Chapter 2
It had been a few days since Allen and Crane had talked about the van Tirith-Caln…
Since then Allen had visited Crane’s lessons about summoning every day. He had taken the lesson much more serious now and spent every free minute with sword-training to be prepared for traveling around. If he kept up with this, Crane was very positive that within the next ten years he would be good enough to take on the travel to the Spirit-temples!
“So where is the Light-temple located?” Crane eyed the young man curiously.
“Wait, I know it, I know it… in the… Yora-desert?” Allen thought about it for a few seconds and nodded reassured. “Yes, it was Yora, correct?”
“Very good, Allen!” Crane smiled and laid the book on the table. “This is enough for today. Why don’t you visit Gwen and Chris? The crops should be planted by now so it is time for the strawberry-harvest. So ask them to get you some of them. You deserve them!” Grinning, Crane opened the door again and let the young man out.
“I better fetch some prey first. It is a good time for hunting right now and that way I can exchange it for the fruits.” Allen talked more to himself than to the elder. With a nod he said good-bye and ran off towards the forest. It was evening already and the forest was rather silence today…
Allen walked slowly through the thick wood to find some unfortunate animal that he could hunt down today. The silence was unnatural… even for a bad day, how Allen used to call it when no animals ran around in the woods… There were no birds, no leafs danced in the wind, the rustle of dead branches and dried leafs underneath his boots was the only sound that reached his ears.
“What is wrong here today?!” Allen muttered to himself while concentrating on the surroundings. He moved his fingers through his wild hair and played on the hilt of his dagger with the other hand. He grew more and more nervous… this was just not the forest he used to hunt in! What was wrong here!? Allen took the chance and jumped up a tree on an open spot in the woods. The sight didn’t really make him any more comfortable… He was right: There were no birds, there was no wind and the sky was dim and grey…
Something in his mind screamed as if it wanted to warn him, but Allen only shook his head and threw away the thought… He was nervous from all the stories he had heard about the wars between the worlds and the unusual silence was only a stupid coincidence that made him a little nervous, that was all!! Come on, Allen! You don’t believe in ghost-stories!! Allen repeated this in his mind again and again.
“Maybe I’m too nervous to hunt today…” Allen sighed and leaned back against the stump of the tree. “So, no strawberries today.” He said while playing with his daggers to calm down a little.
His thoughts drifted off. He thought about the past and how he first entered Ardon…
It had been a rainy day… His parents were very nervous whenever they heard a sound in the woods. Allen had wondered about it a few times but his father ordered him to be silent again and again. His mother had always said that the village was only a few miles away… What were they running from? Who was hunting them? Why were his parents so afraid?
“Luna, oh, Midnightqueen, I summon you by our pact! Guide us the way!” The voice of his mother was trembling and he was sure she was crying… The ten year old Allen stared in awe as he saw the dark lady, Luna the Great Spirit of Darkness, forming in front of them out of dark sparkles.
From the bodyshape it had to be a woman, but Allen was never really sure about that… he didn’t know if Spirits had genders at all… The long silver hair hang in pointed locks down her back while the red horns where her ears were supposed to be gleamed in the dark. Her long dark dress floated around her legs, gently revealing the contours of her legs. At the same time the dress seemed to have little white crystals attached on the fabric that sparkled like the stars of the nightsky. Her grey eyes fixed the little boy before turning towards the person who summoned her.
“You called for me?” The voice of the spirit sounded so unreal, like echoed a hundred times at once… It was an amazing yet clear voice…
“Please… guide us to the hidden village!” Allen’s mother begged the Spirit and pressed her child against herself. She wanted to give him shelter but… it felt more like a cage to Allen…
“Come.” Luna replied flatly and floated into the deep forest. Allen’s mother and father hesitated for a second but then followed her.
A few hours later the forest finally grew lighter and the stars of the nightsky sparkled above them like tiny crystals… It was weird… it still rained but they couldn’t see any clouds…
“Mother? Why are the stars back?” Allen asked, shyly.
“This is my power to guide you, young Allen.” Luna turned around and moved her black fingers slowly through the boy’s hazel hair.
“…” Allen pressed his face against his mother’s legs. Luna seemed so creepy to him…
Small flickering lights behind the trees told them that they had finally reached the hidden village they were searching for so long…
“My pleasure.” Luna’s voice faded into darkness just like her body. She was gone again. The clouds returned to the sky, dropping their heavy water above the lands. A hand gently pressed the shivering Allen forward. His mother held him tight while walking on. The village was very small… only two dozens of houses were set around a little well in the centre of the village… One house stood on the top of a hill and his parents moved towards it. On a small wooden sign, Allen could read the words ‘Ardon, village of the lost and found’.
His father knocked on the door and an old man slowly opened it from the inside. Allen looked up into the creased face of an old human with grey hair and a brown jacket. He smiled gently and showed off his yellow teeth.
