We finally got a bit of sunlight outside for the first time in forever and I'm trapped inside working on a computer screen. Sometimes life sucks like this but, eh what can we do about it?
Good news is that I'm about to get naturalised so I'm looking forward to that, and it's kept me focused on work and on writing this fanfic which seems to be growing to become more complex than what I thought.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Karis was worried.
More precisely, she was worried about her clumsy, soft spoken, noodle of a leader.
Wrapping her homemade purple sailcloth over her shoulders tightly, she watched Matthew carefully as he stepped away from the collapsed building, his face crestfallen from the tongue lashing he got from Patcher. He was caked with dust, but otherwise seemed unharmed, which eased the churning of her stomach.
She tried to reach him, but there were too many people between her and the debris of the collapsed house, and all she could do was watch as Matthew slinked away with Tyrell, his eyes glued to the ground.
The look on Matthew's face wasn't something she was unused to. And it irked her. She wasn't stupid; she had noticed the signs when they had spoken earlier, but had ignored them because she was so happy to see him here. Back then he had said that he had to do some research for his father, Isaac, but he had his apologetic but guilty look on his face that made her angry. That he had done something wrong wasn't a problem. He would always pick up the pieces and try to fix things, and she would be there to help him.
But hiding the truth from her, however, was.
She knew Matthew. He was prone to panicking and isolating himself whenever he had a problem, and would hide behind those fake smiles of his that she hated so much.
The crowd grated on her nerves. Couldn't they just move out of the way–FINALLY!
Shoving a particularly large man aside, Karis slipped away from the crowd and began jogging towards the woman who had just been pulled out from the rubble. Perhaps she had some answers?
The injured woman was currently being looked at by one of the healers, a Venus Adept.
"Auber, you need to stay still, or your wounds will reopen," - the healer attempting to calm her said, but the woman was gesticulating like crazy, waving her arms so wildly that she nearly smacked the healer in the face.
"Umbra! It's here!" - she ranted. - "It was down there!" She was trembling like a leaf. "There were the screams of the dead! The hissing of the demons! And then - and then - "
Karis felt her blood run cold. Umbra? Here? Did one of the Umbra Clans-
"There are no Umbra Adepts here, Auber." someone said. "There are, what, two hundred of us? We would've noticed one by now. No one would've-"
"They were there!" The woman insisted. "I was about to leave to enjoy the festival when the cold came! All the lights dimmed and the screams started! Then there was the explosion of darkness! Only Umbra could do this!"
"Who else was down there besides you?" the healer asked.
"Matthew! He was down there! He did this! He's in league with them!"
Karis' heart lurched. "No." she snapped, daring anyone to disagree with her. "It's not Matthew. There must be someone else we missed. Are you sure that there wasn't anyone else down there?" She ignored the irritated look that the healer sent her. "He's not the person who goes around hurting people! For Weyard's sake, he's even saved your life!"
"Karis-" the healer tried to interrupt.
"Why is this even up for debate? He's been raised here-"
"Karis, he admitted to bringing the building down. And did you really believe him when he said that he 'accidentally knocked down a stone pillar'?"
Her jaw snapped shut with an audible 'click', and she felt her face burn. Of course it was a lie, and an obvious one at that. No one was buying it, and the only reason nobody had called Matthew out on it was out of concern for the potential victims of the collapse. And considering that he had been dragged off by Patcher, she doubted that he was going to be left off the hook. "That doesn't mean that he's an Umbra. He worked so hard to try and stop them!"
"Then he won't have any problems with us asking him questions." The healer snapped, his patience now gone. "We need to know what happened here. The Umbra Clans caused the Grave Eclipse, and if they are here, then we need to know about it now. While you brats loved playing the heroes of the hour and pretended to struggle, we actually had to deal with the consequences of that mess!"
'…you brats loved playing the heroes…'
She held Hou Ju as she lay sobbing over Hou Zan's body. His body shredded beyond recognition. Whispering to her how everything would be okay, even as she tried to ignore the blood on her clothes.
She had been too late.
Again.
Tears welled in her eyes and her vision became blurry.
'...pretending to struggle…'
Himi crashes against the wall with a sickening crunch. She would never move again, her mouth forever open in a silent scream. Karis shrieks her name.
Skeletal Figures rise, their bones rattling loudly like a cold laugh as they clamber towards her. She screams. Her heart is hammering in her chest. She tries to move, but her feet are frozen to the ground. Fleshless fingers reach out and grab her throat. Icy needles of agony drill into her skin. She's going to die.
She'sgoingtodieshe'sgoingtodie-
NO!
Her eyes snap open. Her body reeling as if awakening from a nightmare. Fear and pain give way to white-hot rage.
