Chapter 2: The Voice of Spirits
Cry woke up. He felt the chilling breeze on his face, and the touch of grass on his scruff. He slowly stood up, and looked around.
He was in the center of a peaceful meadow. Birds flew over his head, bearing thousands of colors on their feathers. They were about the size of a dove. He watched astonished, as the rainbow birds changed direction, towards a small village.
Cryaotic looked over himself. He was wearing loose, black textile pants and a sleeveless white shirt, and a pair of antique-looking boots. He started to walk to the settlement, while he was trying to figure out, what's happening around him. As he reached the border of the town, a young boy stepped in front of him.
"Welcome, to Etheria, Capio! Come, this way, the Vox Vocis di Phasmatis is waiting!" said the kid, and turned around, pointing to a house on the edge of the town.
"Where am I?" Asked Cry, trying to be as calm as possible. "I was at my friends not long ago."
"You are on the plains of Etheria, where you will get the answers you need."
"Need for what?"
"To save those, who you love. And to save your world."
"From what?"
"You will get the answers as soon as your fate allows."
Cry nodded, and set out to the house, the boy pointed at. He noticed, that everyone wears similar clothing to his. Some of them even carried long swords with curved blades. He slowly realized, they were somehow resembling Japanese samurai blades.
"Katanas…" Said out loud Cry.
As he reached the small, wooden house, he smelled the aroma of green tea. He stepped in, and looked around. The hut was poorly accommodated. A mattress, instead of a proper bed, a fireplace, a low, wooden desk, two pillows on each and, a shelf, full of parchment rolls, a chest, and a small cupboard. On the mattress, an old man sat. His hair and beard was white as the snow, his eyes are ice blue. He wore a white tunic.
"Hey… Sorry for bothering! A kid said that…"
"Don't worry, Capio! Just come in, and sit down. Have a tea with me!" Said the old man, with a gentle smile. "You have a lot of questions, but you will have to wait. Patience is the essence of productivity!"
Cry went to one of the pillows, and sat down. The old man stood up, and took out two husks from the cupboard, then with the help of an old rag, he brought the tea pot from the fireplace. He poured some into both husks, then sat down himself.
"So, Capio. You are here. So it began." Said the old man, still smiling.
"I'm here. But I'm not Capio. My name is Cry."
"Capio is the language of the old ones. It means Choosen One."
"What am I choosen to?"
"You have to take your role in the upcoming battle."
"What kind of battle?"
"The battle between Light and Darkness of course."
"And what is my part in it?"
"Light and Dark will battle on, all the hope then will be gone, blood will spill and swords will flash, it will rend the soul and flesh... Only some can still be gray, they will have the middle way. In the battle of heaven and hell, the choosen ones will ring the bell…"
"Okay, that's nice…" Said Cry feeling a little bit awkward. "You are a really good poet, good Sir! But... And really sorry for the question… But, what the hell do you want to say with this?"
"You will have to find out yourself. Now come!" The old man slowly stood up, and walked to the door. "Come, come, my friend! You have a lot to do, and later you get back, less you can save!"
Cryaotic stood up from the table, and slowly followed the Voice of Spirits. They walked out of the small village, through the meadow, to a pathway. The old man stopped, and laid his hand on the shoulders of the young one. He looked in his eyes with his wise, grey eyes, and nodded towards the path.
"You will have to go along this road. You will reach the black plains, the plagued lands of Etheria. Find the Black Valley, go to the center, and venture into the Temple of Shadows. You will find your Typicus, your symbol. With that, you will be able to control your hidden powers. But beware! The Priest of Umbra, the shadow god will try to turn you from the right pass, and you will meet strange creatures along your way. Some of them will be dangerous, some peaceful. And maybe you will find your spirit guide, if you listen closely enough. Do you understand?"
"Maybe…"
"Then now off you go. Good luck, Capio!"
Cry looked at the pathway, then back to the old man to ask something, but the Voice of Spirits already vanished into thin air. He nodded, and started walking on the dirty road.