Chapter 18: Unraveling
"It's not ENOUGH!" roared Dane slamming his fists down hard on his table making various bottles, beakers and vials jump. Collapsing to his elbows, he gripped his head hard while running his fingers through his hair pulling stands from his scalp.
"What is it that I'm missing?!" he growled, staring hard at the vial of Darkness he had just gathered in the previous days. This vial came from the forests that were witness to The Cleansing. Fear and confusion ruled in this Darkness. Dane had tried to cleanse this darkness as he had done with the Darlus Crusades and the Ragonian Slaves. But this Darkness was different, creating multiple beings instead of one mass of pain and fear.
Gathering that Darkness was nearly was the end of he and Mars, but thanks to the healing provided by Rhinne their lives were spared. The scars however, would remain for all time. Now that he had his sample, Dane had been trying for weeks to convert this Darkness into power for Light. But with each attempt the Light would start out powerful only to be quickly corrupted and manifest as dark chain spears. Mounting pressure of the world's state was beginning to weigh on him. He needed the answer soon so that Rhinne would have the tools needed to eradicate the Darkness once and for all.
"What's the matter? Got stuck?" Orchid's voice asked, sauntering into the Lab through the wall with Lotus right behind. The two of them had grown into teenagers, athletic in build and to a point could almost be mistaken for Dane's children.
"Patronizing speech is not helping me in anyway…"
"I'm not patronizing you. I'm asking a legitimate question. Are you stuck?" Orchid asked, walking around behind him and snatching up the vial of Darkness.
"That is from The Cleansing, isn't it?" Lotus asked flatly, walking up to the other side of Dane, looking at the vial in Orchid's hand.
"That it is. For whatever reason, I cannot use this Darkness to empower Light, it simply corrupts it." Orchid turned it this way and that, putting it up to her ear for a moment listening to the faint cries and screams within.
"Well, for one thing, this Darkness is actually stronger than anything you've faced so far. But the thing about this stuff is that it's made up of two very synergetic emotions. Fear can make one confused, and the more confused you are, the more fear you have."
"It is a constant cycle." Lotus continued. "If you are to use this Darkness, you must constantly overpower its synergetic property at every stage. This will be a most powerful thing once you are able to constantly overpower it." Lotus continued. Dane sat back in his chair, taking the vial from Orchid and reaching for a second vial marked 'hate' across a white label in neat writing.
"If I can isolate this property, then I should be able to empower so much more Darkness and bring me that much closer to the Ultimate Darkness." Dane answered, his eyes smiling. But there was a slight malevolence in it.
"Hey now, don't let this Darkness stuff get the better of you. You are better than that." Orchid said, tapping his shoulder with the back of her hand.
"There is nothing to fear. I feel closer than I have ever felt in all my years studying Darkness." He assured them. But Lotus and Orchid both felt that there was something wrong: Dane was beginning to unravel.
Over the past year if his stay, The Order of Aurora included Tahir in more of their outings to suppress the Omens. The Order went so far as to even accept him as an honorary member. It was all rather strange to him, especially when he found himself giving more and more respect to the members of The Order; he even stopped calling them a sect.
However, despite the respect Tahir felt for the White Mage and the Order, he did harbor a lingering distrust. There was something the majority of the Aurora was either unaware of, or willfully ignorant of. Tahir began to notice that Dane would emerge from his lab tired and gaunt. Sometimes he would hear screams and shouts. At times he would attempt to go into the lab and check on Dane but would always be stopped by Mars. Even when Tahir was sure Mars was at least out of earshot of the door, the man seemed to appear from this air.
"Don't you find it strange? Have you ever wondered what it is he is up to in there?" Tahir asked one day after having nearly picked the lock to go in.
"It must be an effect of the Darkness that he faces to find the Ultimate Darkness. Have faith in the Master as I do that he will find an answer." Mars replied. Still, Tahir remained vigilant, taking note of the times that Dane did come out of his lab and how he appeared. The outtings with The Order's Acolytes kept his mind from Dane. But as time passed, he couldn't ignore the rise is frequency and number of the Omens.
At first, it was one or two every few days, then it was one every couple of days. It increased slowly to one per day, then two, then three, four, five eventually becoming so numberous that entire squadrons were created and dispatched multiples times per day. Even with the Cleric's extensive training in light magic, it became increasingly difficult to dispel them. Once on patrol with his troupe, the Omen that was dispelled revealed that it was entirely made of Darkness. Usually a badly decomposed body would be left behind after the Darkness had been beaten and dispelled. But this creature had no body to leave behind.
