Categories > Original > Fantasy > The Illusion Of Spirit
Spirit was in a state of nothingness, at least that’s what it seemed like. He had no senses, or being, or soul just an emptiness. Like an intangible object floating amongst the void of an un-viewable gap within the world.
“You’re not really here” A girls voice shook away the nothingness.
“You can’t protect me.” Catherine?
“Not from him.” I’m sorry, Catherine please don’t!
“Not from anything!” Don’t grow up…
Senses returned to Spirit like rounds of miniature explosion, all bursting through him one at a time, each of them returning another breath and another bit of life, as if reconstructing him cell by cell.
Salt? Sprit could definitely smell salt. He could hear low growls followed by huge crashes not too far from him. He could also hear birds singing and tweeting away, not just one though, he could hear hundreds! Maybe thousands of birds! The earth beneath him did not feel like earth, for it moved through his hands like a pile of sugar. Eventually Spirit could open his eyes, and only then did he realise there was no way he could be in the City of Cogs. Not anymore.
The sky that Spirit knew was pitch black and filled with soot, only allowing a glimmer of the sun to reach them during the day and shrouding the street lamps at night. There was no smog or steam here though. There was no clunking of great machines or whistling or rattles. No thick and cloggy air. Wherever he was, the light was not oppressed and unreachable, for he could see millions of stars, all shamelessly shining in the swirls of blue. At the centre of this dance was a greater light, huge and white it floated amongst the sky as if she were the queen of all the great night light, not just a myth in fairy tails passed. It was the first time Sprit had ever seen the moon, and it’s beauty was truly something to behold.
There was a another rumble as Spirit sat up to find himself within the presence of a great roaring ocean, ribbons of silver floating upon it before reaching their explosive white end at the shore. Though this sight paled to what Sprit found behind him, tree’s upon trees taller than any factory building and wider than entire streets, and erupting with more colour than Spirit thought existed! A forest? Sure he and Catherine had pretended to explore them, and oh how vivid was her imagination, but this was real! Before him in every detail! Trunks of tree’s rough with spikes and layers that were untamed and uncontrolled in their growth, cobwebs glimmering within them like a lost pearls washed up on a muddy river bank. Where was he? Spirit would’ve though himself dead if it were to for the fact he had never felt more alive.
Feeling his breeches, Spirit found his trusty sword placed within it leather holster, but something was different. The golden etched handle felt cold against his skin, and he could feel the dragon etching clearly against his hands, it felt so detailed, so real. He didn’t spend long pondering this strange sensation as another crash of water reminded him exactly of his situation. Spirit was in the middle of a beach, that much was known. Where the beach was he did not know. Another sector? Another island? Even so how did he get there? And why?
Trying to think back, Spirit felt as if he had lost all origin, like the very beginning of his life was lost to him. He just remembered he had always been with Catherine. He was her older brother, he looked after her and kept her safe in the small horrible house they lived in with her horrid parents. He remembered playing with the young girl, going on many adventures from only her bedroom. That was right, he was also a pirate, and together they would sail the many imaginary seas, pretending the reality of her harsh life did not exist. He remembered being by her side at night, looking after her when great beast from the shadows tried to hurt her as she slept, he would keep them at bay and away from his darling sister. He would travel with her to work, when the young ten year old went to the factory to help earn the family some money, and would keep her company during the long tiresome hours. Everything was normal, so what happened then? He didn’t know…
Her father…
Her father hit her that was it! He was always a brute, calling her names, punishing her or just ignoring the young girl’s cries, but this time he actually hit her! And Spirit, he couldn’t protect her. He was there but he couldn’t keep her safe. Why couldn’t he keep her safe? He didn’t know. After her father hitting her, it’s as if the man hit him as well, for his vision just went black. He was just left with the sound of Catherine crying. It was like he was missing something. Something important. But what?
Looking around it was clear he wasn’t going to get any answers on a beach, so taking a deep breath in he tried to throw away any panic he had. He had never been one that was easily scared or panicked, quite the opposite in fact, he always confident, protective and he wasn’t going to change now.
