Chapter 30: Thalorian

Thalorian stumbled back slightly as the figure called him brother. His hand rest on his sheathed sword.

“Nice to see you once more, brother,” said the figure. “We realize we have never been introduced, I am Shad’kin, spawn of Dra’lum and brother to Thalorian.”

Brother? “What are your intentions, Shad’kin?” asked Thalorian.

“To kill. To kill her.” said Shad’kin, pointing to Limiria.

Shad’kin jumped up and crashed down, attempting to cut Limiria with its long angular nails. Limiria stepped back blocked with her sword.

“Stop resisting, scum,” snarled Shad’kin.

“Shad’kin! Why are you against Limiria, and not us?” asked Thalorian.

“Why? Why? Why? Because she’s the low down piece of shit that stole my brother!” growled Shad’kin. “We used to be Thalorian’s best friend! Then she came and stole him!”

What? But hasn’t Haverian always liked Limiria, why would his ‘spawn’ want to kill her?

Haverian’s face turned to fear. His lip trembled and his hands shook. Droplets of sweat poured down from his brow, a soft rain during the torrent of water that had just fallen upon them.

“Guys… we should leave… uh I uh think this guy is too strong, we should run,” insisted Haverian.

“No! Stay, enjoy the festivities!” the sky darkened a bit as the world around them twisted and shook.

When Thalorian opened his eyes once more he was back in Hirenlia. The moon was bright in the sky and festival attire was set up around the village. Children ran through the streets, running to the next game and shouting about how they hadn’t all their Leren yet.

It brought a smile to Thalorian’s face.

“Where are we?” asked Limiria, as she had only seen Hirenlia’s destroyed self.

“Hirenlia, back when I was a kid. During the Festival of Shikorinn. We celebrated our departed ancestors, but it was mostly just a way to forget about the things that plagued our land,” said Thalorian. He remembered those times fondly. Running through the streets with Haverian, needing his parents to win prizes. It was simpler then.

Thalorian ran his hand across a building, but it fell through. What?

Children ran through the streets once more but they passed through Thalorian and the others. Thalorin had realized, None of this is real.

Thalorian shifted his gaze to Shad’kin. It was relaxing atop a building. Looking down he realized that Limiria was still there. At this he jumped down and slashed again, Limiria blocked again.

Thalorian slid toward Shad’kin and put his blade to its throat. “Don’t try that again,” he growled.

Shad’kin looked shocked, “Brother, why would you attack me in place of this piece of trash?” it asked.

Thalorian was about to punch Shad’kin in the face, when Limiria stopped him.

“Allow me.”

She punched it straight across the face so hard that a splattering of blood shot from his mouth. Except the blood was dark and thick, it had green streaks and was mostly black, like dark ichor.

“Disgusting garbage! You will die,” screeched Shad’kin the ground below him shifting to become a long earthy staff.

It swept the floor with the staff causing the two of them to jump in response. Thalorian slashed at Shad’kin, their skin split open and ichor pooled at the cut.

“Brother, why do you defend this trash?” asked Shad'kin, forming the houses around them into long pointed needles aimed for Limiria’s head.

There was no response from Thalorian as he dashed forward, with Haverian aiding him, and slashed Shad’kin down the face.

By this point Thalorian was on the brink of collapsing. Using the Arcane State had almost completely drained him of energy and now battling Shad’kin was causing him to feel as if his arms were falling off. The pain started to catch up with him and he started sluggishly attacking. Shad’kin was easily stepping out of the way from his attacks. I… can’t… to… tired…

Thalorian collapsed under his own weight.

Haverian ran to his side but he was already out cold.

“Haverian, make sure he doesn’t die,” commanded Limiria, holding her sword with two hands.

“Got it!” replied Haverian, standing up.

“I’ll take out the trash.”

Limiria, sprinted toward Shad’kin and cut at his legs. It blocked by forming a wall in front of it out of the people that they had seen running around. Limiria ducked under Shad’kin’s staff and spun around, kicking Shad’kin in the face.

“I’ll burn you at the stake, witch!” screamed Shad’kin, his ichor seeping from his mouth.

Shad’kin flicked their wrist and the land around them shifted. The streets of Hirenlia transformed into the long winding hallways of Great Above. Haverian knew this place in the Great Above as Sorenen Citadel of Gods. He had lived there for fifteen thousand years.

Limiria slashed at Shad’kin again. The walls folded in and blocked. The sword bounced off the golden-brick.

“Now no trash can come near me!” giggled Shad’kin.

Limiria was about to start attacking the wall when Haverian blocked her path.

“Protect Thalorian, I want to try something.”

“But-but,” Limiria was at a loss for words, but she knew she could trust Haverian, “sure.”

Haverian walked forward as he came into contact with the wall he passed through it. It felt like walking through thick water. It was murky and he felt like he wanted to vomit but he made it through.

“Hello, how’s my other half?” asked Shad’kin.

Haverian didn’t even blink, he punched Shad’kin in the face. “Jerk.”

Shad’kin’s face splintered across. “What in the…” Shad’kin looked at Haverian, “Now why would you do that?”

“Trash.” Haverian punched him again.

“Wha-” Haverian punched him again.

“Garabage.” Haverian punched again, faster. “Piece of shit.” Haverian punched again, faster than all the other punches.

“Why are you attacking me Dra-” Haverian smashed Shad’kin into a wall.

“My name is Haverian, Haverian Reks,” said Haverian, standing over Shad’kin.

Shad’kin stumbled up, Haverian tried to kick him back down but it passed through him. He rolled through the wall he made and tried to punch Limiria, but his fists just passed right through. “What is happening to me?” Shad’kin yelled to the sky, lying on the floor as he flickered in and out of tangibility.

Limiria looked at him on the floor and stomped on his face. The boot hit his face for a second before passing through.

The world around them started to shatter. The walls were breaking down and shifting into Hirenlia, then to Gorn, then to Hirenlia again, then back to Sirenen, then to Rockshire and finally back atop the building they were standing on when Shad’kin had come.

“It’s over…I’m,” with that Shad’kin had flickered out of visibility.

Thalorian's eyes shuddered open. He sat up and propped himself against the chimney of the building. His head tilted toward Haverian and he asked the million dollar question, “Who was that?”

Haverian sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you but… when a poet goes under extreme emotional discomfort the embodiment of those feelings gains a form. They’re known as corrupted poets.” Haverian walked toward Limiria, “I’m sorry, Limiria, but when I first became a poet my mind was in a fragile state, and I needed someone to pin my pain on, and I thought about you. I believed that you had ‘stolen’ my best friend and dragged me into death, I was wrong.”

Limiria’s mood had shifted. It seemed as if she was about to punch Haverian to the moon, but she didn’t. “It’s fine. I know the feeling,” she had said. “Lets just stop Jiyoda, okay?”