Desecrated Land

Lord Kaiser and Atsuo did not waste time.

“Sleeper, you have to act or we’ll be imprisoned forever…” Lord Kaiser said urgently.

It hasn’t even been half a day since the news of their absence filled the halls of Drezore, and yet the information spread all the way to Uverd.

This was the one place they wanted to avoid getting a hold of their escape.

From here on, in another half a day, all of Rozair will know about their existence.

Their posters will be at every border, every street, at every nook and cranny in the darkest alleyways of Rozair.

They were going to be infamous for something they did not do. So as to avoid this fate, Atsuo racked his brain for the best possible sentence to relieve them of having to go through all this hassle.

“What if it’s all just a misunderstanding and the misunderstanding ceases soon…” Atsuo said, glancing at Lord Kaiser.

He gave a nod of approval and they went down an emptier street to avoid any unwanted glances in their direction.

They came out into an open area, at the back of Uverd. In the distance, they saw a large tree on a small hill amongst the barren lands. It was a weird sight, and apparently the meeting spot Deimos was talking about in the note.

Lord Kaiser and Atsuo exchanged glances and went to check it out.

From up close, the tree was way bigger than they thought.

Casting a giant shade around them and the hill, the tree created a great rest spot with a beautiful view, overseeing the city in its entirety. Though the two of them liked the spot, it seemed a little conspicuous for a place to have a private conversation.

The time passed fast. Night was approaching as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

A little later, they both made for the spot again and waited on Deimos.

After a couple minutes under the starry sky, Lord Kaiser elbowed Atsuo to get his attention.

“Suspicious figure approaching…” he said, motioning in the direction of the barren lands.

‘Huh?’ Atsuo thought in disbelief.

He could not comprehend someone walking through miles of desolate land and coming all the way out here, towards them.

“Let us climb the tree… I don’t really want a confrontation…” Atsuo said, looking at Lord Kaiser.

They agreed and started to climb.

There were so many branches up there that they thought sleeping on this tree would make a very reasonable alternative.

They watched from atop how the figure climbed the hill and sat back against the tree.

Lord Kaiser and Atsuo exchanged confused glances.

Suddenly the figure swiftly drew a dagger, throwing it directly towards them, right past Atsuo’s head.

It looked upwards, expecting something to fall, but nothing except for a few leaves made its way down.

Atsuo’s eyes widened as he gulped and glanced back at Lord Kaiser.

Lord Kaiser motioned him to move back slightly and Atsuo listened.

He adjusted his position, and they waited for the figure to disappear.

Except it never did. Atsuo and Lord Kaiser saw someone else start moving from the city.

The figure got up and started moving towards him.

From the tree, all they could see was a handshake and the figure going back towards the barren lands it appeared from.

The other, went up the hill and sat down in the same spot. The individual lowered their hood, revealing a man in their early thirties.

It was Deimos.

The two quickly glanced at each other and jumped down from the tree.

“Woah!” he uttered, flinching from surprise, “where did the both of you come from?”

“We were waiting up the tree” Lord Kaiser said pointing upwards.

Deimos laughed, getting out his pipe and lighting it for a smoke.

“You two have changed…” he muttered, putting the pipe in his mouth, “and it’s only been like what, five days…?”

“Something like that…” Atsuo said, “who was the guy from before?”

Deimos looked at them surprised.

“Just how long were you up there?” he laughed, before the smile disappeared from his face, “that’s my brother… he feeds me information on PMPS and Rozair’s military, so that I avoid falling into their hands.”

“I am stumped at the moment, so I thought I’d ask you for help… I have no one else to turn to…” he said sorrowfully.

“Like I mentioned in the letter, the search for Veto was fruitless. No tracks, no clues, nothing… I had to prioritize following and exterminating the cultists so that I don’t waste time. But none of them seemed to know anything about it.”

“But how?” Atsuo asked perplexed, “isn’t the whole association looking for him?”

Deimos sighed, brushing off the dust in front of them with his leg.

“I don’t think you realize… just what the Boundless Forest really is…” he said glancing up at Atsuo.

He put the pipe in his mouth and got a nearby twig, beginning to draw.

“This is what you see on any map of Rozair…” he said drawing the whole continent and Weingrove.

He drew the Boundless Forest, extending beyond Weingrove, into three bordering countries.

“Needless to say, this is bullshit…” he said pointing at the forest region, “it is called ‘boundless’ for a reason. There is no map that can accurately depict it in its entirety…”

“What I’m saying is…” he said, taking a puff, “no one has been through the entire thing.”

“The space, is warped. You lose your sense of direction when you’re walking towards the center…” he continued, drawing an arrow on the ground, “…you can try as hard as you want to follow a single direction, or randomize your route, but it’s all useless…”

He scribbled a spiral around the forest region.

“…If you ask me, the forest moves with you…” he said looking at Atsuo and Lord Kaiser seriously, “…no sane person can navigate in there…”

He got up, sweeping the drawing with the sole of his shoe.

“While I didn’t find any clues about Veto or his location, I did find an old legend about a prehistoric place somewhere inside the forest...” he said looking down at what was left of his drawing.

“You think it’s related?” Lord Kaiser asked seriously.

Deimos nodded firmly as he looked them in the eyes.

“It predates the folklore of the Dreigs and depicts a desecrated land that once used to be a purgatory…”

“Sterth”