“I’ll find you Catherine.” He whispered, clutching onto the very first friendship bracelet she’d made him many years ago. He had many now, including necklaces she’d given him and a red scarf which worked as a bandanna which she decided to decorate him with. Looking at the vast forest, Sprit noticed a small opening between two tree’s, it was lit just lightly by beams streaming from either the stars or the moon, enough at least for Spirit to see some of the way in. A path could possibly mean life, and other people. Maybe he wasn’t far from Sector Three, maybe this was one of the wild lands that would separate many of the Nine Sectors of Decay. Either way it seemed the only option, so sword by his side and the thought of Catherine close to his heart, Spirit made his way into the forest in the hopes of finding some answers.
The path that Sprit went down, if you could call it that, was covered in rocks, twigs and dead leaves. He only assumed it was a path as it was the only strip that wasn’t covered in green moss and undergrowth. The air had a slight chill but it barley bit, and for the most part the night was pleasant and warm. Spirit was not easily scared, having travelled a few times with Catherine, but the woods seemed so unthreatening Spirit began to question if he truly was anywhere bad. There was rustling a few times, but the sound was made by only small harmless animals. The path had few obstacles except for large rocks or branches. Everything was welcoming and calm. Time went on, and he continued on at a gentle pace, how long he went on for he struggled to tell, as the sky had begun to disappear under the shaking branches of the trees.
All seemed well until he noticed a tree with strange symbols engraved on it. He couldn’t understand what it said, but hoped it was the language of intelligent life, and not the warning of cannibals. He hadn’t thought such things existed outside fairy tales, but if a great forest could exist, then who knows what else could also be real? As he went further though, he began to think that maybe the symbols were a warning after all, as the high hopes he once found began to sink, the darkness began to grow shadows, and the rustling transformed from squeaks to growls. The icy breeze ran a cold finger down Sprits spine, as he began to question just how harmless this forest was. Maybe he should turn back? Doubt and questions filled his mind, as his pace began to slow when he reached the end of his path.
It was then that something called out to Spirit, a voiceless song carried on the whispers of the wind. It was pulling him like a string-less puppet, coaxing him off the path and into the thick of the forest. He couldn’t make out any word, just a light tune in the distance. This is insane! His mind kept reeling. You shouldn’t do this! Yet his body didn’t listen, it kept moving between the tree’s like a snake following a charmers flute, over branches and round rocks, as the soundless music grew dimmer to the sound of water trickling. The light of the moon disappeared almost completely, as the forest became enveloped in an unknown threat, any calm destroyed by a heavy feeling of sadness and fear, hanging in the air like a foul stench. The wind seemed to no longer reach him as Sprit stumbled and fell on everything and anything that lay on his path.
Sprit was walking blind, as a mist descended soaking into his skin, dampening his heart until it weighed down on his chest, tears streaking down his face. He wanted to turn back, return to the calm as his body grew colder and breathing heavier. The sound of the river kept pulling him though, he craved to reach it. He must! Spirit fell again, the dusk suffocating him, turning the world around him into obscurity. He felt like he could suffocate on his own sadness. He couldn’t breathe. He got up only to fall again, but this time he didn’t land straight away, the ground was deeper as he began stumble and tumble down a slope. He must have hit every stone, trunk and rock on the way down, though it wasn’t until he came to a stop at the bottom that the pain came flooding to him.
He let out a groan, his body aching in a way he’d never felt before. The pain shot through him all the way to the core. So unusual, he’d been hurt before but the pain had never been so real and so damaging. He pushed himself up off the ground, to see a bridge stood before him, the foundation of which appeared to be nothing more than a random assortment of stone blasted through the middle by a once powerful force of the stream, which had now died to nothing more than a gentle trickle. Past the bridge stood a single tree in the middle of a burnt clearing, the tree was bare and its limbs twisted, clinging onto themselves as if desperate to stay warm. Around the lower trunk of the tree was halo of flowers, it circled round the trunk attached together with bits of branches and stalks. Yet for all its disfigurement and nudity, the tree retained some beauty in the small song that it called out to Spirit. A melancholy song, as if the tree remembered its time of beauty and now longed for the days where it was once loved, like its soul was reaching out to Spirit, begging to once again be loved by those who passed it. Spirit, despite his pain, couldn’t help but cross over the bridge into the clearing, marked round the edge by huge stones, a feeling of emptiness overwhelming him. If there was ever once life here, it has long since died he thought to himself.
The tree that stood in the centre, the only reminder of life, seemed to stare at him as he approached as if it was judging the very soul and character of Spirit, all the time whispering that sweetly sorrowful song. He could finally make out some word, though he could not understand them all.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
They danced upon the river bed,
And flew across the tree’s.
