Demoa - Nightfall (2)

Demoa took a deep breath. She glanced at Ray, who was still unmoving, and carefully made her way around the trap. The sharpened stakes looked deadly, and she didn’t want to imagine what might have happened if they had charged forward carelessly and fallen in. She could almost feel the spikes piercing her lungs and forcing her to wake up.

No! Focus. There are more important things, she reminded herself.

Soon she reached the thicket where the strangers had vanished and quickly followed Eri, who was forcing a path through the leaves and vines ahead of her. The noises and shouting were now easier to make out, and Demoa realized they were commands—orders to defend Glune, build barricades, and prepare for something.

Oh, perfect…

When she finally pushed through two leaves of a giant fern, she froze in place, and Sars nearly ran into her. Demoa jumped aside in alarm, clearing the way, while scanning the surroundings.

Large, tree-like vines sprang up from the dark, muddy ground, though not everywhere. Some had clearly been cut down to make room for buildings. Those were woven around the remaining vine-trees, forming small, dome-shaped living units. Some of them were higher up, reachable only by ladders. Demoa wondered if those were reserved for people of higher status, or if they had simply run out of space and built above the ground.

Altogether, Glune was bathed in light. There was no dense canopy overhead, and most of the plants and buildings glowed in the radiance of the setting Sun.

Between the buildings and across open spaces, people rushed about in panic. They darted from place to place, constantly glancing at the evening Sun, throwing up makeshift fences and dragging spears and stakes to set up defenses around the village. Some barked orders, while others reinforced their homes with vines, as if expecting something massive to come crashing through at any moment.

The man and woman who had brought them there waved urgently and led the way toward a building constructed at the center of Glune. It rose nearly three times higher than the other structures. It too was dome-shaped, bordering a wide plaza whose ground had been trampled flat and cleared of all plants. On that plaza, several people knelt in whispered prayer, though Demoa couldn’t make out the exact words.

They nearly collided with a group of men carrying sharp stakes on their shoulders. Eri cursed, dodged around them, and told everyone to keep moving. Their group didn’t go unnoticed, and at first Demoa felt the weight of hostile, doubtful gazes. Soon, however, those stares shifted to hopeful glimmers as the villagers recognized Eri. He ignored them all and marched straight ahead. The entrance to the central dome was covered with a curtain of freshly cut vines, and soon Demoa found herself inside.

The room was large, with makeshift chairs scattered throughout. A faint scent of spices hung in the air, though Demoa couldn’t place which ones, and the air itself was thick and heavy. Only two men stood in the room: one relatively young-looking, with yellowish skin and narrow gray eyes that darted hungrily around, trying to absorb his surroundings. He leaned forward slightly, tall and thin, yet his smile carried a certainty Demoa had never seen in the Dream before. The other man appeared older, with a half-bald head and a thick, unruly beard that sprouted like the vines outside. His hair was pale, his eyes tired, yet he radiated an unusual strength of will.

“Let! Krud! We have guests. Eri, the Lonely Wanderer, with two Radiant Ones and their guardians. We thought they might be able to help against—” began the woman who had guided them, waving enthusiastically toward Eri, but she stopped when she saw his dark gaze.

The two men looked around in confusion. When they spotted Eri, their faces brightened, and they approached with welcoming gestures.

“Greetings! I’m Krud. I’m responsible for our defense. I don’t know if you remember me, Wanderer; it has been some time. This here is Let. He was the one who warned us,” the older man explained, pointing to the other, who smiled awkwardly.

“Well, it is not exactly good news I bring, is it? A terrible story is unfolding, and we are at its center. Forgive me, Eri, who exactly are these two?” Let asked, glancing toward Demoa.

“I am escorting these two young women to the monastery, as is proper…” Eri began, gesturing toward Demoa and Ray, who still hung motionless over Olver’s shoulder.

He sounded slightly irritated, as if Let were asking something obvious, and was about to continue. The tall man cut him off, however, bursting with excitement.