Indignation burns in her chest. Eyes narrowing and her lips peeling in a snarl. Her hands trembled, and at this moment, Karis wanted nothing more than to punch this absolute bastard in the face.
How dare he lecture her on the Grave Eclipse? She had been there! She was in Belinsk when the monsters attacked and slaughtered everyone! She had fought the monsters alongside her friends as they ravaged the land. She had watched as people - brave, good people - died to keep the monsters at bay, while the likes of him were hiding away behind the walls!
She had watched Himi die!
How dare he…
HOW DARE HE?
The wind picked up in response to her anger, and dust began to swirl around her. "You…you…" she hissed. She was distantly aware of someone shouting her name, people running around, but she didn't care. Everything was a blur. Nothing else mattered. Only for this bastard to pay for what he had said. Her fists trembled. Her face and chest burned. She took a threatening step forward and her arms tensed, ready-
A heavy hand crashed on her shoulder, jolting her, breaking her focus. The wind vanished. The world snapped back into focus. Heat evaporated, leaving a cold chasm in her chest. Gasping in surprise, she was nearly knocked off her feet, but the hand gripped her tightly, holding her in place. She turned around and found herself staring at Patcher, the man's mouth set in a firm line.
"Cool your jets, Karis." His voice may have been soft, but there was no hiding his anger. "The rest of you, calm yourselves!" he roared. "Is this what we have been reduced to? Fighting amongst ourselves? Umbra corrupts the very being of a person! Had an Umbra entered the town, we would've seen them immediately!"
"It's Matthew!" Auber shrieked. "He caused the Grave Eclipse! He will kill us all!"
"Your old eyes saw a flood in spring! You predicted a plague that would hit us! Neither of which, I might add, ever happened!" Patcher barked. "If you're claiming that one of our own is an Umbra, then it fills me with relief, because I know that it's not true!
Laughter grew amongst the crowd, and Auber flushed bright red at the laughter and slunk away, muttering things under her breath. Karis wished she could laugh with the crowd, but she could only stare in silence, trying to regain control of her beating heart. Matthew was hiding something, and she was getting worried what that could mean. Especially since next time, she might not be there to defend him.
Patcher glanced at Karis for a moment. Sighing, he removed his hand from her shoulder and dug into his pocket before fishing out a handkerchief and offering it to her.
She stared at it dumbly.
"For your eyes," he said gently.
"Oh." She hadn't realised that she had been crying. She grabbed the cloth and dabbed her eyes. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. And while I do respect you for defending Matthew, if I ever see you start a fight using your psynergy in the town, I will have you thrown out of here. I don't care what your reasons are. What were you even thinking?" Patcher's eyes narrowed, his voice becoming heated, and Karis suddenly found her shoes to be very interesting. "Do you have any idea how many people could've been hurt? Of all the people I expected to be so reckless and anger-prone, you were not at the top of that very small list. Between the festival, the difficult harvest, and the Kingdoms trying to kill us, we literally cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves. And do you think that this behaviour is even acceptable? Starting a fight in the streets like this? I don't want to see this again. Understood?" Karis winced and nodded. Patcher sighed. "Good, now beat it. And try to enjoy what's left of the festival." he said, gently turning her around and guiding her away from the collapsed building.
"Where's Matthew? And Tyrell?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them.
"I sent them to the walls. I don't want Matthew in the town until things have calmed down. The last thing we need is for him to be hounded by everyone."
"Thanks." Karis turned and ran towards the southern edge of the town, her objective clear. She will find out what is going on. She will protect Matthew.
No matter what.
Red eyes gleamed as the beast lumbered forward. It opened its maw before snapping it shut, tasting the air.
The scent was still strong!
It opened its jaws and howled in triumph as it swung its gigantic front legs forward, slamming them into the ground and hurling its body forward.
Hatred burned like magma in its core, spurring it on. It knew that all the other monsters around it felt the same, drawn to a single target by an invisible and irresistible force.
Dark energy coalesced around them as the horde raced towards their destination. Their Umbra clouded the sky.
It had been defeated.
It had been entombed.
But now, it was awake.
The Dark Devourer inhaled deeply. As one, the horde of demons roared. The shockwave shattered everything around them, pulverising rocks and uprooting trees. The world trembled.
Black smoke erupted from the soil. Umbra spilled from their bodies, blackening the sky.
Their Sovereign had returned. It was calling to them. It awaited their arrival. It had given them a mission.
And they shall not disappoint.
The Queen of Bilibin leans back on her throne, stroking her chin as she mulls over the information she had just received. A horde of monsters charging in the same direction was not unheard of. However, one of such a significant number…
A murmur of conversations undulates around the room, though it remains quiet, indistinct, like the sound of distant waves crashing on the shores of a cliff. She smirks. The denizens of the Kingdom know the consequences of interrupting their Queen.