They had few worries in their heads
They did not fear the Eve.
This land back then was their new life.
They had escaped disease.
All was joyful, there was no strife,
For they had crossed the sea’s.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
I laughed as they would dance with me,
for they and I were one.
I watched their species blossom free,
Like flowers in the sun.
But as they spread, the Eve did follow,
And of them spared were none.
Their pure desire became hollow,
And that would end our fun.
Stepping closer, the tree compelled him in, as he felt himself move further forwards.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
They did change and become anew,
no longer like before.
Eve stained their skin and turned it blue,
And thus began the war.
Brother turned against each other,
For Eve made then impure.
Yet surely they remained brothers?
Same at the very core.
His legs moved without control of his mind, as his conscious gave into the song.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
No longer do they dance around me,
The joy is all but lost.
I stand here naked for all to see,
The price that war does cost.
I mark the final battlefield,
where they fought in winter frost.
Those who were pure were forced to yield,
Now only I do last.
His hand began to stretch out, so close it hovered just above the tree, as if feeling the aura it gave off.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
Then there was a cold sharp metal upon his neck, and arm curled around his throat while the other held onto the hand that was only millimetres way from the bark.
“Dêtorat ne! Do not move!” The voice was sharp and strong right next to his ear, as Spirit froze in spot, afraid of the blade currently digging into him.
“So it speaks common tongue.” Another voice, this one male, said from a distance.
“Put your hand down and do not touch the tree.” The first voice demanded, and so Spirit did. He wasn’t rebellious by nature, and he certainly wasn’t prepared to lose his life over a tree. That’s when it struck him, a tree, which was all it had returned too. A burnt and ugly tree, all sense of soul and song dissipated into the wind, and the world around him once again far too dark for him to see beyond shadows and shapes.
“Shao sais ne phella creashure thea ist, ethia phi eemulorat e Illusion.” The female voice spoke, this time her voice was no longer authoritarian, and Sprit noticed how with every word she spoke, there was almost a melodic quality to her voice as she took her time to pronounce every vowel and consonant. As if she was reading out a poem or hymn, each word went up and down to the sound of the world around her.
“What are you?” The male asked, he too spoke melodically, though it appeared more subtle and broken when they spoke ‘common tongue’ as it was referred too.
“My name is Spirit, I am a human from Sector Three, on the island of Decay.” Spirit could only hope he said the right thing, for he honestly did not fully understand what he was being asked. He assumed he mustn’t have however, for the way the blade dug deeper, and the arms around him tensed at the uttering of ‘human.’ There followed a silence, and once again Spirit realised just how suffocating the air around him was, but he remained calm for the sake of his own life, trying to think instead of finding Catherine.
“Human! You speak untruths! No human has been on Illusion for thousands of years! It is impossible to cross the Veil of Shadows; even if one did there is no escaping the Grave of Men!” The male spoke with a very subtle tremble within his voice. Spirit did not know what to say, he could only assume Illusion was the name of this strange place, but never had he heard of it or of humans once being here.
“Helle cialled amiarana! I do not believe he is lying, for he resembles the old scriptures without flaw. Though, if you are human, then explain to me how you got here, as Alethra has explained, one does not simply walk onto Illusion from Decay.”
“I do not know! Believe me I do not! All I remember was being with my sister on Decay, then I hear screaming and my world goes black, my memory stops there as if something is blocking it. All I remember afterwards is awaking on this strange land you call Illusion.” Spirit explained, he tried to remember once again the events of the past, but a painful barrier seemed to stop his thoughts from reaching that pocket of time.
“How can we trust him, you remember the stories, humans can use Galia so powerful it took down wizards, how are we to know if he has used it to get here? With the rising tension on the boarder of the Ruins, and sighting of Sollus it is not beyond belief humans are finding their way back!”
“And yet we are not dead, if he possessed Galia he would have killed us. In the scriptures humans were impatient and reckless; this Spirit would have made no hesitation in killing us if he had the ability too.” Spirit found these assumptions strange, while he had no idea what a Galia was, he did wield a sword and could try to defend himself easily against two. He was rational however, not reckless, and knew that if this was the only intelligent life he was to see, he would do well to try and get along with it. He wasn’t a killer.
“It seems we only have one choice at this point and that is to take him to Meereshu, they will decide his fate.” With that Spirit was pulled from where he stood, only to discover that he could not see what creatures had captured him, for the darkness was too thick. Another blurry shadow appeared next to the figure Spirit could only assume was the male, as the now two males conversed in their musical language until interrupted by the female.
