Inside the Light

At the very moment the light engulfed Zendal and his companions, other events were unfolding in the network of caverns known as the Abyss.

Some were of little consequence, such as an old wizard lifting his head at a faint disturbance in the flow of magic, then adjusting his pointed hat before continuing along the dark cavern.

Others were more troubling, like the cracks that appeared in a massive stone colossus shaped like a sleeping dragon.

But the most remarkable by far took place in a ruined throne room.

There, a red glow flared to life in the eye sockets of an ancient horned skull. Accompanied by the creak of shifting bones, the skeleton slumped upon what remained of the throne began to move slowly.

Yet it could not rise, for a sword was buried in its ribs, pinning it to the ancient seat.

The skeletal hands gripped the crossguard and began pushing the blade upward, freeing it inch by inch.

But the sword came to a sudden halt.

A hand had appeared out of nowhere, seizing the hilt, and driving the blade back deep into the skeleton’s ribs once more.

The skull’s eyes blazed with crimson fury, only to fade into darkness as the bony hands released their grip and dropped lifelessly to the sides of the throne.

The hand that had pinned the demon’s skeleton vanished as if it had never been there, and the ruined throne room returned to its millennia-old solitude.

***

Sky

The sky I had been wanting to see for quite some time was now right before my eyes.

And not only that, off in the distance, in every direction, I could see lush trees surrounding us.

I wasn’t sure whether we were in a clearing, or in a field amid different forests. Judging by the size of the open space, I’d say the second.

"Lady Lirilien, are you all right?" Merite asked, still rubbing the spot where Coletto had smacked her on the head.

"Veilkeeper?" Coletto had also approached Lirilien, but the princess of the spirits seemed to have fallen into some sort of trance.

Soon, the two high spirits fell silent as well, and all three women gazed calmly at the scenery. Only the breeze lifting their hair and skirts showed that time hadn’t actually stopped.

"My lord!"
"Zendal!"
"Master!"

After spending a while admiring the scenery along with the beautiful women who graced it (without in any way encouraging the breeze to lift their skirts a little higher), my peace was broken by the voices of the three as they ran toward me.

Even Lirilien had lost her composure and looked as excited as the other two.

"My lord! This place is incredible! But where are we?!" Lirilien asked.

Apparently, without me having to say a word, all three had noticed that the area was overflowing with magic very similar to mine. I don’t mean in color or any physically identifiable trait, but in how it felt. That was why they had come to me with their questions.

"Master… is this primordial magic?" Coletto asked, leaning in eagerly, her face close to mine. "But it’s nothing like the magic of the Fountain of Life, nor like primordial magic before it crystallizes."

"That’s because what you call primordial magic is actually the magical residue of the barrier that has protected Endalor for millennia," I replied, rising from the ground where I’d been sitting comfortably. "The magic here is pure magic. Of course, that’s only what I’ve managed to deduce on my own."

"It’s not going to turn us into something like the Abyssal Spawn, is it?" Merite asked nervously.

"No, this magic is nothing like what flows through the caverns," Lirilien said as she looked around. "As my lord says, it is magic in its purest, most pristine state. Just as water cannot make you drunk, pure primordial magic will not affect us the way the primordial magic we are used to would."

"Correct," I agreed as I began walking toward a mountain visible in the distance. "Now, about Lirilien’s question on where we are… I’d say we’re inside the sphere."

"The sphere?" the three asked in unison.

"At first, I thought it had transported us to a distant place," I began to explain, gesturing with my hand for the three to follow me. "But thanks to my connection with the sphere, I realized we are actually inside of it."

"That glowing object that appeared out of nowhere?" Merite asked, tilting her head. "Zendal, was that your doing?"

"I wouldn’t say it was my doing… but it is indeed related to me. Even so, I appreciate that you tried to protect me, Merite," I replied with a smile. "I thought you’d go straight to Lirilien."

"Zendal, are you calling me a liar?" Merite replied, clearly upset. "Didn’t I say my body and soul were yours? I can’t just sacrifice them for whomever I please, even if it’s Lady Lirilien."

"That’s true, Master," Coletto said as she stepped closer. "Merite may act without thinking most of the time, but she always keeps her promises."

"What do you mean, without thinking?!" came Merite’s protest from behind us.

"These two girls are my pride. You can trust them, my lord," Lirilien said with a smile. "Of course, I’ll do my best to earn your trust as well."

"That’s not what I meant to say, it’s just that…" I started to explain, but decided to leave it there. I couldn’t pretend to know how spirit societies or the general hierarchy of this world worked (can this still be considered Ameritia?). "No, forget it. You three reacted very quickly. I’m grateful you wanted to protect me, but I’d like you to consider your own safety above all else."

"My lord, you don’t have to worry about us…" Lirilien began, but I cut her off with a small wave of my hand.

"The three of you declared you belong to me. No one has the right to harm what is mine, not even you. Take better care of yourselves. That’s an order."

Those words could have gotten me into trouble in some of the worlds I remember. Fortunately, the three understood what I meant.
Though for some reason I can’t explain, they ended up blushing.

"My lord, you’re saying we’re inside that little sun that appeared out of nowhere… What is this ‘sphere’ you’re talking about?" Lirilien asked once she had composed herself. The other two nodded in agreement.

It was then that I finally told them about my connection to the sphere and everything I knew about it, which, when you think about it, was basically nothing.