“Incredible! Two Enlightened Ones? So much Lucidity? That is rare even under normal circumstances. And the Lonely Wanderer, here and now… what a miracle! I have been asking about you ever since you and Elga tested me, so long ago. You were already such a mysterious man back then. People told me a lot about you since, mostly myths,” Let exclaimed, his gaze darting between Demoa, Eri, and Ray.

“That’s all they are. Myths. Nonsense. What matters is what’s happening here,” Eri growled.

Krud looked at him, then turned to the tall man beside him, clearly searching for an excuse to leave.

“I think you can explain it better, Let. I need to get back out there, make sure everything runs smoothly,” he said, and hurried out of the room.

“So here we are, alone,” Let said, trying to smile, though Demoa could tell he was uncomfortable.

Eri glared at him.

“What’s going on here? I am not used to asking twice,” he snarled. Let, despite his yellowish complexion, turned pale.

“It’s… you do not know? Of course not, forgive me… Well, the Sun! It shines, resting among the heavens, bringing Light and life,” Let began.

“Yes, we know that,” Demoa said quickly, glancing discreetly toward Ray.

“Indeed, yes! However, then you must also realize it is fading. It is moving ever closer to the horizon and gradually growing weaker, frail,” Let continued.

“And?” Olver asked.

Let fell silent for a moment, then went on, “Well, is it not obvious? What if the Sun disappears? What comes then?”

She froze. She hadn’t thought about that, but somehow she had felt it—a question rising at the back of her mind.

What happens when the day ends? What comes after?

Would pure darkness descend? It seemed plausible, yet she couldn’t remember. 

What comes after day?

Eri asked the same question.

Looking around nervously, Let whispered: “Well, it’s not entirely clear. Some believe another day will rise. I do not. Darkness is approaching—a terrible, warped darkness that will fall over us. And we will not be able to stop it. The darkness will come, and with it… things. Creatures. That thrive within. That will tear us apart.”

Eri narrowed his eyes and leaned forward in disbelief.

“Really? That’s it? You’re afraid that once the Sun fades, darkness will come and devour you? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?” he challenged.

Let let out a hollow laugh and looked Eri straight in the eyes for the first time.

“Normally, yes. It would be a guess, a foolish idea. Here, now, it is different,” he said, and Demoa sensed he was choosing his words very carefully.

“Why is it something else?” she asked just as cautiously, glancing at Eri to see if he would shoot her one of his dark looks for speaking.

It doesn’t matter! Even if it’s a foolish question, we need answers, don’t we? Demoa thought.

The Pilgrim only furrowed his brow and stared at Let with even more intensity.

“She’s right. Why is it different?” he asked bluntly.

“The Sun appeared during one of my meditations,” Let began. “I was in my dwelling, turned inward, searching for new stories. I am something of an entertainer here. A jester. A comedian. I tell stories, and people laugh or begin to think in new ways. I love giving them something to imagine, so I am always searching for something new, something exciting. But today… I was deep in thought as always, sitting in my treetop dome, reflecting. And then… I was pulled away.”

Let stared thoughtfully at the wall.

His expression unsettled her. It was too distant, too detached, and she felt sure the man was getting dangerously lost in his own thoughts.

“Where to?” she asked quickly, trying to draw him back to what mattered.

He flinched and looked at Demoa in confusion, then continued hesitantly.

“There was something strange inside me, almost like a wall I had to break through, and rushing torrents pushing me forward. It was maddening; I could not resist. I had to give in to the current that swept me away. Around me, there was only the indescribable. Like a color you cannot name or imagine, yet it is still there. It did not last long. Then… I emerged in a new place. A forest—bare and brownish, half-decayed. The air stank, and the wind was cold. I stood on the ground of another realm. An astral journey…” Let whispered, looking at each of them in turn.

Eri’s face had gone pale.

“And then?” he urged.