“Tekan eh maenas xuna gsheppa, si theu danaraksa, aloras sae aroon eh monome theu essai attak.” The female removed the knife from his neck, but remained behind him and most likely on guard, at least that’s what Spirit thought if the tense fear she radiated was anything to go by.
“Oph I’lasee.” The new figure replied to the lady with a bow, before jumping into a nearby tree, like bird taking flight.
“Know this.” She spoke once again near Spirits ear, her voice grave and serious.
“You move a finger out of place and I have archers all across this forest ready to place an arrow in your chest.” Well now Spirit knew he couldn’t fight them and enemy or not they seemed his best hope of at least finding a way back home to Catherine.
“I understand.”
“Now follow Alethra, we’re taking you to Meereshu.”
“Who’s Mee-re-su?” Spirit struggled with the name, it certainly sounded grander coming from their mouths than his.
“Meereshu is leader of the Aleza and the one who will know Shu’s intention for you.” She explained, before pushing him to move forwards, and hissing at him before he could utter another word. Spirit took it as a sign to be silent.
He stumbled occasionally, but managed to make his way through the thinning passage of the forest. He let out the occasional pant, as he seemed to be climbing up a steep and endless hill, everything getting in his way as if trying to slow him down.
“Is this really the only way?” He asked, forgetting the earlier hiss.
“Unless you can climb across trees and branches human.” The female replied, still nothing more than silhouette amongst a group of similar tall shapes. Spirit had noticed how something seemed to protrude from their shadows, which made them appear inhuman; perhaps it was a tail or extra limb?
“Well I can climb up a factory tower” He halved joked, the mood was still tense and hostile which made Spirit rather uncomfortable as he could feel the edgy nervousness, fear and bravery coming from his guard. He was only trying to make the others smile, heck his job at home was to bring joy to Catherine.
“You’re common tongue is strange to me.” She replied, with a sense of finality in her voice. Once again silence descended the only sound that of crunching of leaves and twigs below his feet. Tiredly Spirit watched in awe as the shadows seemed to jump from branch to branch, yet the wood remained still as if there was no weight placed upon them. They did it so naturally, with a sense of graceful pride that Spirit would mistake them for dancing instead of travelling. Spirit finally had to stop to get his breath, and only then did everything fall completely silent, he at first thought maybe the Aleza had frozen in place. He was wrong, some had stopped but many continue their journey meaning only he was making a noise. They floated across the round like a fallen leaf in the breeze; they were moving not on the earth but with it like a ghostly spectre.
They started again but they were only walking for a few more minutes when with one great step Spirit finally made it back into the night light. The glorious moon had moved halfway across the sky by this point, but still the stars shone bright and high. Looking out he could see just how high he’d had climbed, the small river sneaking around the base disappearing within a dense dome of tree’s where Spirit had gotten ever so lost and melancholy. He noticed how they all bended in on each other, as if concealing some great secret. Looking away from the dome he, for the first time, saw the great and strange creature that called themselves Aleza.
As alien as the island but no less beautiful, their skin shade went from dark grey to pure white upon a streamline figure, from which protruded a long thick tail. Their monolids eyes were proud yet untrusting, the explosion of green difficult to see under long black lashes that contrasted greatly against their skin. From their shoulder down to their arms and all the way to their feet there were sharp sporadic markings of black or brown that looked like a row of splinters or gashes. Their elegant figure was only broken by the black blades of bark that jutted out from their elbows, knees and wrists. Sprits guard was most striking of these beings, for she did not possess golden hair braided behind long double pointed ears like the others, but hair of shocking orange tied up and adorned with feathers of brown and black. She wore thin clothes of silk and satin that left her legs exposed and shoulder bare, her toeless feet covered in shoes made of leaves and roots.
“Her hair was adorned because she and another are bonded through the ceremony of Imien. It is the Alezian way of showing that connection has been made.” Usille commented breaking off Spirit
“Well it truly was stunning, though it could not compare to when I met your ruler.”
“Meereshu. She is the one most in connection with Shu.”
“I’ve heard that word spoken a few time, though still do not understand what it is.”
“Shu? I know not the common tongue for it, but Shu is what we believe connects us all. A soul in all of us which helps us grow and wither away and be reborn like the animals and plants we call our brethren”
“Well, whatever your leader controls, never have I been so terrified and yet captivated by a being in all my life…”
“You’re not really here” A girls voice shook away the nothingness.
