking the daggers with his sword.
He managed to get back far enough to get around a corner and run, then jumping behind a wall. Tilting his head back, he pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, allowing more air to get to his lungs.
"Come out, coward!" He heard a woman yell. He did his best to control his breathing, keeping it quiet. "It's only a matter of time before our lord gets his revenge!"
He was as still as could be.
"Your ancestors wronged him!" The woman yelled, he able to hear her voice to his left. "Their bloodline has escaped justice long enough! Now you and your spawn with pay the ultimate price!"
Sarid.
"Come out and face your fate!"
She was to his right.
Quietly, he turned and looked past the edge of the wall, seeing her back was to him.
He took a breath.
Jumping over the crumbled part of the wall, he charged and raised his sword, the woman's head raising and starting to turn, just in time to see the sword impale her abdomen. He pulled it out and then spun around, slicing her neck and she fell to the ground, blood pooling out onto the ground.
He looked around.
Where is she?
"Daddy!"
It was quiet, but he heard it.
"SARID!" He yelled, looking around.
"Daddy?!"
She was to his left.
He took off back towards where he had killed the first three, though kept straight instead of turning back that way. He jumped over debris, ducked under a burning beam, and came to an open area.
His eyes went wide.
The Shadow Man.
He was kneeling down, arms out, Sarid standing hesitantly.
"SARID!"
She looked back at him, The Shadow Man seeing him, his eyes getting intense.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" He yelled, charging.
"Daddy!" Sarid said, running to him. She got to him, he getting in front of her, staring at The Shadow Man, who stood.
"So, we meet again." He said.
"…" Arthur stood, sword ready, Sarid hiding behind him.
"Y…you know him, daddy?" Sarid asked quietly.
"Oh?" He asked. "Daddy never told you about me?"
"…" Sarid shook her head.
"I'm hurt, Arthur." The Shadow Man said, stepping towards them. Arthur reacted, raising the handle of his sword near his head, ready to attack. "That you wouldn't tell your little girl about us…about her lineage."
Sarid looked up at Arthur, who stared at him with intense eyes.
"Daddy?"
"He's a mad man, Sarid."
"Mad?" He asked, then laughing lightly. "Oh, Arthur, mad? You know it goes well past that. There are no words to describe how I feel about you and your blood line."
"She hasn't done ANYTHING to you!"
"She EXISTS." The Shadow Man told him. "Such a crime cannot go unpunished."
"D-daddy…?" Sarid asked, gripping his robe. He felt the fabric move as she did so, though kept his eyes on the Shadow Man.
I have to get her out of here…
"Shadow Man." Arthur said. "If…If I give myself to you, you will let her go."
"Daddy?" Sarid asked, The Shadow Man's eyes going wide.
"Oh?" He asked. "…This is a trick."
"No." Arthur said, lowering his sword. "I'll give you a cloak of myself. You'll let me get her to safety. I'll give myself to you."
"…" He stared, obviously tempted. "…My gain?"
"…Spare her, and I will not stop you." He told him, his eyes dimming. "You will be able to capture all of my subjects."
"…Oh, you are a fool to my benefit." The Shadow Man said. "To think you would give up everything for such a child."
"…" Arthur stared, his eyes devoid of light.
"Well, we don't have all night." The Shadow Man said. "Come here."
Arthur dropped his sword.
"Stay here, sweetie." He told Sarid, walking toward him.
"Daddy…?" Sarid asked quietly. It took all his restraint not to run back to her. As he approached, his head lowered, The Shadow Man held his arms out.
"What a coward you are, Arthur." He said. "You won't even look death in the eye!"
Arthur reached out a hand…
Which went off to the side.
The Shadow Man raised a brow, only to then hear a noise.
It was like holy lightning, a bright, glowing gold, and he was cut through with it.
His eyes were wide, Arthur staring him down, a Durenal in his hand, the blade back together.
The Shadow Man breathed, and then he dissipated.
"D-Da-"
Arthur ran back to her and snatched her up, grabbed his sword as the durenal was hidden back in his sleeve, and ran.
"D-daddy, what…?"
"He needs time to recover his physical form!" Arthur told her. "That weapon was made from a rare substance called Hallowed Bars! It's one of the few substances that can hurt him!"
"So where is he?"