"This is something that we can't ignore. The master must be informed at once!" one of the acolytes announced.
"Wait." Tahir commanded. Walking to the area where the creature had been standing a moment before, he held his palm to the burnt star of soot on the ground.
"Careful Commander. We don't know what kind of power created that…that… thing! I don't think we can even call it an Omen anymore."
"Be quiet." Tahir barked, narrowing his eyes as he held his hand out over the center of the soot stain.
"I could be wrong about this, but isn't there supposed to be a momentary lifting of the Darkness from the area after we dispel it?" The Acolytes and Clerics thought, all concentrating on the area around them.
"Now that you mention it, it feels as if the Darkness has become stronger." A Cleric remarked, soon confirmed by the others around them. Tahir stood once more, looking out in the forest; in the years that he had been a mercenary he came to know very well when someone or something was watching him. And right now, that feeling was almost physical in nature.
"Commander Tahir, is something the matter?" Another acolyte asked, stopping his return to Aurora when he saw him staring hard into the woods.
"It's nothing." He answered slowly, turning around and following after them as they returned to base. And still that soul boring feeling of eyes watching him lingered. Was there someone trying to use these creatures, the Omens, to his advantage? After they had gone, a pale man dressed in a black and gold cloak stepped from the woods. Whispers hung in the air around him as he walked to the area where Tahir had been a moment before. Reaching out a bony hand over the burst of soot, a glob no bigger than a fist pulled from the ground into his palm. With a sardonic smile, he turned his palm over watching the glob wriggle and dance within it.
"Progress is made. But it is still not enough." He hissed, the glob absorbing into his hand his veins swelled and wriggled. Clenching his hand to rid it of the stinging, he turned and walked back into the forest, the whispering thunder of his cloak following after him.
"That is impossible! The Omens require a body to maintain their form!" Mars exclaimed. Tahir watched from a distance as the Acolytes recounted everything they had seen from the previous outing. There was some genuine surprise on Mars's face. But the majority of it seemed practiced; like he was hiding something as well. When the troupe strongly suggested and even tried to go past Mars to tell The White Mage, he adamantly refused to let them enter. Tahir listened more closely, noting that Mars seems more worried now than just a few moments before.
What was he trying to hide? He was about to try and sneak in while he was busy with the troupe, but Dane came out of the lab. He held a hand to his head as though he had been sleeping but seemed more in pain. Tahir also noted there was a bandage on his left hand and arm.
"M-Master! Are you alright?" Mars asked, seeming to be even more surprised at his sudden appearance.
"I am Mars. I was careless and an Omen scratched me. Luckily I was uninfected." He smiled, the color in his face returning as he straightened his posture.
"Now, what's this I was hearing about an Omen no having a body?"
The temple was lonely to Rhinne, always quiet with only the sounds of the Sand Fountains breaking up the deafening silence. Perhaps she could go down to the Temple Guard's Barracks and see she could find someone to talk to there. But which division? All three of them were interesting, but the Qualm Knights and their ocean blue plumes were her favorite. She trotted through the corridors until she came to the Barracks. It was a long hallway where hundreds of the Knights rested within form fitting marble cavities on either side of the hall, reaching up ten rows.
As she entered, one of the knights made of dark gray armor came to life. A burst of blue fire came to life with a dull roar atop its helmet and torso hole. It hovered out of its cove as gauntlets slid out from its shoulder holes and its eyes came to life within the dark helm, instantly looking to Rhinne.
"Lady Rhinne, what are you doing in the Barracks?" it asked, its voice deep and hollow as it resonated within its metal body.
"I came to talk to Clank. Mother always seemed to be busy as of late and I won't be able to see Father for a while. I'm feeling a bit lonely and was hoping to find him." Pointing his vision forward the Knight's eyes appeared and disappeared as though he were blinking.
"I'm sorry to say that we Knights don't have names. Our purpose is to guard the temple, the Corridor of Regrets, your mother and you. We have no other purpose beyond such."
"Many apologies Chief. She has dubbed me Clank and given me a ribbon as of yesterday." Another Knight called, hovering over to them from further down the hall. As he neared, he pointed to a small red and white ribbon hanging from his right pauldron.