“You can’t protect me.” Catherine?
“Not from him.” I’m sorry, Catherine please don’t!
“Not from anything!” Don’t grow up…
Senses returned to Spirit like rounds of miniature explosion, all bursting through him one at a time, each of them returning another breath and another bit of life, as if reconstructing him cell by cell.
Salt? Sprit could definitely smell salt. He could hear low growls followed by huge crashes not too far from him. He could also hear birds singing and tweeting away, not just one though, he could hear hundreds! Maybe thousands of birds! The earth beneath him did not feel like earth, for it moved through his hands like a pile of sugar. Eventually Spirit could open his eyes, and only then did he realise there was no way he could be in the City of Cogs. Not anymore.
The sky that Spirit knew was pitch black and filled with soot, only allowing a glimmer of the sun to reach them during the day and shrouding the street lamps at night. There was no smog or steam here though. There was no clunking of great machines or whistling or rattles. No thick and cloggy air. Wherever he was, the light was not oppressed and unreachable, for he could see millions of stars, all shamelessly shining in the swirls of blue. At the centre of this dance was a greater light, huge and white it floated amongst the sky as if she were the queen of all the great night light, not just a myth in fairy tails passed. It was the first time Sprit had ever seen the moon, and it’s beauty was truly something to behold.
There was a another rumble as Spirit sat up to find himself within the presence of a great roaring ocean, ribbons of silver floating upon it before reaching their explosive white end at the shore. Though this sight paled to what Sprit found behind him, tree’s upon trees taller than any factory building and wider than entire streets, and erupting with more colour than Spirit thought existed! A forest? Sure he and Catherine had pretended to explore them, and oh how vivid was her imagination, but this was real! Before him in every detail! Trunks of tree’s rough with spikes and layers that were untamed and uncontrolled in their growth, cobwebs glimmering within them like a lost pearls washed up on a muddy river bank. Where was he? Spirit would’ve though himself dead if it were to for the fact he had never felt more alive.
Feeling his breeches, Spirit found his trusty sword placed within it leather holster, but something was different. The golden etched handle felt cold against his skin, and he could feel the dragon etching clearly against his hands, it felt so detailed, so real. He didn’t spend long pondering this strange sensation as another crash of water reminded him exactly of his situation. Spirit was in the middle of a beach, that much was known. Where the beach was he did not know. Another sector? Another island? Even so how did he get there? And why?
Trying to think back, Spirit felt as if he had lost all origin, like the very beginning of his life was lost to him. He just remembered he had always been with Catherine. He was her older brother, he looked after her and kept her safe in the small horrible house they lived in with her horrid parents. He remembered playing with the young girl, going on many adventures from only her bedroom. That was right, he was also a pirate, and together they would sail the many imaginary seas, pretending the reality of her harsh life did not exist. He remembered being by her side at night, looking after her when great beast from the shadows tried to hurt her as she slept, he would keep them at bay and away from his darling sister. He would travel with her to work, when the young ten year old went to the factory to help earn the family some money, and would keep her company during the long tiresome hours. Everything was normal, so what happened then? He didn’t know…
Her father…
Her father hit her that was it! He was always a brute, calling her names, punishing her or just ignoring the young girl’s cries, but this time he actually hit her! And Spirit, he couldn’t protect her. He was there but he couldn’t keep her safe. Why couldn’t he keep her safe? He didn’t know. After her father hitting her, it’s as if the man hit him as well, for his vision just went black. He was just left with the sound of Catherine crying. It was like he was missing something. Something important. But what?
Looking around it was clear he wasn’t going to get any answers on a beach, so taking a deep breath in he tried to throw away any panic he had. He had never been one that was easily scared or panicked, quite the opposite in fact, he always confident, protective and he wasn’t going to change now.
“I’ll find you Catherine.” He whispered, clutching onto the very first friendship bracelet she’d made him many years ago. He had many now, including necklaces she’d given him and a red scarf which worked as a bandanna which she decided to decorate him with. Looking at the vast forest, Sprit noticed a small opening between two tree’s, it was lit just lightly by beams streaming from either the stars or the moon, enough at least for Spirit to see some of the way in. A path could possibly mean life, and other people. Maybe he wasn’t far from Sector Three, maybe this was one of the wild lands that would separate many of the Nine Sectors of Decay. Either way it seemed the only option, so sword by his side and the thought of Catherine close to his heart, Spirit made his way into the forest in the hopes of finding some answers.
