Chronicles of Espiria Season 2

Episode 18 – Into the Nightlands

Written by the Dude

Tasi found herself in a part of the forest she had never been to before, and yet it still seemed familiar to her. The only light she could see seemed to come from herself, and by that light, she saw a shadowy figure walk past her that she knew all too well.

"You..." she growled.

The figure stopped and turned to face Tasi. His face was shrouded in shadow, but she could tell by his body language that he was pleased to see her.

"Tasi, this is unexpected. Welcome back to the Nightlands, or more specifically, my growing empire within the Nightlands! Your fellow meddlers have no place here, so you and your wooden friend will be wonderful amusement for eons!"

"Where is Ulmus, demon!" Tasi demanded.

"Now now, I have a name, butterfly. You will call me Ezizh."

"I said where is he?!"

"Somewhere in this forest. Do not worry; he is not alone. He has not been alone since his arrival!"

Tasi darted in the direction that Ezizh had been walking, but she hit an invisible wall before she got far.

"Nah, ah, ah, I cannot have you giving the treant hope, not when I finally have him right where I want him!"

"You forget that I had been shepherding dreams for centuries before you broke out of your putrid husk!"

Tasi formed a small ball of light in her hand and cast it at the invisible wall. Ezizh flinched as it shattered and vanished without a trace. By the time Ezizh recovered from the shock, Tasi was gone.

"Come back here, butterfly!"

Tasi continued her flight, uncertain how she was supposed to find Ulmus, but determined to do so anyway.

"This is my world, butterfly! You cannot hide in it forever!"

"Ulmus! I need to find Ulmus!" Tasi said to herself.

At that moment, three dreafs ran across Tasi's path. While she found the creatures as unsettling as the Wilders did, she also understood how the dream realm worked; she could tell when the dream was trying to tell her something. She followed the dreafs through the forest, dodging branches and brambles and spiderwebs in her path, until they reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing was Ulmus, rooted in place and casting boulders at a slowly advancing Commander Kane, who shrugged off the projectiles as if they were table tennis balls. Drawing on the same magic she used to make her sleeping powder, she filled the clearing with a blue mist, dispelling the nightmare image of Kane.

"Ulmus!" Tasi shouted with joy.

Ulmus looked around, still in a defensive mindset, finally settling his gaze on Tasi and the three dreafs.

"What new trickery is this?!" Ulmus said as he reached for another boulder.

"Ulmus, it's me! The real me, not a dream image!"

Ulmus set his boulder down and took a closer look at Tasi.

"It is you!"

Ulmus held out his hand for Tasi to land on. She ignored the hand, rushing to his shoulder instead to hug his neck.

"Tasi, what is going on?" Ulmus asked, fresh apprehension setting in.

"We're in the Nightlands, or at least a part of it that's been taken by a powerful Hypogean named Ezizh. Your real body is trapped by a curse that has turned you into a danger to others. I came here to try to get you out."

"And how will we do that?"

"Honestly, I don't know yet. I only just figured out the problem, but I should have a solution soon. I just wish I could communicate with the rest of the forest, but it's broad daylight; no one will be asleep."

"Is Arden communing with Yggdrasil?"

Tasi thought for a moment. "He said he would, yes."

"Then try to contact him. The trances he falls into when he communes with Yggdrasil can be very close to sleep."

"It's worth a try. I just hope Ezizh doesn't find us too soon."

Arden, meanwhile, was seated before Yggdrasil, seeking ideas on how to help Ulmus. As he communed with the great tree, he suddenly became aware of an odd smell, a sweet aroma that he could not at first identify. It was not until he heard the faint voice of Tasi that he realized what the smell was; it was a flower that he had found in a particularly pleasant dream he'd had recently.

"Tasi? Where are you?"

"I did exactly what you told me not to and wound up trapped in Ulmus' nightmare. But I know what we have to do now! Listen carefully..."

Arden took special note of everything Tasi told him. When he was ready, he awoke from his trance and found Eletha standing nearby.

"Eletha, fetch Nemora and Solise! Our time is short!"

With Arden about his mission, Tasi turned back to Ulmus.

"Did it work?" Ulmus asked.

"I think so. Assuming there was no interference, it should just be a matter of how much stock he puts in his dreams."

"If he knows it was from you, then..."

Ulmus fell silent at the sound of rustling in the underbrush. Moments later, Ezizh emerged from the shadows, followed by a small army of nightmare Hypogeans.

"I have you cornered, butterfly. You and your tree cannot escape my endless army."

"I am not a butterfly, demon! I am a Nightlander! And I can be just as much a nightmare as you!"

Before Ulmus could comprehend what he was seeing, Tasi transformed from the fairy he recognized into a living nightmare taller than he was. She had blades in place of her hands and an extra pair of arms in place of her wings, and her feet had grown cruel claws that could have shredded Ulmus in one swipe. She glared at Ezizh with white, pupilless eyes that glowed with white fire, then charged at him with the war cry of a banshee.

Meanwhile, Nemora and Solise had just met Arden at the husk of Ulmus.