"I don't know!"
He jumped over a fallen wall, seeing something out of the corner of his eye.
Jumping away, he just managed to avoid a spear that was stuck into the wall. It glowed pink, then disappeared, he looking to see one of the robed persons.
They wore pink robes, with black piping, blood on them, around the opening of the hood. With them was another, this one wearing one of the regular pink robes with purple piping.
Arthur held up his sword-
Some pink energy hit it, breaking the blade off.
The blade shot into a wall, deeply embedded in it, leaving him with the broken hilt.
His heart sank.
The two persons moved towards them, Sarid holding onto him tighter.
What did Harry…Oh.
He thought of the flames around him, the destroyed kingdom, the corpses that were going to be used for the dark magics, Sarid…
Sarid.
His little girl.
Air rushed up from his lungs, and out his mouth, making some noise he had never heard, charging at them with nothing but his broken sword.
They were frozen, the one with black piping raising a shaking hand, the other immobile. The broken end was plunged into their stomach, Arthur making them turn and then lifted them by the sword, throwing them at the other.
He ran.
Getting past another wall, he left the flames and screaming behind, getting into the forest, trees rushing past. After a bit of running, he came to a large rock, stopping and putting Sarid down. She held to his robe, and he put his hand onto the rock.
"Phoenix Rock, hear my plight,
To save us from the dark of night.
To hide us, give us sight,
That we may live to fight."
It glowed, and he stepped, back, holding onto Sarid. The rock turned to Ash then, embers glowing with it. From the embers a fire came, rising up and the light's color in it took shape, the orange and red stretching out to the tips of feathers, a Phoenix before them.
"Through the maze of stars,
Go to the man that is ours!"
It flapped its wings, and took to the sky, leaving a trail of harmless sparks, headed towards Julo.
Where the rock had been was a trap door.
Arthur pulled it open, picked up Sarid and climbed down the ladder, stepping down onto a white floor. It was a small room, a bed in the corner and toilet in another, chests labeled with provisions, as well as a weapon rack. Going to the bed, he set Sarid down onto it, putting a hand on her teary cheek.
"Sarid." He said. "I need to go find other survivors. You need to stay here."
"But…!"
"Sarid." He said. "I'll be right back. You are not to open the trap door for whatever reason, unless you are told this: Ashes received, Life believed."
"Daddy…"
"I'll be right back." He told her. Going to the weapons rack, he got a sword and went to the ladder, climbing up and closing the trap door behind him.
He ran back towards civilization.
When he arrived, he came across a group of hooded persons, slaughtering them.
Monsters appeared, and he slaughtered them.
More hooded, he slaughtered.
Monsters, slaughtered.
Hooded, slaughtered.
Slaughter.
Slaughter.
Slaughter.
He stood panting, covered in blood, his sword dripping with it. His eyes were a shock of white against it, scanning the area for any other evil creature.
"…WELL?!" He yelled. "HAVE YOU BECOME COWARDS? COME OUT AND FACE YOUR EXECUTION!"
One came out.
It was the hooded person from before, with the pink and black robe, blood around the hood.
"My master is displeased." They said with a demonic voice.
"I don't care." He said. "I don't care! HE CAN EAT DUNG AND DIE FOR ALL I CARE!"
Their glowing eyes narrowed.
"You will not speak of him in such-"
"He wants to kill my CHILD!" Arthur yelled. "She's done NOTHING to him! The fact that he would carry on a legacy of hate, born of his own misdeeds is on him!"
"Still your tongue!"
"NEVER!"
Pink energy appeared around their hands, Arthur holding up his sword. He charged, the person throwing the energy at him, he dodging both of them and then swinging his sword, the person rolling out of the way.
"Lux extensio!" They yelled, a pink tentacle of light coming from their arm. It shot toward him, Arthur trying to cut through it, only for it to grab his sword and yank it from his hands. It tightened around the sword, snapping it, and then tossed it aside.
"Just give up!" They yelled, walking toward him. He pulled durenal from his sleeve, then lashed out with it. The light cut right through the tentacle, the person looking shocked.
"I would die before you touch her." He told them.
"Bah." They said. "You're nothing special. Anyone would say that."
"Would they act on it?"
"…" Their eyes narrowed.
"…"
They stood and stared at each other, Arthur ready.
