The Lonely Child

Part One

            Far above the mountain peaks of Vallian, a mysterious man resides. Alone in the quiet night, he secludes himself from the world beneath him. Meditating at the edge of the mountain listening down upon the world— he listens to the whispers of the winds. The voices, they speak to him. “Behind you” a voice whispers.

            Behind the man, a shadowy figure lunges towards him with a long blade. But quickly, the man vanishes within the blink of an eye— appearing behind the shadowy figure. The man is able to intercept and disarm the shadowy figure grabbing the shadowy figure holding them off the cliff edge of the mountain. “Who are you?” asking, his voice hoarse.

            The shadowy figure, hidden by a hooded cloak looked at the man. The figure’s face concealed, but its head looked straight at the man holding him. Staring at his lengthy light blue hair with few strands covering his face. The piercings that marked him and the mask he wore that concealed his mouth. The shadowy figure chuckled, “I’m not who you need to know. I am just a messenger, a messenger of the Forgotten God— here to tell you the Desolation is coming witch.” The shadowy figure continuously laughed at the man before reciting an ominous incantation, “Sit mihi mortem excitare.” Instantly the shadowy figure erupted in black flames. The man immediately let go of his hold and watched as the shadowy figure disappeared into the night of the mountain— engulfed by the flames. “Aerose” a soft voice echoed behind the man.

            The man turned around to see a woman gazing at him. “Madeline” the man responded. He approached the woman and the two embraced with a hug. “What are you doing here so late at night?” he asked.

            Madeline held Aerose hands before she spoke. “I came to warn you... but it seems I’m too late.” She hugged Aerose once more, making him concerned something was wrong.

            He looked at her carefully, noticing she wasn’t wearing her natural style of clothing. Instead she was dressed in a lavender nightgown with her hair braided back. Her lips uncolored by her favorite purple shade. “Something has happened. Did something happen to the others?” he questioned her. Her eyes watered before she tried to speak. It was unnatural for her to not be able to say what was on her mind. Aerose grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Please Madeline, if something has happened to the others, I need to know.” He demanded.

            Madeline hesitated for a moment, “We were all attacked tonight by a similar figure that just attacked you. We’re all safe… but,” she paused as the tears she held back came flowing down her face.

            “But what Madeline?” Aerose worryingly shouted. Fear filled his face as he saw Madeline breaking down into tears. Never have he seen his sister so vulnerable. He began to assume the worst before Madeline continued.

            “I-It’s Janu… he’s missing.” She finally let out as she fell into Aerose bare chest sobbing.

            Aerose comforted Madeline as he stared up into the night sky gazing at the stars. “If he’s missing, then that’s probably a good thing. There’s a chance he’s not dead.”

            Madeline recollected herself, wiping the tears from her face. She looked at Aerose face, taking a deep breath. “There’s something else you need to know.” She said. Aerose face shriveled with worry. “When I went to check in on Janu, he was already gone. But the thing is, there was no sign of a struggle or fight, not even a trace of phantom magic. And when I went outside, there were one set of footprints that led to his house— but two sets of footprints that led away from it.”

            Aerose let out a sigh before coming up with a conclusion. “Could it— “, But before he could finish contemplating on the situation, Madeline interrupted him.

            “When I was searching his home, I found something. It was one of his snowflakes, and it was enchanted. And when I tapped into it there was a message he left, ‘This is what I need to do.’” She explained to him. It made Aerose even more confused than he was now.

            Aerose needed time to think, but with the situation, time was limited. “We need to go to the others.” He said eagerly. Madeline nodded her head in agreement.

            “Everyone is already waiting for us at Dahlia’s. I ported everyone there when I went to check in on them.” Madeline turned around, raising her hand towards her lip— blowing a kiss into the winds. Immediately a purplish glow illuminated in an oval-like shape, creating a portal. You could see what was on the other side of the portal. It shimmered with every passing second and rippled like a pebble that had been tossed into a pond. Madeline locked elbows with Aerose and the two made their way into the portal.