Our walk from what was the Dark Lands back across to the Draconian Plains was quiet and uneventful. Very few words were spoken: only a few mutterings from Keia, an occasional complaint from Vegance, and some reminders of our goal. We walked, ate, slept, and did other small tasks mostly in silence. With the loss of Rona, Vegance had turned more inside and became somewhat distant to Keia and I.
One night, however, I could not help but check on Vegance. The three of us had set up camp for the night in the Plains with the intent of reaching the Travelers' Waypoint by nightfall the next day. Keia and I sat in an awkward silence after Vegance had gotten up and walked off without a word. I turned to look at Keia. She stared into the fire with a blank expression on her face. I looked off in the direction that Vegance had gone and sighed. Finally, I stood up and started off after her. Keia looked up from the fire.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
I looked to her and then back out into the night. "I'm going to talk to Vegance. I need to make sure she's alright… We can't have her distracted when it comes down to the final battle."
"Okay… I'll wait here."
I walked away from the camp in an attempt to find Vegance. I was walking for some time before I saw her looking up at the sky. Her arms were folded across her chest as she looked up and outward. I cautiously stepped up beside her.
"Vegance… Are you going to be okay?" I asked quietly. Without taking her eyes off of the sky, Vegance nodded slowly. "Is it about Rona?"
"Yes," Vegance stated.
"How so?"
"I never imagined that the first place I met him would also be the last place I saw him… In a room, filled with artificial stars, just like the night sky… Now, the night haunts me… Those stars will forever be there…"
"Remember what he said though… Each star in the sky is a dream or a goal… Those brighter ones are closest to us, and the further ones are too distant to be achieved…" I pointed to a particularly bright star. "That's Rona… He's watching over you. He's a lot closer than you think…"
"But he never said 'goodbye,'" Vegance whimpered.
"He left without a 'goodbye,' yes… That just means that you'll keep caring for him. It's proven… Besides, you could probably go to the Heaven-Realm sometimes to see him."
"I guess…"
"It feels to me as though everything that's happened is just part of another illusion… Maybe he's not really dead? Maybe he'll be back? We don't know what's going to happen… It could be another of Rysta's miracles… We'll never know until it happens."
Vegance sighed and bowed her head towards the ground. "Yeah… Thanks Cryos."
"No problem."
"I'm going to stay here for a little bit longer… I need to think about things. I'll join you and Keia later."
"Okay… I hope you get better." I turned around and returned to the camp. Keia was still watching the fire intently. I sat down beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. She did not move.
"Keia… Are you ready?" I asked.
Keia looked at me in confusion. "Ready for what?"
"Home… To be home, but we won't be able to really call it home until everything's done."
"I don't care… Home or not, as long as you're here, it's fine with me… I'm ready to finish this."
"Okay…"
"Get some sleep." Keia looked up at me. "You need to be the most prepared for this… You need your sleep."
"I'll be sure to rest. You should sleep too…"
"What about Vegance?" Keia asked.
"She'll be fine… I'm sure of it," I replied.
"Okay…" Keia and I were silent for a little while. I started to stare into the fire and reflect on all we had been through. Then, she interrupted with a question. "Cryos? What do you think life will be like after this? If we uproot the King and Queen, who will replace them?"
"I'm the only heir… I could be king. I think I know who the queen will be," I said playfully and watched Keia. She giggled.
"Hmm… I wonder who that could be," she said sarcastically. She hugged me and smiled. "I would enjoy that very much…" I sighed and we were silent again. I let go of Keia and lay down on the ground.
"I'm going to get some sleep," I said and yawned. "Maybe you should too."
"Sure." Keia lay down nearby me. "Sleep well…"
"Of course…" Sleep came over me quickly. After all that had happened, I definitely needed my sleep…
When the morning came, I awoke naturally. Keia and Vegance were still sleeping. The world around was mysteriously peaceful. I pushed myself off of the ground and stretched. I watched Keia as she slept. A smile came to my face at how calm she appeared. Vegance, despite her past, looked very happy. I walked around a bit to stretch my legs. I picked up my bag and looked towards the horizon. From where we were, the Travelers' Waypoint still could not be seen. Vegance had said that we would arrive there by nightfall tonight. I waited for Keia and Vegance to wake up, and then we continued on our way.