"Your Majesty?"
The thought vanished as soon as it appeared. She glared at the soldier in exasperation. The temptation is there - it always is - to give him a taste of what happens to those who dare interrupt her thoughts. Pain. Suffering. Humiliation. Death. The thought of him screaming does cause her hand to twitch with excitement.
But she stays her hand. Lessons are good and important, but they require a meaningful reason to dispense them. For now, she will wait and listen. She would administer punishment later if her servant deserved it.
"What of the colony of Adepts living on the Goma Plateau?" she refuses to dignify the settlement with a name. As if Adepts could be civilised enough to build a town (or even a village, for that matter)!
"It is virtually undefended, their only line of defense being the main fortress wall. However, they do not need more. The population is young, healthy and possesses a strong command of their psynergy. And they have chosen their location well: surrounded by bluffs, they need only protect one direction."
"Are they aware of the monsters heading towards them?"
The soldier spreads his arms in supplication. "I am sorry, Your Majesty. I do not know. When I saw the horde, I feared attracting their attention and guiding them here. I left before they could notice me."
The Queen doubts this is the truth. Most likely the soldier was frightened and had fled here as he could not handle being so close to a horde of monsters. Cowardice. He will have to be punished, after all.
But that is a task for later. The soldier had done well to give this information to her. As such, she will leave him be - for now.
Hordes of monsters were quite common. But the size of the one the soldier was describing was exceptional. No, if it was true, it would be unprecedented. Not even in the opening hours of the Grave Eclipse had this been seen.
There was no doubt that, attacked by such a horde, the Adept colony would be destroyed and only few, if any, would survive. Not all the Adepts would die. Oh no, if the Grave Eclipse had proven anything, it was just how hard it was to kill an Adept…but the survivors would be too weak to do anything. Most would die, after all. The image quickens her pulse. But another thought arouses her interest even more.
"How would you describe the monsters' behaviour?"
The soldier licked his lips nervously. "There are no records-"
"Your professional opinion."
The soldier hesitated. "As if hypnotised. Like something was calling out to them, and they were answering its call."
The Queen's heart hammered in her chest, delight and excitement coursing through her. Only a powerful Umbra Adept could have such an influence on monsters. There it was, the proof she sought! Monsters only acted in such a manner when enthralled by the Umbra Clans. The Umbra Clans must have ordered the attack on the colony. The Adepts had started their civil war. With vermin fighting amongst themselves, she could swoop in at the very end and rid the world of the filth that was the Adept race!
The Queen rises to her feet, a demented smile forming on her face. "Assemble the army."
The entire room burst into cheers.
Getting to the walls proved to be much easier than usual. Despite it being a residential area, the crowds had coalesced in the centre of the town to enjoy the festival, and those who had remained eventually came out to investigate the house that Matthew had unintentionally brought down. Because of this, what was normally a busy part of the town was now very quiet and deserted.
There was an eerie stillness in the air, as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for a disaster that only it knew was coming. As Karis climbed up the steps leading to the top of the walls, she found that her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest, and felt as if the ground was trembling beneath her feet.
The stone walls were easy to navigate. Large, thick beige bricks that rose to little over four metres, the walls faced south, the only unsecured direction to the town. Several metres thick, they gave the Adepts guarding them plenty of room to move around without running into each other, and offering a level of stability that was very welcome when guarding the town against the monsters beyond.
And yet, despite all the protection the walls offered, Karis could not help but wonder why she was shaking like a leaf as she climbed her way up the steps.
A quick glance around distracted her long enough from her thoughts. Beyond the walls lay the valley that sloped down away from the town, split almost neatly in half by the stream flowing from the Goma Heights. In the distance, dark stormy clouds were looming over the horizon, the light contrast creating an appealing clash of colours.
Turning around, Karis walked down the length of the wall, searching for her two friends.
It did not take her too long to find them. The two of them were sitting on a bench, hunched over, staring intensely into the distance, at something she couldn't see. "Matthew, Tyrell…" she started. She glanced at the valley beyond the walls. The view hadn't changed much, besides the stormy clouds that seemed to be moving quickly towards them. There was nothing that came off as alarming.
Confusion replacing the dread in her stomach, Karis turned back to the two boys, who were sitting, still as a pair of statues, on the bench, their poses mirroring each other's, their eyes locked at the horizon. Neither of them gave so much as an indication that they had noticed her arrival. "What are you looking at?" she asked, her voice a bit louder.
"Something is wrong."
