Sarklancer
Prologue
There was an explosion. As the Freelancer tried to unsheathe the Laice, the Sarklancer cast a final spell and at once his eyes turned into fire. There was another explosion but this time the Freelancer fell to the ground with a huge thud. Already, his soul was evaporating from his body into the second parallel and he could hear the Sarklancer's sharp singing voice trying to bind his soul against his will. Apparently, something caught the Sarklancer's attention and he stopped. The Freelancer's soul entered the second parallel and disappeared as he heard the Sarklancer say to Salem, "As always, I listen and I obey Master. She will not roam free."
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Lain woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Her heart was pounding, sounding like a steady beat of drums. She sweating and it took her a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. It was all darkness and silence expect for the distant chirping of crickets. Once again, her "nightmare" was haunting her. She already knew that her premonition-like dream was predicting the distant future but she could not bring herself to believe it. Lain hated being a Sibyl, an enchantress who sees the foreboding future through her dreams and then tries to prevent it from happening. Often the dreams were unbearable sights of the future. However, she knew that it was her destiny to fulfill her role and help living innocents.
"As always, I listen and I obey, Master." the Sarklancer had said.
These words kept ringing through Lain's ears as if they were an unstoppable recording. She knew that she should contact the Freelancer.
"The Freelancer will know what to do and stop the Sarklancer before it is too late," she whispered.
In her mind, she summoned the Shadow Marks, marks from the type of magic used by the sorcery world, and began to telepathically communicate with the Freelancer. Immediately she knew that there was a problem. She sensed a hint of forbidden free magic and concentrated with all of her energy to levitate her soul into the second parallel where the Freelancer roamed. At once, she felt the wind from the second parallel and searched for the Freelancer. Expecting to see a white light, she saw a black light instead- the Sarklancer's light. Lain gasped as she quickly threw herself back into her physical body and said,
"So it has begun, the beginning of the end. The Freelancer is dead."
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The Sarklancer returned back to his master, Salem.
"I have done what you have asked Master. The Freelancer is dead but as I was trying to bind his soul, I saw a Sibyl and she distracted me. If I am not mistaken, she is the Freelancer's daughter, for I can smell their blood anywhere. However, this youngling has a different smell of blood than the other Freelancers. This may be because she is half Sibyl but I am sure this is because she is weak in magic. Nevertheless, she will be able become strong within a matter of days since she has already found out that the Freelancer is dead. Meanwhile, I have the Freelancer's sword, the Laice. The Laice has already begun to realize that it has a new master and I am trying to wield its powers to my will. So far it is working, but when the Laice realizes that there is a new Freelancer, it will try to find her. Therefore, Master, we must kill the youngling and bind her soul."
"What are you waiting for then?" roared Salem, "Go and kill her!"
Quickly, the Sarklancer sheathed the Laice and levitated his body back into the first parallel.
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The crack of dawn was barely visible when Lain left the countryside. Her mother, also a Sibyl, had experienced the same dream. She told Lain that she must leave quickly and assume the role of the Freelancer for her father was truly dead. Still being dazed from the dream, Lain couldn't believe that she was going to leave her hometown, Cedar Ridge, the only place she knew. She hadn't traveled since she was four years old, up to the time when the powerful Salem had assumed power and turned the kingdom into a dystopia. Technology had been outlawed, totally destroying her chances of ever flying in an airplane or even riding in a car. Thus, for now, she decided to save her energy and ride by horse.
For the last three hours, she had been studying the Book of Shadows and learned what the Sarklancer really was. The book explained the Sarklancer as a necromancer who binds dead spirits from the second parallel against their will and uses them as servants. These servants, called darklancers, attract other dead spirits and eventually congregate to kill living innocents. She also learned the sole purpose of the Freelancer- to prevent the Sarklancer from succeeding. However, the only way the Freelancer could stop the Sarklancer is to fight him in the second parallel, where all the dead souls go after dying in the present and first parallel.
The horse bucked and neighed. From a brisk canter, the horse suddenly stopped. Lain dismounted Koniac and checked to see if the girth on the saddle was still tight. As she lifted her head, she saw why Koniac had stopped. An Asian looking man was emerging from the hill, carrying a very odd looking figure.
"Ah, finally I have found someone!" he exclaimed, in a very heavy accent. "I do not know what happened! I was working in the lab room when a vortex suddenly appeared and sucked me through. I ended up here, out of all places in the world, in the desert!"
"I beg your pardon! This is hardly the desert. Infact, this is Cedar Ridge, and what is a 'lab room'?"
"Okay fine, this is not a desert," the man with the heavy accent said again. "But by golly, you don't know what a lab room is? Gosh have I traveled back in time?! What year is it?!"
"Calm down, the year is 3333. What is that you're holding in your hand sir?" Lain replied.
"Sweet pumpkin-pickles! I have indeed traveled through time, but only to the future!! Wait! If I'm in the future, then why is it so gloomy and plain?" the man asked.
"A man by the name of Salem took power and banned technology. This is why it may seem like a dystopia, but truthfully, it's not that bad! Sir, once again, what are you holding in your hand?"
"Oh, this? Um… well, this is a very tiny nuclear missile. Very small but very powerful. It's my new invention!" Quickly the man tucked the missile into his jacket.
"Well, is there anything I can do for you? I must not tarry any longer for I am in a hurry. My name is Lain by the way, and your name is…? " Lain politely asked.
Before the man could speak, a dark cloud formed over the horizon and Lain could smell the scent of forbidden free magic. The cloud hovered closer above Lain's head. The stench was unbearable now. Seeing that the Sarklancer was about to emerge, Lain took the man's hand and immediately summoned a spell to levitate their souls into the second parallel. Opening her eyes, she felt the familiar wind of the second parallel just in time to hear the man beside her scream. The Sarklancer was advancing upon them as a dark form of light. Lain saw the Sarklancer unsheathe the Laice. She summoned the Shadow Marks in her mind and chanted a spell. It had no effect on the Sarklancer. Lain tried again with another spell and again, it had no effect. Without warning, the Sarklancer made an attempt to slash Lain with the Laice. The man beside her shrieked with fear and hurled his missile at the Sarklancer.
"DUCK!!!" he screamed.
At once, there was a huge explosion as fire erupted around them. The force was so strong that it hurled both Lain and the man along with the Laice back into the first parallel.
The dark cloud faded away from the gray sky. Lain heard a rasping whisper,
"It is not over yet Freelancer, Salem will find another to do his bidding!"