We were still walking at nightfall, but we were close to the Travelers' Waypoint now. It gradually grew closer as we closed the distance.
When we arrived at the town, it was just as quiet and lifeless as always.
"We should rent a room in the inn and stay for the night," Vegance said. "We can search around in the morning."
"Sounds good to me," I said. Keia nodded.
"Okay. We're staying at the Rysta's Blessing again," Vegance said. She led us to the inn (which, again, was not a long walk) and she opened the door. In a matter of a few minutes, she had rented us a room and taken our stuff upstairs. A man in the back corner of the room eyed me suspiciously the entire time. From just a few glances, I could tell he wore a hood to conceal much of his face. I could also see that he had slight facial stubble and refused to smile. Without trying to seem too conspicuous, I watched him while heading up the stairs to our room.
Keia nestled warmly into one of the beds and hugged a pillow. Vegance took her familiar seat by the windowsill. I plopped down on a bed across from Kei and folded my arms beneath my head. I let out a sigh of relief and stared at the ceiling. There was a long silence as the three of us rested our spirits. Finally, Vegance broke the silence with a topic.
"I've heard the name 'Anhalai' three times now… I finally remember exactly where, too," she said.
"Is that what's been bothering you?" Keia asked.
"Part of it… Anyways, I've heard that name from three different places…"
"Where?" I asked.
"Necril mentioned it once. He told Rona and I soon after designating us the leaders of his army exactly why he needed commanders… He told us that before, an army of Darklings commanded by him from a distance caused an accident… The army, with a lack of understanding, attacked the town Anhalai was in… 'A friend of his,' as he put it. Anhalai was considered dead after the attack, so Necril decided to create something smarter to lead and prevent that from happening again. I think I also heard somewhere before that it was this town that was attacked."
"That would explain why it's so small," I pointed out.
"Yes! Exactly!" Vegance paused. "So, the second time I heard about Anhalai was from my friend, the innkeeper here. She had mentioned that the town was attacked before, but a man named Anhalai led the effort to rebuild it. Then, she was offered an opportunity to run the inn. It makes sense, because five years between my designation as commander-in-chief of the Darkling army and the time that I quit… That was enough time to build up a small town… That would mean that Anhalai has to be alive!"
"That doesn't explain why the town hasn't grown bigger in the twenty years after the fact," Keia mentioned.
"But, my friend the innkeeper said that this town was going to stay small so long as Necril was out there… Why waste time, effort, and resources if it could easily be destroyed again?"
"Now it makes sense," I said.
"I still don't get why Necril thought it necessary to destroy innocent villages… Maybe less resistance, I guess… Anyways, the third time I heard that name was when you repeated it from Necril," Vegance said to me. "I have a feeling that Anhalai is near."
"That would mean hope for us… Three Heroes isn't enough to save a world."
"Yes, but four, half of us, is a good shot at attempting," Keia said. "This is important for us… We can't mess up now."
"Let's get some well-deserved rest first, and then we'll ask around in the morning," Vegance suggested.
"Good idea." Keia laid her pillow down on the bed and lay back on it. Vegance (as usual) assumed her feline form and curled up on the windowsill. I shifted my position to lie on my side rather than on my back. My final thought was of that glimpse I had of the man downstairs. Perhaps he was who we were looking for? I wanted to be the first person up so that I could see about it in the morning…
Then, the morning came. I was the first awake, and the girls were still fast asleep. I quietly slid out of bed and tiptoed across the room to the door. Without a noise, I slowly turned the door handle, pulled the door open, crept out, and replaced the door. I turned around and went down the hall, down the stairs, and back into the inn lobby. The innkeeper appeared to be bored out of her mind. She leaned against the counter and traced the patterns in the wood with her fingernail. As I approached, she looked up and eyed me with a hopeful expression.
"Prince Cryos! You're awake," she said and smiled sweetly. "Did you sleep well?" It appeared to me like she was wishing to start a conversation.
I nodded my head and said, "Yes, very well, thank you… Actually, I have a question for you."