Karis' amethyst eyes turned to face Matthew who had just spoken. His eyes were narrowed, his mouth set in a grim line. Karis' heart beat violently in her chest. Her mind raced. Had the Umbra that caused the house to collapse returned? "What's going on?"
"Sit down with us and we'll tell you," Tyrell said, his voice haunted.
What had happened? Karis' stomach churned violently. Auber's rants came to her mind. Had Matthew actually seen something? Suddenly, she was painfully aware of herself trembling all over again. Her breath caught in her throat.
She quietly slipped into the seat next to Matthew, and carefully reached out for his shoulder, but hesitating to touch him. "Okay…" she whispered, dreading to hear what they were thinking about. "What's wrong?"
"The paint is wet," Tyrell whispered.
"What?"
"The paint on the bench is still wet."
Silence fell over the group, broken only by the steady sound of rumbling in the distance. In the fields, Karis could hear the crickets chirping.
Then, what Tyrell said finally hit her.
With an indignant squawk, Karis jumped to her feet. She quickly slapped her hands on her back and legs, desperate to see how badly her jacket and pants had been ruined. Fortunately, her hands came back clean and dry, and she quickly became acutely aware of the sound of laughter coming from the two boys behind her. Her face burning, Karis whirled around and glared at them with as much anger she could muster. "You complete morons! Do you have any idea how badly you scared me? These are my favourite clothes!"
Her anger only made them laugh harder, especially after they high-fived, so Karis stomped towards Matthew and started smacking him on the top of his head. Her irritation only heightened when he raised his arms to defend himself. Grabbing his arm, she tried to yank it to the side, but she wasn't strong enough to move it away.
"And miss the look on your face?" Tyrell wheezed. "Never! And the sound you made - that was amazing!" He doubled over with laughter again.
Hissing angrily, Karis whirled around and reached out to slap Tyrell in the face, but the red-head twisted out of range. She tried to lunge after him, intent on whacking the life out of him, but she couldn't reach with her other hand still gripping Matthew's arm.
A hand playfully bapped her on her ponytail.
Glaring back at Matthew, she used her free hand to smack him in the chest.
Matthew tried to swat her shoulder with his hand, but Karis slapped it out of the way. She swung at him, but Matthew cheekily cuffed her arm away.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Then immediately started slapping each other's arms. Karis started giggling as she swatted Matthew's arms harder and harder until-
WHACK!
Karis pushed a little too hard, and knocked Matthew clean off his feet. He tumbled onto the ground, and Karis felt stomach drop for a moment. Had she hurt him? Was he going to be okay? Once again, she became acutely aware that she was shaking. The thunderclouds covered the sun, and everything instantly darkened.
Karis looked up at the sky. She felt her blood freeze. Like a filthy smog, so black and murky, the clouds blotted out the sun completely, as if someone had covered the sky with some thick toxic sludge.
The ground kept shaking violently under her feet. The world spun uncontrollably as Karis crashed onto the surface of the stone wall in a heap. Her head exploded with pain as her forehead slammed against the ground. Stars dancing in her eyes and her heartbeat echoing in her head, she tried to stand.
But the ceaseless shaking threw her down again. Tyrell knelt beside her and grabbed her, barely able to stay upright himself.
Then the rain came.
Like a hail of icy needles, a deluge crashed upon the town. Almost as if someone had flipped a switch. The wall of rain was so thick and intense that Karis lost sight of Matthew - only his bright yellow scarf was visible through the torrent. The roar of the rain was deafening, and the gales ripped through the small team like a hurricane. The wind slammed into Karis, as if furious that she dared to stand against it.
The world was vibrating so violently that she didn't feel Tyrell shaking her until she turned to look at him. He shouted something, but the words were ripped away from his mouth.
He was pointing at something.
Karis turned to the direction he was pointing at.
She opened her mouth in a wordless scream.
Just as the largest horde of monsters she had ever seen crashed into the walls, obliterating them instantly, just as the entire world around her exploded.
One of my favorite parts about the Golden Sun Dark Dawn story was the Grave Eclipse, which seemed to crack the world open like an egg and add so much to the world and our understanding of psynergy as a whole. My biggest complaint however, is that we don't really see many consequences of the Grave Eclipse outside of Belinsk in the main story. All the major details are mostly revealed when doing side quests, which I felt was a huge shame. Outside of Sveta, there isn't really any traumatic feelings or anything that the characters have to deal with. Which is why I decided to make PTSD a pretty big thing in this story.
Yes I killed Himi in this story. Honestly as much as I loved her design, she is by far the most useless character in the sotry, so much so that she have about ten lines in the entire story. Instead I decided to use her death as a massive mental and physical obstacle the characters had to overcome.
Also I'm a sadist. I like seeing my characters suffer! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!