Chương 12: A dark memory

Leena had done her part. Even if she wanted to assist Xander, she couldn't, because only one Dreamwalker could step through a portal at a time. If she tried to interfere, it would cause the portal to collapse or destroy the bound object.

Remembering her promise, Leena left the room to check on Tiva. She knew Xander was delving into dark matters, and there was no telling what he would face on the other side. If anything were to happen to him, Tiva would have no one left in the world except her.

***

As Xander's soul split in two, he crossed over to the other side. The void was as welcoming as ever, with its bleak iridescent halls pulsating with magic energy.

Though Xander had visited hundreds of dreams and nightmares, this was his first time trying to peer into a person's memory. Up until this day, all he had heard about memory visitations were from old scholars who spent too much time at the Mystic Libraries in the city.

When Xander clapped his hands this time, the mirror appeared as before, but it didn't have any reflection in it. Instead of seeing himself on the glassy surface, he saw a tuft of fluffy white clouds on the other side.

After some initial hesitation, Xander stepped through the mirror. The same infinite space with the dazzling stars twinkling in the distance appeared before him. However, not all things were the same.

Instead of three paths, there was just one in the middle. The other two had gone missing.

"What the hell is happening? I need my cards and weapons!"

In response to Xander's query, a voice whispered in his ear, "The wanderer seeks a place lost forever. A drifting memory preserved in a fleeting bubble. Be wary lone traveler, for memories never lie."

The ominous warning unsettled Xander for a moment, but he was desperate for answers. Ever since he'd heard the name Shamura, he had become restless.

Though it didn't seem wise to visit the other side unarmed, Xander backed himself and took the floating path before him. It led him to a gray stone arch that was distorting like a reflection in the water.

"I guess there's a first time for everything," Xander mumbled to himself and stepped in through the arch.

On the other side, Xander found himself standing on a street in the middle of Ixis, the capital of Merantis.

It was supposed to be a pinnacle of beauty with lofty structures and wide, well-maintained streets bordered by fruit trees. But what Xander saw before his eyes stunned him into silence.

The luxurious multi-story hotels lay in ruins, with helpless civilians buried under the rubble. Even the Council Hall and the Citizen's Court had been reduced to piles of debris.

Cars and bikes were burning around him, and the trees were all leafless and barren. Even the sky was overcast with flaming red clouds, and there was a vortex of black dust swirling in the middle.

"Where am I? What the hell happened here?" Xander's throat dried up as he saw the wounded troops bleeding to their death at the side of the street. Some had been sliced in half, and the others looked badly burnt.

[Welcome to the fading strands of time.]

[The Dreamwalker has entered a Dark Memory.]

[New Objective: Navigate your way through the carnage.]

"How can this be a memory? I went to Ixis last month. It was still in perfect condition. This is a damn lie."

Though Xander was quite sure everything in Ixis was in order, the disturbing scenes before him made him question his convictions. A palpable sense of horror washed over his body as he watched the people around him dying.

After a bit of initial hesitation, Xander walked up to a wounded young boy who was groaning in pain.

"What happened here?" he asked.

In response to Xander's question, the boy looked at him, but words refused to come out of his drying mouth.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," Xander said, getting down on his knees. He tried to take the boy in his arms and lift him up, but he was a lot heavier than he looked. It was as if he was trying to lift a dead log.

It took Xander all his strength to hoist the boy off the ground. With his legs trembling under him, he hobbled forward. The weight of the boy in his arms was straining his shoulders. He could feel his muscles throbbing in pain, but he kept moving forward.

Xander eventually stopped near a trimmed orange tree and paused to catch his breath. Putting the boy down under the shade of the tree, he took a good look at his wounds.

The young boy had lash marks all over his arms. It looked like he had been whipped repeatedly by something with a sharp tip. There were scars all over his body, and his clothes were soaked in blood.

"What kind of monster would hurt a little boy."

Suddenly, the sound of a flute reached Xander's ears. It was coming from the direction of the Governor's Residence.

Xander immediately stood up and darted his eyes toward the direction of the music.

Walking down the street were a group of bald, middle-aged men wearing blood-red robes. The ones in the front were staring in his direction while the ones at the back had hoods pulled over their heads and were blindfolded.

All these men were holding white candles before them and had strange tattoos on their foreheads.

Xander felt uneasy just looking at them. He wasn't entirely sure of their intentions, but they certainly didn't look friendly.

To avoid being spotted, Xander hid behind a fruit cart at the side of the road. Keeping his body behind cover, he peeked over the cart's top to observe the five robed figures.

The three blindfolded men spread out to form a triangle with each of them forming a separate point. Meanwhile, the other two took their position in the middle of the triangle and fell on their knees.

Placing the candles on the ground, they started chanting rhythmically in a strange language that resembled Old Meraki.

A minute into their chanting, the skies darkened and the streets lit up with flashes of violet lightning. A winged creature flew down and landed on the ground before them. Its back was turned toward Xander, but he could see that it had human features.

The two bald men in robes immediately stopped chanting. One of them remained on the floor, while the other got up to greet their visitor.

"The city is yours, my Lord. We have done our part."

The winged individual nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "You've done well. My mistress is pleased with your devotion. Her army will soon sweep over the whole nation and cleanse it of all pretenders."

"We are yours to command, Lord Zorril," the hooded man replied, bowing before the winged one.

That name sent shivers down Xander's spine. His blood turned cold inside his veins as his face flushed in horror. Zorril wasn't a being from this world. He was one of Shamura's generals.

And if Zorril was in Ixis, it could only mean one thing. The dark deity had been awakened from her eternal slumber and was preparing to cross over to the real world.

SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO
Ashdenroth

(Somnium encyclopaedia) :

1. Ixis: The capital of Merantis that is known for its grand monuments, business offices, imperial courts and houses the Imperial Army. Considered to be one of the most developed cities in all of Somnium, it is home to affluent nobles and businessmen. It stands in sharp contrast to the poor port city of Faros and occupies the central part of Merantis.

2. Old Meraki: A forgotten language that used to be spoken on the continent of Somnium many centuries ago. Many religious texts of the Mystics are also written in this language. However, it was never popular among the Ordinaires.

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