"Ohh…"
I nodded my head towards the back cover where the hooded man still sat without a grin. I would have imagined that he would get bored sitting there all of the time. I spoke with a quiet voice. "The man in the back of the inn… How long has he been there?"
"A few years… He came by some time after the town was rebuilt, sat down, and hardly moved since. He's quiet and spends much of his time scowling at everything that goes on… I don't know if he even sleeps."
"Does he have a name?"
"I don't know… No one ever talks to him… A lot are intimidated by him."
"Oh…" I turned around and gave him another look. From underneath the table, I saw his hand jolt to the hilt of a sword. "Have people ever tried talking to him?"
"Once… A group of men approached him once… They seemed like an evil lot… They asked questions, but he refused to answer… He just sat there. They threatened him… But he remained still. I think he's waiting for the right person."
"Hmm… Well, I'm going to talk to him." I turned around, but the innkeeper grabbed my arm.
"Be careful…"
"I've been in worse positions… Trust me." I pulled my arm away and approached the man. I sat down at the table across from him and stared at what bit of his face could be seen. I awkwardly shuffled my feet and turned to look at the wall for a second. The man only sat and waited. Finally, I said something.
"So… Hi. I am Prince Cryos, but you can call me Cryos." I stuck out my hand. The man shifted slightly to look down at my hand. He ignored it. I pulled my arm back slowly and set it in my lap. "Okay, well, I'm looking for a man named Anhalai… Do you know him?" I waited for a response, but again there was silence. I tilted my head to the side. "Why won't you talk?"
"Because I know who you are," the man finally said. For a second, I was stunned. I was at a loss for words as I stumbled to reply. His voice was quiet, but deep.
"O-okay… So, what about me? How do you know me?" I asked.
"Like your parents… Lost to this world… You don't know what you're doing."
"Oh… You haven't been keeping up with what's going on, have you?"
"No… But I imagine you will fill me in."
"Well… There used to be six of us. We all went to Necril's Keep under the orders to kill him… It wasn't until just before the fact that I found out what was going on. Necril was one of the eight Heroes… He said that he knew the last, Anhalai, but he was killed in an accident when the town he resided in was destroyed… Rona, one of us Heroes, did not hear the story and wrongfully killed Necril… He and Ryth never made it out of the Keep, and I heard that Ceae took his life in confusion… Vegance, Keia, and I are the remaining Heroes of Draconia, but we have a feeling that Anhalai survived…"
The man looked to his left. "What are you doing looking for a man whom everyone believes is dead?"
"Because… There is this strong feeling that we have to deal with Sen, the god of destruction, and I know just three Heroes wouldn't last."
"Who's to say a fourth will do you any good? Kid, you're dreaming that one extra person will be able to save the world… But you're wrong. The world was doomed to begin with. So long as Sen is a god, he will keep coming back, and everyone suffers under his reign."
"It doesn't mean we can't at least try to make things better for everyone."
"I'm not listening to talk about hope…" The man leaned forward.
"Then tell me! Do you know Anhalai?" I was becoming very impatient. The man leaned back and smirked.
"Anhalai never existed… The truth behind him is, he was a man who resided in this town before Necril started to fight back against Draconia… He was a man who became friends with Necril, who wanted a chance to help out… He was a man who stayed in this town before its destruction, planning an attack against the castle… He was a man who was in this town when it was attacked… Presumed to be dead afterward…" The man sighed. "He was the same man who supervised the rebuilding of this town as a means to aid the Heroes when they discovered their goal… And, he still resides here."
"Then, if all of this is true, how could he not exist?" I asked in confusion. The man leaned forward again.
"Because… Anhalai was only ever a name… Just a name, a persona, a way of hiding himself from the world by disguising himself… Under this façade, he could go and do as he pleased, because it wasn't his name… Anhalai died years ago." The man sat back in his chair and finally removed his hood. His hair was short, unruly, and dark brown. His eyes were green, however, a dark green. This man had to have been in his twenties. "However, the man who took that name still lives."
"You're Anhalai?"
"Did you not listen to me? Anhalai was a name I used to disguise who I really was… My name… My birth name… I am Cielto."
"Well, uh, Cielto, this is surprising," I said. "Found out that Anhalai was dead but sitting right across from me in the same place I had imagined he would be."