What do I do? He wondered. Th...Whatever that is, it'll keep me from finding others. I need to find them and get back to Sarid.
The person closed their glowing eyes, raising their arms.
"Tenebris mando memet,
Anima mea brutalis,
Tribuo potentia,
Hostis peredo!"
The fire around them turned purple, and reached out, swirling around them, then rushed at them, they throwing their head back and the fire rushed into them.
Arthur had never seen or heard such horror.
The fire burned through them, scorching their skin and robes, cloaking them.
He stepped back.
They suddenly looked at him, then charged.
Arthur lashed out with Durenal, only for them to catch the light and yank it, Arthur stumbling forward. They yanked again, Arthur pulling back against it, able to see where the pure light was burning their hands. Some awful noise came from their mouth, and they raised the light to their mouth, jaw biting down on it.
There was a shattering noise, and the light dissipated, leaving Arthur with another broken hilt. They lumbered towards him, he stepping back, eyes wide. Another awful noise came from them, a twisted look on their face, the dark parts of the fire moving together.
A roar, and the dark fire exited their mouth, taking a shape that surged at Arthur.
Something colder than death was around his neck, his back against something hard and his feet hanging down.
The Shadow Man was before him, red eyes full of seething boring through him, hands around his neck, Arthur against a wall.
"…"
The Shadow Man stared, his grip tightening around Arthur's neck, restricting his breathing.
"You are a THORN in my side." He said, squeezing tighter. Arthur could barely breathe. "Your daughter is no better. Your blood line WILL die by hands."
His vision was blurry.
"It's your family's fault all this happened."
His vision was fading.
"Your daughter is as good as dead."
Sarid.
The next thing he knew, his arms were above him, his throat hurt. He sat on something hard and his feet were out in front of him.
His mind was foggy, he struggling to remember something, anything, when one thing came to mind:
Sarid.
His eyes popped open.
"SARID!"
His arms yanked against something, making him look up to see some objects that looked like tendons holding up his arms. He looked around, seeing he was in a small, dark room, a door on the far wall.
He pulled his arms, feeling pain in his wrists. Looking up again, he was unable to tell why.
I need to get to Sarid.
"Where is she?"
He looked up, seeing The Shadow Man.
"…"
His face got hard, glaring at him.
"If you don't tell me, you'll stay here."
"…"
"You'll stay here until you die of old age."
"…"
"…You stupid mortal! You're only in your late thirties, you could live another sixty, even seventy years! Do you really want that?!"
"I would stay here until the end of time to keep her safe."
"…" The Shadow Man stared at him, the seething even worse than the last time. "Then rot. ROT HERE FOR ALL I CARE! My followers are everywhere, I'll find her, and you'll never know what's become of her!"
He turned away and walked toward the door, dissipating.
Sarid.
"I tried." Arthur said, everyone still around him. "It hurt, and I would bleed, but I couldn't get the shackles off. It's like…they were inside my wrists…So I sat there. It…I couldn't think of anything else."
"…" They stood silent, Pip going to a chair and sitting down.
"…Wait." Flint said. "How did you get out then?"
"…I don't know." Arthur told him. "One day the…whatever they were, they just…shriveled and withered away."
"…" Hannah looked like she was deep in thought. "…Do you have any idea what time of year this was?"
He shook his head. Hannah sighed, though went back to thinking.
"…Well…" Mortimer started, "now what?"
"I need to talk to Sarid." Arthur said.
"And tell her what?" Mortimer asked. "That you got captured? After you left her alone in a shelter?"
"Not you too…"
"No, he's right." Pip said, all of them looking at him. He still sat in the chair, looking down at his feet. "Sarid's convinced you abandoned her…and you practically did just that."
"I did no such thing!" Arthur told him.
"Oh?" Pip asked, looking at him. "You get her to the shelter and instead of staying there with her when she needed you most, you run back to try and save a destroyed town with no one left alive? Do you really think that will pass with her?"
"It was my duty to protect the kingdom!"
"Your duty as a father comes first." Doc told him, Arthur looking at him. "I would leave everything for Hannah and Asher."
"…" Arthur looked away. "You're not a king, what do you know?"
"More than you, obviously." Hannah said with a glare. Doc put a hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed some.