The path that Sprit went down, if you could call it that, was covered in rocks, twigs and dead leaves. He only assumed it was a path as it was the only strip that wasn’t covered in green moss and undergrowth. The air had a slight chill but it barley bit, and for the most part the night was pleasant and warm. Spirit was not easily scared, having travelled a few times with Catherine, but the woods seemed so unthreatening Spirit began to question if he truly was anywhere bad. There was rustling a few times, but the sound was made by only small harmless animals. The path had few obstacles except for large rocks or branches. Everything was welcoming and calm. Time went on, and he continued on at a gentle pace, how long he went on for he struggled to tell, as the sky had begun to disappear under the shaking branches of the trees.
All seemed well until he noticed a tree with strange symbols engraved on it. He couldn’t understand what it said, but hoped it was the language of intelligent life, and not the warning of cannibals. He hadn’t thought such things existed outside fairy tales, but if a great forest could exist, then who knows what else could also be real? As he went further though, he began to think that maybe the symbols were a warning after all, as the high hopes he once found began to sink, the darkness began to grow shadows, and the rustling transformed from squeaks to growls. The icy breeze ran a cold finger down Sprits spine, as he began to question just how harmless this forest was. Maybe he should turn back? Doubt and questions filled his mind, as his pace began to slow when he reached the end of his path.
It was then that something called out to Spirit, a voiceless song carried on the whispers of the wind. It was pulling him like a string-less puppet, coaxing him off the path and into the thick of the forest. He couldn’t make out any word, just a light tune in the distance. This is insane! His mind kept reeling. You shouldn’t do this! Yet his body didn’t listen, it kept moving between the tree’s like a snake following a charmers flute, over branches and round rocks, as the soundless music grew dimmer to the sound of water trickling. The light of the moon disappeared almost completely, as the forest became enveloped in an unknown threat, any calm destroyed by a heavy feeling of sadness and fear, hanging in the air like a foul stench. The wind seemed to no longer reach him as Sprit stumbled and fell on everything and anything that lay on his path.
Sprit was walking blind, as a mist descended soaking into his skin, dampening his heart until it weighed down on his chest, tears streaking down his face. He wanted to turn back, return to the calm as his body grew colder and breathing heavier. The sound of the river kept pulling him though, he craved to reach it. He must! Spirit fell again, the dusk suffocating him, turning the world around him into obscurity. He felt like he could suffocate on his own sadness. He couldn’t breathe. He got up only to fall again, but this time he didn’t land straight away, the ground was deeper as he began stumble and tumble down a slope. He must have hit every stone, trunk and rock on the way down, though it wasn’t until he came to a stop at the bottom that the pain came flooding to him.
He let out a groan, his body aching in a way he’d never felt before. The pain shot through him all the way to the core. So unusual, he’d been hurt before but the pain had never been so real and so damaging. He pushed himself up off the ground, to see a bridge stood before him, the foundation of which appeared to be nothing more than a random assortment of stone blasted through the middle by a once powerful force of the stream, which had now died to nothing more than a gentle trickle. Past the bridge stood a single tree in the middle of a burnt clearing, the tree was bare and its limbs twisted, clinging onto themselves as if desperate to stay warm. Around the lower trunk of the tree was halo of flowers, it circled round the trunk attached together with bits of branches and stalks. Yet for all its disfigurement and nudity, the tree retained some beauty in the small song that it called out to Spirit. A melancholy song, as if the tree remembered its time of beauty and now longed for the days where it was once loved, like its soul was reaching out to Spirit, begging to once again be loved by those who passed it. Spirit, despite his pain, couldn’t help but cross over the bridge into the clearing, marked round the edge by huge stones, a feeling of emptiness overwhelming him. If there was ever once life here, it has long since died he thought to himself.
The tree that stood in the centre, the only reminder of life, seemed to stare at him as he approached as if it was judging the very soul and character of Spirit, all the time whispering that sweetly sorrowful song. He could finally make out some word, though he could not understand them all.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
They danced upon the river bed,
And flew across the tree’s.
They had few worries in their heads
They did not fear the Eve.
This land back then was their new life.
They had escaped disease.
All was joyful, there was no strife,
For they had crossed the sea’s.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
I laughed as they would dance with me,
for they and I were one.