"The Heroes have a sort of invisible link among them… They always know how to find each other, and when one dies, they all know it. Did you feel Ceae's death?"
"Actually, no…"
"Oh… Well, what about Ryth's or Rona's?"
"I…" I thought for a second. "Actually, I didn't feel theirs either… To me, it felt like they were gone, but I didn't actually feel that they were gone, if you know what I mean."
"I understand." Cielto looked away. "With half of the Heroes gone, only the other half is left to protect Draconia. Destiny says we are to come around near Sen's rebirth, find one another, and put an end to Sen's destruction… It's what we Heroes are meant to do."
"So, you know what has to be done?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Are you coming with us?"
"I would have to meet the others first. Only then could I make a decision." The sound of light footsteps coming down the stairs could be heard. Keia came around the wall and stood over me.
"There you are!" Keia said in a playful tone. "I figured you wouldn't go far…" She looked up at Cielto and tilted her head to one side. Then, she leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Who's this?"
I whispered back, "This is Cielto… Remember Anhalai? Same person. I've found him."
Keia stepped back and looked back at Cielto. "Oh, um, hi… Nice to meet you…"
"And you are?" Cielto asked.
"Keia. I'm a friend of Cryos'," Keia politely replied.
"Hmm."
"So, what's going on?"
"Cielto might be joining us when we go to the castle."
"Ohh…" Vegance entered the room next. Her hair was sticking up in places and she looked very sleepy. She yawned as she approached me and Keia.
"I thought you two abandoned me," Vegance said.
"No… We're meeting a new Hero," Keia replied.
"Hero?" Vegance looked to Cielto. "Oh. Well, I apologize for my messy look this morning… It's been a long adventure."
"No problem. Looks don't matter," Cielto replied.
"Good. I wasn't planning on cleaning up until I feel awake." Vegance yawned again. "So, what's going on?"
"Cielto's joining us," I said.
"Huh? Cielto? We were looking for Anhalai…" Vegance watched Cielto. "If you're not Anhalai, you're a mercenary who's gonna get hurt."
"Anhalai was only a mask… A pseudonym, if you will. He was my cover-up," Cielto said.
"What?"
"In other words, Cielto and Anhalai are the same person," I explained. Vegance looked around from me to Cielto to Keia and back again.
"Well… Surprise. I'm still half asleep… Don't expect me to get any of this… I just want to keep moving."
"Why don't you and Keia both go upstairs and prepare your things to go?" I suggested.
"Sure." Vegance took Keia upstairs and left Cielto and I to talk.
"The only Heroes left are you and two girls?" Cielto asked.
"Yeah… That's how it ended. There were six of us… Ceae was a servant in the castle with no family… I never thought he'd be a Hero, nor did I think he'd die… Rona was a fox spirit created by Necril. He was made of pure darkness magic, and was very skilled in both combat and magic use. To balance out his power, Ryth was created by Rysta and infused with the power of the Heavens… He was Rona's exact match. And then Necril, much to our surprise, was another Hero who tried to save Draconia from the beginning…
"Now, there's only Vegance, Keia, and I… Oh, and you too. Vegance was a Darkling created with shape shifting abilities. She's been very helpful to us… Keia was another servant at our castle, skilled with the bow… And she always seems to be able to keep us on track. Then, me, who brought everyone together and kept us together… It's my parents who got us in this mess, and I still need to deal with them."
"And then me, who's going to lead you all to deal with Sen himself," Cielto said.
"Huh?"
"An Angel visited me and told me what to do… It's my duty."
"Oh." I turned around as Keia and Vegance came downstairs. They were both packed and suited up. Vegance's hair was also neat.
"We're ready when you two are," Vegance said.
"Yeah." I turned back to Cielto. "Just follow my lead. We're going to pretend that the job's been done to get closer to my parents… And then I'll break the news that I know exactly what's going on… What happens from then on, I'm unsure of."
"It's a plan, that's for sure," Cielto said.
"Just follow my lead," I said.
"So, are we ready?" Vegance asked.
"Yes."
"Finally." I rushed upstairs to get my things and came back down. Vegance waved to the innkeeper on the way out of the inn. I led us out of the town and towards the cliff that held the CentraCity…