Chapter 4: "The Eternal Whisper"

"Something is approaching."

I pulled the emergency dagger out of my cape. Even though I had a weapon, I couldn’t maintain my calm.

If what’s coming is a creature, I suppose it can see in the dark and move nimbly over trees, roots, and stones. And what do I know? I don’t have my sword!

“Don’t worry. I’m confident nothing bad will happen.”

“Don’t you see that, all of a sudden, everything around us is dead? It’s obvious that something bad is going to happen!”

And to make things worse, I don’t have my sword—just a dagger. We are in real trouble.

All of a sudden, the forest expanded. The trees grew huge, their treetops forming a dome over our heads. In front of us, a path of dead flowers unfolded, and with each step on it, the ground trembled beneath our feet.

Here it comes.

The aura of that creature was piercing, and its presence was intimidating. Darkness snaked around us with a blinding force, and the forest stayed silent. Then, a crooked echo flooded the night.

“It’s unlike you to walk accompanied, Darek. Have you perchance lost your hatred toward humans?”

That voice—full of poison and rot—was familiar to me.

“Do you know him, Darek?”

I took a deep breath and put my dagger away. The one with us was not dangerous.

“Of course he knows me. I’m the one who guides him through this world. Darek seeks answers, and I seeks a puppet —it’s a fair exchange,” said the voice, wriggling with pleasure.

“You taught me the cruelty of the world around me since I escaped the Cathedral of Perpetual Order. You showed me a reality that not even Gods would want to admit, which is why I keep listening to you.”

His spirit is gloomier than usual. Although it hasn’t harmed us, I have the feeling that at any moment it could tear us to shreds.

“Who are you?” asked Zera, her innate curiosity showing.

“I have been called a thousand names, but none of them describes my existence with precision. I am the shadow that lures the most pristine flame, the silence that overruns the fiercest wars, the one who guides the fallen on the abyss to obliterate every trace of life.”

He is as dramatic as always.

“I did not kill Lodric. I failed the task you had entrusted to me. So why are you here? Have you come to punish me?”

“I came to deliver what I promised: the means to realize your vengeance. It was not your sword, but the fire that ended his life. After you left the mansion, Lodric burned to death. You killed him.”

Hearing that churned my stomach. Why? Lodric was a stranger to me… and this emptiness? Is it guilt what I’m feeling? Impossible—I’ve killed in my past life. Then why, in this world, does the idea of killing feel revolting?

Memories invaded my mind. Unconnected and chaotic images danced before my eyes with fury. Voices of friends and family tormented my ears.

They demanded I pay for my sins with my life.

“Worry not, Darek. Sinners never find redemption,” said that damned being as it approached. It carried with it the stench of death, so potent that it seeped into me.

For the first time since I knew him, an odd thought crossed my mind: Can he read my thoughts? My memories, too? Does he know I’m reincarnated? This creature is far more powerful and fearsome than I imagined.

“What… are you?” For the first time, I understood the true extent of his power. In previous encounters, I never perceived him as a real menace.

He is capable of razing the world in an instant.

“I am the Eternal Whisper. Here is what I came to tell you: knowledge that even some gods do not possess. Use it wisely: the creatures of this world are born from human beliefs. If enough people believe in something, it becomes real.”

Zera and I remained frozen, unable to comprehend what he meant.

“And how is that supposed to help me kill a deity?”

“That’s something you’ll have to discover with time, dear Darek. Though it’s possible you’ll die before ever knowing it.”

“I won’t die. I’ll become stronger than the gods themselves,” I said, determined.

“I am taking your word, human. Before I go, let me tell you something else: take all the help within your reach, and keep Zera by your side.”

The space around us distorted. The forest began to return to its original size, and the air flowed freely again.

“Wait! I still have doubts! You can’t just say something like that and vanish without explanation! What does it mean? How do I kill a goddess? Please!”

He vanished as quickly as he had appeared, and the baleful darkness that had accompanied him receded with him. Silence ruled once more.

Zera and I looked at each other in astonishment, wordless. After a few moments of discomposure, we resumed our path to the village.

“What a horrible creature! Who was he? How do you know him? Why did he know my name? He had the appearance of a god… but an evil one.”

“I told you I avoided the death sentence, right? She was the one who condemned me: Zenith, the Immutable Matriarch, Goddess of the Unbeaten Sun Order.”

“But the being from earlier didn’t seem to be related to the Goddess.”

“Let me explain. Once I escaped the Cathedral of Perpetual Order, he taught me how to survive. He forced me to face the truth about how the Orders that protect the cities really operate.”

He showed me that I should distrust people. Those with power have committed terrible acts to reach their positions, and the Knights are no exception. The man despises, betrays, and destroys to impose his will.

“You are no ordinary fugitive. The Order of the Unbeaten Sun, the most fearsome of all, has put a price on your head. Do you really believe it is just because of the mission you failed, or are you hiding something from me?”

Don’t pry into my life.

“I’m not going to tell you now. Hurry up—a storm is approaching. Besides, I need a new sword and must buy food to continue the journey.”

                                      **********************************

Once we arrived at the village, we found an abandoned barn where we decided to spend the night. Even with the coziness of the straw, I couldn’t sleep. I feared Zera would wake up at any moment and kill me.

I know it’s an irrational fear, but I cannot betray my true nature. Distrust has always been my ally, and thanks to it I’ve survived where others would have fallen. Why should I change?

The sun rose at dawn, its cold rays foreshadowing an unforgiving path ahead. My story with Zera had just begun.