"I need to talk to Sarid." Arthur said.
"And say what?" Mortimer asked.
"…" He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "…Where's Alexander?"
"Back in Julo." Flint told him.
"Why isn't he here?" Arthur asked him.
"Because he died seven years ago." Flint told him.
"…" Arthur looked at him, shocked. "Then…then who was taking care of Sarid?!"
"I was." Flint told him.
"You?"
"What wrong with that?" Doc asked.
"…She was supposed to stay with Alexander and his family!" Arthur told him. "Why did he give her to you?"
"He didn't." Flint told him. "Sarid ran away."
"…What did he do?" Arthur asked.
"She wanted to learn how to fight." Flint told him. "So she disguised herself and went to Julo's Military school."
"…You let her do WHAT?!"
"I let her join and taught her even what I know." Flint told him.
"…Why?!"
"…" Flint sighed.
Flint sat at his desk in his office at the school, organizing some files. It was summer, near the start of the school year.
Plenty of new students coming in… He thought, looking over the papers. Thankfully not too many from nobles. More commoners.
There was knock at his door, he glancing up at it.
"Come in."
The door opened, Cannon stepping in.
"Ah, Cannon." He said. "What can I do for you?"
"I just brought the mail." He said, holding up some letters as he walked to the desk. Flint took them and started looking through them. "Any new noble students?"
"Thankfully not too many." Flint told him, tossing one letter aside. "It wouldn't be a problem if their parents had some backbone."
"Oh, I know." Cannon sighed. "I swear, no one acts like parents now days. Want to be their kid's friends instead of guardians."
Flint stopped.
"And then there are the parents who dote on them too much."
The letter in his hand was addressed with red ink, from Alexander.
"It just babies them and they have no clue of how reality works and – hey, what's wrong?"
"…" Flint blinked, then looked up at him. "I…I need to be alone for a bit."
"…" Cannon opened his mouth, as if to ask something, then nodded, and turned and left. Flint stared at the door a moment, then looked back at the letter. There was a heavy lump in his throat, the other letters being set aside and picked up his letter opener. His hands were shaking.
He stared at it, almost as if begging something from it, his whole body starting to shake.
He squeezed his eyes shut, and then used the letter opener.
He heard the paper rip, then the clank of the letter opener as he dropped it, his eyes open and scrabbling to get the letter out, then freezing.
Impending doom loomed as a heavy cloud over him, settling onto his shoulders and seeping the warmth from his chest and face.
Slowly, he unfolded it.
Flint,
I wish I didn't have to write you this letter, but I don't know what else to do. It's about Arthur, and Sarid.
His eyes widened.
When Sarid was born, Merlyn foresaw that she would battle that thing from the Shroud War, the "Shadow Man". Arthur was terrified and wrote to me, that if a phoenix ever came to me I was to come to Terraria as fast as possible. I was then to take Sarid back to here to the farm and raise her with my family. She's not to return to Terraria for any reason.
A month ago, a phoenix came to me while I was sleeping and told me archaic words. As soon as I woke up, I gathered some items and went to Terraria as fast as I could. It took a week, but I got there. And Flint, I…I'm sorry.
It was gone. All of it. Buildings torn apart, burned, the very ground broken, even the castle was crumbling. The bodies…there weren't any. Any signs of blood had been washed by rain, or dew, but…nothing. Not a single corpse. I found the shelter, and Sarid was inside, alone. She was so happy to see someone, and…she thought I was Arthur at first.
I asked her what happened, but she didn't know, just that there had been fires and that Arthur had gotten her there, only to leave her there. Flint, I…she told me the date. She had been there a week.
Well. I brought her back, here, per Arthur's request. She was…something. She would sit at the entrance of the farm, waiting for him to show up, saying that he'd come for her, but…I finally told her he was gone. It's all I can think of. He's gone.
Flint's sight got blurry, and he blinked, tears falling onto the top of his desk. He set the letter down and put his face in his hands, his face contorted with pain and sadness.
After a moment of silent tears, he lifted his head and wiped his eyes, taking a breath. Picking up the letter, he continued.
She…didn't take it well. She told me that couldn't be right, because he told her he'd come back. She believed it.
Flint suddenly felt horror.
Believed.
