Chapter 43: The Bleak Future
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Quietly, I watched the madness go on. The scratching and tearing of paper rang throughout the cell. Dried blood was smeared across the wall, giving the entire room a unsettling aura. The scratching stopped. Mordred looked up, his eyes hollow, gutted by something inside.
"Hunter?" His hair was drenched in sweat, matted against the side of his head. His skin was pale and sallow, missing the sun. He looked dead.
"Did you find anything?" I asked nervously, I didn't know who was in control anymore.
"Ah, yes." Mordred dug through the mountains of paper, pulling out a now worn, small, red book. Clearing his throat, I began to see the last vestiges of the man left in him, the scholar. "It is written in Draconic, the language of demons. It is called Hellmouth. The general concept is the opening of a portal to their dimension. This involves massive amounts of chaos in the local area, which I am providing." There was a pause as Mordred choked on his own words. Tears began to well up. Again, clearing his throat, he moved on, his voice trembling. "There wasn't much on the actual demons themselves. From what I can tell, they are soul like creatures that possess hosts, giving them unnatural abilities. The original owners, well…" Mordred's voice began to trail off.
"Spit it out. I can take it."
"Accounts differ. Some go insane, others cease to exist. Most commonly, the soul is slowly consumed, painfully."
I looked into Mordred's face. His eyes stared back at me. What I saw was acceptance of his fate. The courage to face it head on. I sighed. Why did an admirable man to have to die like this? Raising my bow, I gave him a knowing glance.
"No. It won't work. The host becomes immortal, except when the demon's own energies literally burn it away."
I let the bow fall to my side. Why? Why? Why? Why did have to be him? The only thing I have left in this world. I turned and left the cell. I didn't make it far before collapsing to the ground, heart-wrenching sobs tearing at my soul. Why? Why? WHY? He was the only family I had left.
In the distance, I could vague hear Mordred's voice, "Are you alright?"
"No." If this was true, was all my struggling for naught? I rubbed my arm. For the first time in my life, I felt defeated, hopeless, lost, dead. Why? Just… Why?
Persephone
"What exactly happens?" We were pulled into Savah's house. Sitting in his living room, there was nothing but three chairs, a table, and a old photo of a happy couple, old and worn. I presumed it was his parents.
"I only get fragments, but what I could see was you in your room, asleep, when the window shatters. Then, cloth catching fire."
"When?" Solskin slammed the table. He had become violent and irritable, a far cry from the innocent boy I meet in Shira.
"Soon. Within the next few days." Savah stated grimly. I was going to have trouble going to sleep for the next few days. "The Hunter never misses."
Savah stood up and out of his chair, in a slow, deliberate motion, Savah produced a wooden horn, engraved with intricate symbols and runes. It looked like it was on the verge of falling apart. Savah's eyes lingered on it, an unknown emotion clouding his eyes.
Placing it gently on the table, Savah took in a heavy breath. "This horn will summon spirits of nature to your aid. Treat it carefully, it was my mother's."
I could see the reluctance written all over his face. His need to catch the Hunter at odds with the desire to protect something precious. Carefully, I picked it up. It vibrated with power, threatening to shake itself apart in my hands. Clipping it to my belt, I nodded my head in respect.
Solskin, who had been quiet up to this point, spoke out. Leaning back on his chair, "I am guessing we are using Persephone as bait?"
Savah nodded apologetically. "It is the best way to get him."
Solskin leaned forward again, the wood creaking from the sudden shift of weight. "I hope I hit him first." Rocketing up, the chair falling over behind him, he walked towards the door, only to rush face first into Carolinus and Epoch.
"Hello," Carolinus gave a very curt greeting to Solskin. With large strides, he covered the room quickly, in an almost confrontational manner.
Savah stood to attention, "Sir, how can I help you?"
"There has been a breach between the worlds."
"Where?" Savah visibly tensed up.
"Just outside the walls."
Solskin
We were rushed up the castle walls. Peering out into the rolling fields, there was a black point hovering in the air.
"I thought we managed to suppress the fear and chaos." Savah was distraught.
"That is what we thought ten years ago. Look at what happened afterwards, the country was in ruins. Epoch, can you close this one?"
"Yes, but, it's only going to grow until demons are going to come pouring through." Epoch, hands raised to the sky, was forcing magical energy to surround the black point.
"What is it?" I yelled over the wind that was rapidly growing.
"The gateway to the demon's world." Carolinus replied, his face dark with foreboding.
"The apocalypse." Savah followed up.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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