I watched their species blossom free,
Like flowers in the sun.
But as they spread, the Eve did follow,
And of them spared were none.
Their pure desire became hollow,
And that would end our fun.
Stepping closer, the tree compelled him in, as he felt himself move further forwards.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
They did change and become anew,
no longer like before.
Eve stained their skin and turned it blue,
And thus began the war.
Brother turned against each other,
For Eve made then impure.
Yet surely they remained brothers?
Same at the very core.
His legs moved without control of his mind, as his conscious gave into the song.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
No longer do they dance around me,
The joy is all but lost.
I stand here naked for all to see,
The price that war does cost.
I mark the final battlefield,
where they fought in winter frost.
Those who were pure were forced to yield,
Now only I do last.
His hand began to stretch out, so close it hovered just above the tree, as if feeling the aura it gave off.
Estārōp solāne imus
Imōp nuden
Mae amae inami us
Imōp disen
Then there was a cold sharp metal upon his neck, and arm curled around his throat while the other held onto the hand that was only millimetres way from the bark.
“Dêtorat ne! Do not move!” The voice was sharp and strong right next to his ear, as Spirit froze in spot, afraid of the blade currently digging into him.
“So it speaks common tongue.” Another voice, this one male, said from a distance.
“Put your hand down and do not touch the tree.” The first voice demanded, and so Spirit did. He wasn’t rebellious by nature, and he certainly wasn’t prepared to lose his life over a tree. That’s when it struck him, a tree, which was all it had returned too. A burnt and ugly tree, all sense of soul and song dissipated into the wind, and the world around him once again far too dark for him to see beyond shadows and shapes.
“Shao sais ne phella creashure thea ist, ethia phi eemulorat e Illusion.” The female voice spoke, this time her voice was no longer authoritarian, and Sprit noticed how with every word she spoke, there was almost a melodic quality to her voice as she took her time to pronounce every vowel and consonant. As if she was reading out a poem or hymn, each word went up and down to the sound of the world around her.
“What are you?” The male asked, he too spoke melodically, though it appeared more subtle and broken when they spoke ‘common tongue’ as it was referred too.
“My name is Spirit, I am a human from Sector Three, on the island of Decay.” Spirit could only hope he said the right thing, for he honestly did not fully understand what he was being asked. He assumed he mustn’t have however, for the way the blade dug deeper, and the arms around him tensed at the uttering of ‘human.’ There followed a silence, and once again Spirit realised just how suffocating the air around him was, but he remained calm for the sake of his own life, trying to think instead of finding Catherine.
“Human! You speak untruths! No human has been on Illusion for thousands of years! It is impossible to cross the Veil of Shadows; even if one did there is no escaping the Grave of Men!” The male spoke with a very subtle tremble within his voice. Spirit did not know what to say, he could only assume Illusion was the name of this strange place, but never had he heard of it or of humans once being here.
“Helle cialled amiarana! I do not believe he is lying, for he resembles the old scriptures without flaw. Though, if you are human, then explain to me how you got here, as Alethra has explained, one does not simply walk onto Illusion from Decay.”
“I do not know! Believe me I do not! All I remember was being with my sister on Decay, then I hear screaming and my world goes black, my memory stops there as if something is blocking it. All I remember afterwards is awaking on this strange land you call Illusion.” Spirit explained, he tried to remember once again the events of the past, but a painful barrier seemed to stop his thoughts from reaching that pocket of time.
“How can we trust him, you remember the stories, humans can use Galia so powerful it took down wizards, how are we to know if he has used it to get here? With the rising tension on the boarder of the Ruins, and sighting of Sollus it is not beyond belief humans are finding their way back!”
“And yet we are not dead, if he possessed Galia he would have killed us. In the scriptures humans were impatient and reckless; this Spirit would have made no hesitation in killing us if he had the ability too.” Spirit found these assumptions strange, while he had no idea what a Galia was, he did wield a sword and could try to defend himself easily against two. He was rational however, not reckless, and knew that if this was the only intelligent life he was to see, he would do well to try and get along with it. He wasn’t a killer.
“It seems we only have one choice at this point and that is to take him to Meereshu, they will decide his fate.” With that Spirit was pulled from where he stood, only to discover that he could not see what creatures had captured him, for the darkness was too thick. Another blurry shadow appeared next to the figure Spirit could only assume was the male, as the now two males conversed in their musical language until interrupted by the female.