After that, she…was different. Before, I understood that she was…well, sad, afraid, maybe even depressed, but…now she was distant. She wouldn't talk to me, or Hama, or anyone. Not even the children. She kept disappearing. We'd look for her and find her in the forest, just staring blankly. They started becoming more frequent, and…She's gone.
Flint felt a horror he never had before.
I don't know where she is, we tried to get the dogs to track her, but not even Buck could get her scent. I need your help to find her.
He put the letter in his coat and stood, going to the door. Grabbing his hat, he put it on and left his office, his secretary looking up.
"Commander Fl…Sir?" He asked, Flint walking away and down the hall, his stride picking up speed until he was going at a full sprint. Leaving the building, he got to the stables and mounted his horse, leaving the school at a full gallop.
He rode as fast as his horse could go, stopping a fort to give them his horse to look after and getting a fresh one, then went through the night, getting to Croft Farms. He stopped the horse and looked around, the moon white-washing the world.
Where would she go?
He kept looking around.
Where is she?
He suddenly recalled the letter, and dismounted. Running to the main house, he banged n the door.
"ALEX!"
Silence.
He banged again.
"ALEX! IT'S FLINT!"
He heard the lock, and the door opened, Alexander standing there in his night robe. His hair and eyes were dark, his skin tanned, a candle in his hand.
"Harry?" He asked. "You got-"
"Where's the closest patch of skunkweed?"
"…" Alex's eyes went wide, then he turned and stepped into his boots, rushing out the door. "This way."
Flint led his horse along, following Alex into the forest and they came across a patch of skunkweed.
There were ones that were withered on it, Flint picking up a clump to find it was not attached to the ground.
"She masked her scent…" Alex said.
"…" Flint looked up, for once in his life wishing a child had not been so well informed.
"…The nearest path." He said. "Where does it lead?"
"Up into the mountains." Alex told him. "It's a hunting path, covered up this time of the year, but she's small enough – wouldn't have bit of trouble."
Flint mounted the horse.
"Now?" Alex asked.
"The more time I waste, the higher risk she's at." Flint said, then snapping the reins and taking off at a gallop, leaving Alex in the dark with just his candle as company.
The trail was indeed overgrown, but he managed through it and came out onto a road, a post sign on it. To the southwest, the farm and to the northeast, the mountains.
He took off towards the mountains.
A week later, he was in need of a shave and shower, exhausted and had notably lost weight.
A month later, and he had Cannon stand in as headmaster while he went out and searched.
Two months, and the leaves started changing, Flint's anxiety rising.
Three months, and he heard of a small boy matching her description had passed through the mining town he was in.
Four, and snow was falling on his shoulders as he yelled her name after finding small footprints. His hope shattered when he saw a dark-skinned boy with his father, hunting.
Five, and he was at his estate, staring out the window with endless worry, bed-ridden from malnourishment.
Six, and he was back out looking.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve, and he was rushing down the hall of the school, another year getting ready to start. He got to the front entrance of the school and opened the door, freezing.
There in front of him was a small child, bleach blonde hair and ice blue eyes like voids, skin like porcelain and wearing patched clothing, a leather bag on their shoulders.
"…" He stared in shock. Sarid.
"…I would like to speak with Commander Flint please." She told him.
"…I'm him."
"I am here to enroll in your school." She told him, he blinking. He fell to his knees and hugged her, Sarid standing still.
You're here. You're safe.
Tears sprang to his eyes.
You're safe…
"So I let her enroll." Flint told him.
They stood, even more horrified than before.
"Was she hurt?" Pip asked, standing. "Did anyone-"
"No." Flint told him. "I had the school doctor do a physical exam. Due to her age and the nature of the exams at that age, he didn't discover her gender, but she had not been hurt."
Pip relaxed.
"The worst she had been through was she was underweight, but considering the fact she's a girl, she was only actually a little from whatever she had been doing out during that time." Flint said. "But after school started, she gained it back to a healthy point."
"…Why didn't you send her back?" Arthur asked.
"Why should I have?" Flint asked. "Sarid was capable, more so than many of the students there – just by the entrance exam she was put two grades ahead."
"What?" Arthur asked. "You should have sent her back!"
"No, Arthur." Flint told him.
"…What?"