"By Dura!" Nemora exclaimed when she saw Ulmus. "What happened to him?!"

"Whatever it is, I bet I could cure it if I could get a sample of his bark." Solise commented.

"I am quite sure you could, Solise," Arden answered, "but as it happens, Tasi has already given me another plan. Did you bring the ingredients I asked for?"

"I did." Solise said as she started rifling through her cart. "Most of this stuff is what Ulmus used to summon Tasi. Speaking of, where is she?"

"She is currently buying us time, so let us hurry with our tasks." Arden urged.

"Are we summoning another fairy?" Solise asked as she gathered her ingredients.

"No, my dear, we are trapping a Hypogean."

Meanwhile, Tasi managed to pin Ezizh to a tree and was pummeling him mercilessly. The other Hypogeans tried to come to his aid, but Ulmus and the dreafs were able to keep them all at bay. Ezizh finally managed to push Tasi away and recover himself to a degree. He soon smiled when he noticed Tasi's heavy breathing; she was beginning to tire.

"You were a fool to come here with your physical form." Ezizh mocked. "You will fall to exhaustion before too long."

"I have enough energy to finish you!"

As Tasi charged at Ezizh again, Arden made final preparations to Tasi's plan. Solise was positioned at the edge of the clearing with her supplies, while Arden and Nemora were finishing the containment spell around Ulmus.

"Solise, are you ready?" Arden asked.

"Just a few more seconds and...done!"

"Good. Nemora, you will protect me as I perform the incantations. Whatever this demon husk tries, keep your shield raised."

"Of course, Arden."

With that, they began.

Tasi, meanwhile, was continuing her assault on Ezizh, but it seemed he was right; her physical body was no match for his ethereal body in an extended battle like this. Ezizh managed one good strike to Tasi's face and sent her sprawling to the ground. Utterly spent, she resumed her tiny fairy form as Ezizh moved in for the kill.

"You fought well, Tasi. You have been a worthy foe to me. But our rivalry must end eventually. The tree must be mine so that I can have a hand in the physical plane. And you must die so that nothing can oppose me."

Ezizh raised his foot to finish Tasi off, but paused as he felt an odd twitch in his neck. This twitch was soon followed by another twitch in his elbow.

"What is this?" Ezizh demanded.

Soon, Ezizh was spasming uncontrollably as Solise' spell began to take effect. At the same time, his army of nightmares faded into nothingness.

"My friends in the physical plane are performing the Call of the Nightlanders on you!" Tasi responded weakly but triumphantly. "But they're not doing it quite right, which means you'll be trapped in a dead husk for all time!"

Ezizh triggered the Ulmus husk to attack wildly in a desperate attempt to stop the summoning spell, but to no avail; neither the branches nor roots could reach Solise through the barrier that Arden had set up. It could, however, reach Arden and Nemora, who were in the middle of their own spell which, if successful, would trap Ulmus' curse with Ezizh. But for it to be successful, Nemora had to keep Arden safe, a task that was proving more and more difficult as the demon husk became more active.

"Arden, hurry!" Nemora pleaded. "I don't know how much longer I can hold it back!"

Arden did not answer; his full concentration was on the Nighlander spell. Not long after, one branch managed to penetrate Nemora's shield and wound Arden in the shoulder.

"Arden!"

Arden did not stop his incantation, but instead hurried himself along as he realized how short his time was. Soon, the incantation was complete, and everyone was blinded by a brilliant flash of light from Arden's staff. By the time the light faded, much had changed. In place of the murderous demon husk was Ulmus, actually looking younger than he had in decades. Near the edge of the clearing, next to Solise, was a new husk, this one utterly inanimate.

"I am free!" Ulmus exclaimed.

"Welcome back, old friend." Arden said.

"Okay, so what all just happened?" Solise asked, still uncertain about the details.

"If I understand correctly," Arden answered thoughtfully, "the creature that had been plaguing the Nightlands, as well as the curse on Ulmus, are now trapped within that dead tree before you. So long as nothing happens to the husk, the evil should remain contained."

"Thank you, Arden and Nemora. Thank you, Solise. And thank you, Ta..."

It was at that moment that Ulmus noticed Tasi's conspicuous absence.

"Tasi?"

Ulmus' desperation grew as a cursory examination of his surroundings still did not reveal Tasi.

"Tasi?!"

"Old friend, have you inspected your shoulder?" Arden asked calmly.

Ulmus whipped his head around to check his shoulders until he noticed a blue flower growing from the knot in which Tasi would normally sit. The bud was still closed, and looked like it would remain so for some time. Ulmus calmed at the sight of it.

"We will have to wait for her return." Arden said. "But one thing old age has taught us is patience, old friend. She will return when the time is right."

"And we will be ready to welcome her back." Ulmus said as he gently stroked the bud.

The four Wilders left the clearing to let Lyca know what had happened. When everyone was gone, a chill wind blew through the clearing again. The next moment, Khazard emerged from hiding and walked up to the husk that contained Ezizh.

"You have done well, my friend. Now rest and prepare, for your release is at hand."