“Tekan eh maenas xuna gsheppa, si theu danaraksa, aloras sae aroon eh monome theu essai attak.” The female removed the knife from his neck, but remained behind him and most likely on guard, at least that’s what Spirit thought if the tense fear she radiated was anything to go by.
“Oph I’lasee.” The new figure replied to the lady with a bow, before jumping into a nearby tree, like bird taking flight.
“Know this.” She spoke once again near Spirits ear, her voice grave and serious.
“You move a finger out of place and I have archers all across this forest ready to place an arrow in your chest.” Well now Spirit knew he couldn’t fight them and enemy or not they seemed his best hope of at least finding a way back home to Catherine.
“I understand.”
“Now follow Alethra, we’re taking you to Meereshu.”
“Who’s Mee-re-su?” Spirit struggled with the name, it certainly sounded grander coming from their mouths than his.
“Meereshu is leader of the Aleza and the one who will know Shu’s intention for you.” She explained, before pushing him to move forwards, and hissing at him before he could utter another word. Spirit took it as a sign to be silent.
He stumbled occasionally, but managed to make his way through the thinning passage of the forest. He let out the occasional pant, as he seemed to be climbing up a steep and endless hill, everything getting in his way as if trying to slow him down.
“Is this really the only way?” He asked, forgetting the earlier hiss.
“Unless you can climb across trees and branches human.” The female replied, still nothing more than silhouette amongst a group of similar tall shapes. Spirit had noticed how something seemed to protrude from their shadows, which made them appear inhuman; perhaps it was a tail or extra limb?
“Well I can climb up a factory tower” He halved joked, the mood was still tense and hostile which made Spirit rather uncomfortable as he could feel the edgy nervousness, fear and bravery coming from his guard. He was only trying to make the others smile, heck his job at home was to bring joy to Catherine.
“You’re common tongue is strange to me.” She replied, with a sense of finality in her voice. Once again silence descended the only sound that of crunching of leaves and twigs below his feet. Tiredly Spirit watched in awe as the shadows seemed to jump from branch to branch, yet the wood remained still as if there was no weight placed upon them. They did it so naturally, with a sense of graceful pride that Spirit would mistake them for dancing instead of travelling. Spirit finally had to stop to get his breath, and only then did everything fall completely silent, he at first thought maybe the Aleza had frozen in place. He was wrong, some had stopped but many continue their journey meaning only he was making a noise. They floated across the round like a fallen leaf in the breeze; they were moving not on the earth but with it like a ghostly spectre.
They started again but they were only walking for a few more minutes when with one great step Spirit finally made it back into the night light. The glorious moon had moved halfway across the sky by this point, but still the stars shone bright and high. Looking out he could see just how high he’d had climbed, the small river sneaking around the base disappearing within a dense dome of tree’s where Spirit had gotten ever so lost and melancholy. He noticed how they all bended in on each other, as if concealing some great secret. Looking away from the dome he, for the first time, saw the great and strange creature that called themselves Aleza.
As alien as the island but no less beautiful, their skin shade went from dark grey to pure white upon a streamline figure, from which protruded a long thick tail. Their monolids eyes were proud yet untrusting, the explosion of green difficult to see under long black lashes that contrasted greatly against their skin. From their shoulder down to their arms and all the way to their feet there were sharp sporadic markings of black or brown that looked like a row of splinters or gashes. Their elegant figure was only broken by the black blades of bark that jutted out from their elbows, knees and wrists. Sprits guard was most striking of these beings, for she did not possess golden hair braided behind long double pointed ears like the others, but hair of shocking orange tied up and adorned with feathers of brown and black. She wore thin clothes of silk and satin that left her legs exposed and shoulder bare, her toeless feet covered in shoes made of leaves and roots.
“Her hair was adorned because she and another are bonded through the ceremony of Imien. It is the Alezian way of showing that connection has been made.” Usille commented breaking off Spirit
“Well it truly was stunning, though it could not compare to when I met your ruler.”
“Meereshu. She is the one most in connection with Shu.”
“I’ve heard that word spoken a few time, though still do not understand what it is.”
“Shu? I know not the common tongue for it, but Shu is what we believe connects us all. A soul in all of us which helps us grow and wither away and be reborn like the animals and plants we call our brethren”
“Well, whatever your leader controls, never have I been so terrified and yet captivated by a being in all my life…”
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