"Do you really think she'd be happy there?" Flint asked. "Even at the school, she was…she didn't express anything! She never smiled or laughed, she had awful nightmares from that night and wouldn't even talk about it, she didn't start reaching out until two years later, and even before she left, she barely ever did it! She had no friends, no confidants, nothing! Here though? She laughed. She's expressed happiness, content, she even started taking breaks from work, and you know what she's done the past ten years? Work and sleep. All she focused on was work! She didn't ever play or just run about, not even daydream. And you think she should've STAYED there?!"
"..." Arthur stared at him, then sighed, looking at the ceiling. "You've never had to make parental decisions."
The light in Flint's eyes died.
"…" The air was tense, Flint slowly turning and walking away, leaving the wing. Pip stood up and followed him.
"Flint?" Pip asked. He stopped. "…What do you need?"
"…I need to be alone." He said slowly.
"Very well." Pip said. Flint kept walking, going out of the clinic. Pip stood a moment, then went back into the wing. After he closed the door, he strode over to the bed, looking at Arthur. "What were you thinking?"
"What?" Arthur asked.
"Flint RAISED Sarid for eight years!" Pip told him. "Sarid herself told me she sees him as a parental figure!"
"That doesn't make him her father!"
"HE MIGHT AS WELL BE!" Pip snapped. "A parent is someone who cares for and spends time with a child! Teaches them, comforts them, provides for them – he did all of that! And you?! You LEFT Sarid for your "kingly duty" when she needed you! A father doesn't do that!"
"You wouldn't under-"
"I DO!" Pip yelled. "Why do you think I came to Sarid's room that night?! All I thought about was getting her to safety!"
"You were a royal guard!"
"AND?!"
"…"
The air was even more tense, everyone else almost afraid to move.
Arthur looked away. Pip glared and turned, leaving. Mortimer looked at Arthur, lightly sighing and shook his head, then went after Pip. Merlyn stood for a moment, then looked at Arthur, looking thoughtful. After a moment, he shook his head and left, leaving Doc, Asher and Hannah.
"Wake up."
Lance opened his eyes, sniffing. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes then drew a hand down his face, and finally yawned.
What is it? He asked.
"Dress yourself." The Shadow Man told him.
Now?
"Yes."
Lance sighed, then pushed off his covers and dressed himself in his uniform, combing his hair. He then put on his cape, fastening the front and putting on the hood.
"Good, now go mount your horse."
What does this have to do with Forte?
"You want to put her in her place, don't you?"
Of course.
"Well, her strength is growing, and so your strength needs to grow. I can make it so you can absolutely ANNIHILATE her."
Good.
Lance did so, leaving his family's estate on his horse at full speed. The Shadow Man told him which way to turn on the roads, the dark night slowly being chased away by the rising sun.
"Stop."
Lance did so.
"There's a path to your right."
Looking, it was a hunting path.
"Follow it."
Pulling the reins, his horse turned and started towards it, then stopped, bobbing its head. Lance hugged his legs to the horse, and it stepped forward, then back again, whinnying.
"What are you doing?" He asked it. He hugged his legs tighter, the horse whinnying again. He kicked his heels into its sides, and it reared back, letting out a shrill whinny.
"Stupid beast!" He said, dismounting. He grabbed its harness, pulling it towards the path, and it bucked again.
"Tie it on the other side of the road."
Lance let out a huff, then lead it over to the other side of the road, and tied the reins to a tree, then went to the hunting path. Going down it, fog began to appear, getting thicker the further he went. It was oddly quiet, no birds singing or sitting in the trees.
He came to the end of the path, seeing the trees went to the left and right, but there was just grass in front of him.
"Keep going."
Lance did so, walking into the fog and leaving the path behind, when he saw a shape. Approaching it, he saw it was a grave stone, a slab of stone before it, big enough to have covered the casket. Both the head stone and stone slab was some purple-grey material.
"Move the stone slab."
Lance stood a moment, then went to one of the long sides, putting his palms on the hedge and pushing, his feet grinding against the ground for a second before the stone slab moved. He kept pushing, when it fell off the other side, leaving the grave open, allowing him to see inside.
The casket had been made of wood, a shade of grey.
"Open it."
Reaching down, he pulled on the top of the casket, and it opened. The hinges grated together, making an unpleasant noise, though it came up all the way.