"My mana was quite low and I needed to replenish it badly. I didn't have a chance to report this to you." The Chief Knight looked over the ribbon, turning back to Rhinne with a breathy grunt.
"I will allow this. But please be sure to inform me of such changes in the future Rhinne. I do not want…"
"Yes yes…" Rhinne answered as she rolled her eyes and cut off the chief, continuing her disdain of the Chief's words with a forced deep voice.
"'You do not want to impede the duty you knights have to the temple'. Come Clank, walk with me for a while, if you have restored your mana." Rhinne called, grabbing Clank's gauntlet and dragging him out of the barracks to her favorite spot in the whole temple. It gave a magnificent view of three giant nebulas and an explosion of stars in the inky blackness of space beyond the temple.
"Clank, why am I here?" Rhinne asked with a hard sigh, slumping onto the railing with her elbows hard enough that it made an audible sound.
"I beg pardon Lady Rhinne?" Clank asked, having tucked away his hands into his body.
"Why am I here? Mother is always too busy to do anything, and Father is always busy with his work in Usoria. I end up seeing more of the Knights and monks here and the Clerics of the Order down there than I do of either one of my parents. Do they even love me?" she asked wistfully. Clank remained silent for a while, his eyes fluttering as he thought.
"I do not think it a matter of loving you or not. Your mother has made it very clear that you are both loved and very important to the world of Usoria."
"But that's just the thing. If I was loved, wouldn't they be spending at least a little time with me?" Clank floated over to Rhinne, sliding out a hand and putting it on her shoulder. He could say nothing. He was but a Knight of the temple, made and trained especially for protecting the temple, the goddess and now her daughter. He had no wisdom or comfort to offer her.
"Have you made any friends in Usoria? Perhaps they are eager to see you again." Clank offered, unsure if it would help at all.
"There are a few, though mother often tells me not to get too attached to any of them while I am staying here in the temple. 'Time flows much differently here'." Rhinne mocked, trying to sound like her mother.
"Time may flow differently, but since your birth, the time difference seems to have stabilized into a less drastic distortion. Now only a few months go by in a day here as opposed to a random unknown amount of time." Clank explained. Rhinne sighed and let her head drop to her hands.
"It's still different. I'm partially human, which is why I age so quickly. Mother says within a month I will be an adult. But I could still be a young woman for thousands of years and by that time all the friends I made in Usoria will be long dead and forgotten." Deep in her heart, she didn't want to live out her days here in the temple of time. She wanted to live among the humans where time had meaning, urgency. Every moment was as precious as gold. And yet here, she treated it as a commodity.
"I'm going to ask Mother if I can live in Usoria for a while. No, more than a while." Rhinne suddenly announced, picking her head up and setting her arms wide on the railing.
"And she might say that could a bad idea." Ariel said behind her as she walked to the railing. Rhinne jumped when she heard her, spinning around with almost fearful surprise in her eyes.
"M-mother I…"
"It's alright Rhinne. I can understand your feelings. I feel the same about your Father, Dane. Perhaps it is stronger in you as you are half human yourself. But as a deity, even a demi-deity such as yourself, living among humans can cause problems if they found out who you really are." Rhinne huffed and looked away from her, staring off into the blackness of space.
"What does she know. She's always here in the temple." Rhinne thought, uninterested in her mother's words of logic that, while right, didn't sway her lonely spirit.
"But I suppose since you are partially human, your father will be there to help protect you, and if you were to make some human companions they too could also help keep your secret." Ariel smile. Rhinne turned back to her with a stare of surprise.
"You mean, I could live in Usoria?"
"I am uncertain as to living in Usoria, but I see no harm in staying among its people for a while. The Mirror of Time has nothing to show if you were to stay there." Ariel answered. Rhinne ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. The prospect of making friends, real friends took her heart to new heights.
"I assume that I will no longer be needed then?" Clank asked, pointing to the ribbon on his lapel.
"Clank, you are someone special to me. Keep that ribbon on you always so that when I come back, no matter how long it will be, I can always count on you to be here." Clank stiffened and saluted, sucking in his arms to his body.
"Will you be leaving immediately?" Clank asked.
"If mother approves." Rhinne replied, looking to Ariel for her answer, to which she smiled and nodded.
"Then allow me to escort you to the Temple's exit." Rhinne bowed her approval as the two of them walked towards the front of the temple as Ariel watched them leave. Behind her, Minerna and a Monk of the Red stood, watching from far off.