In it, was a rotten corpse, the clothing on it pink with purple piping.
Now what?
"Repeat after me…"
Lance stood, staring down at the corpse.
"Vetus forum, audi vocem meam.
Tempus est exsultate,
Tempus enim prope est,
Virtus mea alta.
Surgam et adiutorio,
Orbis terrarum et videbit,
Bantur esse spirant!"
Lance had never heard such words, or his voice…change in such a way. It had gone from normal to deep and gravelly, and…as if the voice in his head also came out his mouth.
Nothing happened, when the corpse's eyes suddenly glowed purple. Lance flinched, and it sat up. He stepped away from the grave, the corpse lifting itself out of it, putting its feet on the ground. Slowly, it looked at Lance.
"…" Lance stared at it with intense eyes, then noticed the sword hilt sticking out from its abdomen. It turned away, and stepped into the fog, then stopped, Lance still able to see its shape.
It suddenly began to speak, the fog starting to clear. Lance saw more graves then, the corpse lifting it rotted arms, still speaking words Lance couldn't understand. Purple fire appeared in the corpse's hands, and it finished speaking, the fire shooting into the air. Splitting, the fires shot down to the graves, hitting them.
"…" Lance stared intensely, somewhat confused.
The fires went around the edges of the slabs covering the graves, seeping into them and disappeared. After moment, the slabs slid off, more corpses rising from the graves. Lance blinked with surprise, seeing them climb out and approach the first corpse. He noted two of them – their robes were different colors, but the faces looked as if they had been burned, the edges of their hoods burned and blackened. Another had burns on the side of the face, the side of the hood burned off and the head…wrong. As if it sat at a wrong angle on the neck.
The first corpse turned to Lance.
"Tell them this…"
"…The Terrarian bloodline still lives, much to my…displeasure." Lance told the corpses. "It's time for another invasion, a warning to the would-be ruler of that land. All of you are to go and gather our allies, the ones who have pledged their souls to me. You will gather on Terraria, and wait for the darkest day. With this, that little girl will see here fate coming and seek a way out…any way out."
There was some noise from the corpses, which Lance took to sound like gurgled cheers. Purple fire engulfed them then, and they shot towards the sky, Lance watching them, until the fog rolled in and he could no longer see them with his red irises.
He grinned, the look worthy of Beelzebub.
AN – Whelp. About time I finished this…
Pinkpony4: I went through this one with the spelling and grammar, so hopefully there will be no mistakes…
Who knows? (I do!)
Yeah, little Sarid's precious. As for ages, it depends on them. Merlyn's the oldest, with Arthur being the youngest. Arthur at this point is in his late forties, with Merlyn being in his early to mid sixties. As for Sarid's mother, it was briefly mentioned in a conversation between Sarid and Esmeralda in Chapter 28, though at the time Sarid was still under the guise of not being of royal descent. But either way, the queen, Sarid's mother died after she was born due to complications with childbirth.
As for the Shadow Man's reason for vengeance? All will be explained…
For blocks, the problem is that I have major stuff already thought out, but connecting it is difficult. For this chapter, what took so long was trying to come up with what happened after the flashbacks, like, I got to that point and I was just…now what? Then I was just looking on the wiki and INSPERATION STRUCK!
Sarid's father was fine with the potion, as it would enhance all of her abilities, and even royals are expected to have a certain degree of physical abilities, such as horseback riding. However, since Sarid hyper-focused on that one area, she FAR surpassed what is capable of most people. As for him not wanted her to fight, Arthur was hoping that she'd be focused on other things, such as learn diplomacy, languages, stuff like that.
As for not yet… :D
After long searches, I FINALLY got a switch, and have been playing New Horizons. I really want to unlock terraforming…
Thanks! It makes me really happy when people tell me how much they enjoy the story!
Gizmo Gear: Yep.
Kevy365: Glad to hear it!
FangVire: Here's next chapter!
R0t013the username issue: The only reason I started disliking quarantine is because I couldn't find a switch. Other than that, I enjoyed it. And thanks! As for updates, eh…there's no real set time between them, unfortunately, which is something I'm trying to remedy with future stories.
DubstepDragon14: Thank you, and good luck!
Takia5683: Which dude? Arthur?
TimeBlade-NEO: Wow.
Stay safe, guys!