"This could have a very dire turn out my goddess. One that I think should not be ignored." The Monk said, taking his frowning mask from his face, tucking it into his large loose sleeve.
"It is a regret, that much is certain, but it is something that must be left to Oblivion." Minerna answered, turning away and walking further into the temple with the Monk close behind.
"But will it not exponentially increase the Darkness within the world? You yourself said that…"
"I know what I said regarding him. But the Mirror has shown that all of the world's current Darkness will be gone because of Rhinne. She is the world's only hope, will be Ariel's largest regret, and will be remembered for all time as the Ultimate Light of Usoria. We have seen countless times, good monk, if we reveal Oblivion to those it would affect, worse things can and will come."
"I understand my goddess. I will light another lamp in the Chamber of Oblivion." The monk said, putting on his mask and turning to leave.
"No, good monk. I will do it. At least let me be the one to bear the brunt of her agony when it comes." The monk bowed, turning away to tend to some other duty as Minerna made her way to the Chamber.
Rhinne was greeted warmly by the Clerics and Acolytes of the Order. When she told them the she would be staying with them longer than just a few months, her closest of friends Will and Eleanor were the most excited. Immediately the three of them rushed into the main building to find something more permanent for Rhinne to sleep on as she would be staying with Eleanor within the Women's wing.
Tahir watched the three of them with a smile, remembering his days with his friends when they were children and how they would become excited over something one of them had found. Turning his attention back to the main building he shook his head and sighed. With the help of Dane and some of the specialized Clerics of the Order, they expanded the once grand chapel into a majestic temple.
Despite its white and gold walls though, there was still a lingering cloud that hung over the Order. Tahir would feel chills running down his spin every time he was near The Mage's laboratory, a chill that reached to his very soul. He brought it up to some of his other Troupe Mates, and they too noted there was a chill near the lab. Despite this, Mars remained unwilling to admit or notice that something was wrong.
And then there was the feeling Tahir would get after some of the Omens; someone was watching them. He couldn't explain it, but perhaps with the help of one of the other Clerics, he could at least remain behind long enough to see whom it was that haunted them with their presence.
"He's late." Magnus grunted, swishing his powerful tail through the air behind him, whipping air from side to side hard enough that it began to blow Hilda's skirts.
"Oh, come now, it's only a few minutes. I'm sure that I could take your mind off of it for a while." She replied, pushing into Magnus and pulling his hand to the skin of her lower back.
"You seem to forget that this magus is able to give us what we need in order to finish your potion, and there is a time sensitive component currently running out of said time." Magnus responded flatly, pulling his hand from her back and staring blankly forward.
"Just relax. The magus will come as he always does." Hilda chuckled, pulling away from Magnus and summoning a seat made of skeletons.
"And I have." Said a smooth, dry voice.
"You're late." Magnus huffed, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest, readjusting his dragon-like wings. Whispers rose in the air around them as Magnus felt a chill gently wrap around his neck.
"I explained that I would come near this time." The man said, pulling the black and gold cloak tighter around his shoulders and revealing from under it a bottle with thick black material quivering inside.
"Is this all? You promised us a massive amount. This only enough for one, possibly two potions."
"This Darkness is concentrated. Within are the contents of a thousand bottles, refined and purified into this." The man answered, his voice singeing with agitation. Setting the bottle in Hilda's hand he moved past them to a mountain of corpses. There he held his palm to it as misty shadows pulled from the ground and bodies alike, absorbing into his skin.
"When can we expect to receive the purest form of this you keep promising?" Magnus asked. The man threw his hand out, slamming him into a nearby wall and holding him off the ground, turning and beginning to walk away.
"As I have said many times before and will only say once more, it is coming. You will have your share when the time comes. Keep pressing your luck, Dracova, and it will be you last." Magnus began clawing at his throat as the feeling around his neck began to tighten. Stars popped in his vision and his hands became numb. Just as all light were fading from his vision, the feeling left dropping him. Hilda rose from her chair, facing the man fully so that Magnus would be standing beside her once he fully stood.
"Still, our patience is running thin. Arkarium may be able to produce results with what you have given us but we would still like to see better results." The man turned back to her, his smile the only thing she could see from under the hood of his cloak. An almost wintery breeze blew past them all, pulling a few strands of white hair from under the hood.
"Trust me Hilda. Even Arkarium will be unable to match the power I am about to find."