“My, my… so you have come finally… My name is Crane, and you are?” The old man knelt down and took Allen’s hand.
“My name is Allen van Tirith! I am 10 years old!” Allen replied formally and greeted the elder with a nod. His mother knelt down too and looked at the young boy, tears in her eyes.
“Hey, sweetheart… Your father and I have to go on a little journey… we will leave you here with Crane, he is an old friend… please be nice to him, okay?” She couldn’t hold back her feelings anymore and pressed her son tightly against her chest. “I’m so sorry, Allen… I’m so sorry…”
“What… are you sorry for, Mother?” Allen now started crying too. He was not sure why, but to see his mother like this gave him a feeling of good-bye… forever…
“Just make sure you don’t trouble Crane, okay? We have to go now… Good bye, Allen…” She moved her fingers through the young boy’s hair. She loved doing this… “You are such a cute boy… please stay as you are.” Without a further word she took the hand of her husband and they ran away into the dark night.
“Where… are they heading to?” Allen asked, still crying while watching his parents disappearing in the dark night.
“Come in, boy… the sky starts to clear up… Look!” The old man pointed towards the sky. It was clear again…
“This must be Luna…” Allen said with trembling voice. “She… she can show the nightsky to guide the way… even if it is clouded…” He sobbed into his shirt and leaned against the door-frame.
A light flashed over the sky. And another one.
“Look! There is a shooting-star, Allen.” The elder said, calmly. “An old legend of Midgard says, that whenever a God from Asgard visits our beloved world, we can see a shootingstar falling from the sky.” Another set of shootingstars gleamed over the dark blue of the night. It was a spectacular sight. “SO many of them… strange… But it looks beautiful, doesn’t it? If you want, you can watch the nightsky from the inside. I have a large window you can look outside from… Just let’s get out of the rain.” Crane patted the boys shoulder and led him inside. Allen ran towards a window and looked back outside. He prayed to see his parents again… but he did not pray to the Gods… his mother had taught him to better pray to the Great Spirits. She had told him that the Gods were too far away to hear them…
After a couple of minutes another set of shootingstar crossed the nightsky and rained down into the woods. Allen blinked for a second. The shootingstars fell into the woods?
“What the…” The boy pressed his nose against the cold glass and breathed heavily, forming little clouded spots on the window. Some more shootingstars rained down from the sky. But all of a sudden a giant one fell down into the forest. A flash of white light… and the sky turned clouded again.
Allen opened his eyes and yawned on the top of the tree he sat on. He had been asleep for a while… it was night already! Allen scratched his goatee and hopped down from the branch. He looked up into the deep blue sky.
“Luna… are you still guiding me or have you left this world too?” A cold chill ran down Allen’s neck. This nervous feeling returned again… his gut felt like filled with ice. “What is this… feeling…?” He gulped heavily and looked back up into the sky.
*Flash*
“No!!!” Allen shouted at the sight of a shootingstar. There was another on. And another! Allen shook his head and tried to figure the place they were headed. “Ardon!!” He started running towards the village as fast as his legs allowed him to run through the thick wood.
“No… no… this can’t be happening…” Exhausted he had to pause at the half way. Shootingstars lit the night above him. He felt like the little boy again he was ten years ago… the insecurity and yet the inner knowledge what was just happening… the very same thing that happened ten years ago.
His legs and lungs hurt badly as he kept running even though he was exhausted. A shimmering red light fell through the trees. Fire was burning behind them.
Allen stood behind a tree, too scared to turn and look at the village he belonged to. He was no hero at all… even too afraid to face his own destiny…
“We are searching for a person with the name van Tirith!” A male voice shouted through the night. Allen pressed himself stronger against the tree… “If you bring him to us, you may all live, otherwise your punishment of in-cooperation will be death! Van Tirith! Show yourself or we will kill every single person in this village!” The voice came from the middle of the plaza as far as Allen could tell… He slowly turned his head to see the situation in the village. Allen had to blink a few times… He couldn’t believe his eyes! He saw the villagers, kneeling on the ground around the well, guarded by… people with white wings. Most of them had halos floating above their heads.
“Angels…?! You must be kidding me… this can’t be!” Allen shook his head while whispering to himself. He turned his head towards the plaza again to see who the person was that was speaking…
A tall man with black hair and white wings stood in the middle of the row. A violet crystal was attached on his forehead and different from the other persons around him no halo hang above his head. Instead of ears he had something that looked like fins and his cold violet eyes seemed to absorb all warmth around him… The white armor gave him a royal look that added to his imposing appearance…
“Your last chance. Reveal yourself and your friends here will stay alive!” The God walked through the masses, looking at the different villagers, kneeling on the ground. Allen was pretty sure that the man was not certain if he was among them or not. If he ran away now… he wouldn’t search for him maybe? But then Crane, Chris and Gwen and all the others… Allen shook his head. Running was not an option! But he was too scared to move an inch…
“STAY AWAY, ALLEN!!” Chris suddenly stood up from the ground and shouted with a roaring voice into the night. “DON’T COME FOR US!!” An angel came behind him and hit him back on the ground with the flat side of his blade.
“YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE ARE!!” Now Crane stood up. His eyes were filled with tears but his face showed an expression of strength and confidence. Another angel pressed him back down on the ground.
“Seems as if you two guys want to be the first ones to be sacrificed…” The tall man flapped a little with his wings. “Van Tirith! If you don’t show yourself within the next 2 minutes, those two will be the first ones to die!”
Allen leaned against the tree… his breath was heavy. What should he do!? He felt so torn apart… was this the price for being a hero? Was this what Crane had kept telling him about so often? The weight of responsibility?
“So guess they are looking for you, aren’t they?” A cold voice appeared next to Allen’s ear. Shocked, scared and angry at the same time he turned around and searched for his daggers. They were gone! And he couldn’t locate the source of the voice either! “Be silent! You will guide them over here, you human fool!” The voice came from right in front of Allen, but he couldn’t see who was speaking! It was as if a shadow stood in front of him that dulled the world behind it into a colorless grey…
“Who…”
“No time. Come on already!” The shadow grabbed Allen’s hand. It was cold… like iced water flowing over his skin. Allen pulled away his hand.
“No I won’t! I must help them!!” Allen hissed, his eyes focusing the village-plaza.
“You can’t! Do you know who that guy over there is? That is an Asgardian Veteran!! He is known for his unforgiving attitude! He will kill those villagers no matter if you show yourself or not!! Do you want their lives to be sacrificed for you in vain!?” The shadow started to materialize in front of Allen. A young man appeared in front of him. He was average tall, wore black trousers, a green shirt and a black vest. The silver-grey hair gleamed orange in the firelight and the red piercing eyes fixed Allen like arrows ready to be shot. A blue mark on his forehead gleamed gently, illuminating the pale face into a soft light. Allen spotted the pointed ears behind the silver bangs…
“You are a demon…!!” Allen muttered shocked. “I won’t come with you!”
“Haha, so much of a racist? Didn’t expect that from you concerning the guys protecting you over there don’t look too human as well… but hey…” He pulled out Allen’s daggers from his pocket and offered them to the young man. “…I am not the one to kill your friends.”
“This is your last chance! Show yourself!” The voice from the plaza rang in Allen’s ears… He was so confused, scared, frustrated… What decision should he make!?
“They will kill not only the villagers but you too.” The demon leaned back against a tree and watched the happenings in the village centre.
The thought kept spinning around in Allen’s head as suddenly he heard a slash behind him… a scream…
“Chris!!” Allen gasped and turned around. He saw the ogre sinking on the ground lifeless…
“You did the right thing, Allen… go and follow your destiny!” Crane shouted into the darkness. Allen could have sworn the old man had just looked into his direction…
“I… will come with you…” Allen whispered under his breath, taking his daggers from the demon. He closed his eyes. He was such a coward! Allen shook his head and closed his fists around his daggers tighter and tighter.
“Very well. At least you made the right decision… they will die anyway. Come, come! This way!” The demon smiled satisfied and turned towards the dark forest.
How dared he…!? Allen shouted in his mind. This ignorant person acted as if the villagers were only junk to be thrown away… Did he really want to come with this man!? Allen looked up. The back of the demon was still turned towards him. Allen raised his daggers, ready to strike down… but who was he going to hold onto? He had nothing left to go to… With a trembling hand, Allen returned the daggers to its shelves. He followed the young demon… The cold feeling inside him seemed to melt away. Could he trust this man? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know… but he wanted revenge! And if freeing the Spirits was this man’s goal, he was going to stay on his side.
Screams filled the air and rang to their ears from behind them. Cries, desperation,… The sound grew quieter with every step they took away from the burning village until it was a mere whisper through the darkness.
“This is the price of being courageous and following the right path.” The demon turned around all of a sudden, facing Allen.
“What do you mean?” Allen shook his head, unbelieving. “I’m running away… this is not courageous! They are dying because of me! And I’m the only one that survives this assault!! I’m a coward! Nothing more!”
“That is not true. You could have chosen to run into the mess to get rid of the weight of the lives of those villagers, but you are aware of the fact that these Asgardians would have killed your people anyway… now you have to carry the weight of your friends’ lives on your shoulders. You have to live on for their sake!” The young demon looked right into Allen’s face. “I respect that. Sorry, I don’t know how to talk with humans… I’m not used to them… I shouldn’t say such things. For you Midgard-folks this must sound strange…” He shook his head and sighed.
“No… it made a lot of sense… even though I can’t really accept these things like this right now…” Allen muttered. He felt lighter now though. “My name is Allen. Allen van Tirith.”
“Yes I know. I’m here to help you preventing a new war between Asgard and Utgard.” The demon smiled, showing off his pointed teeth.
“And you are?” Allen gave the demon a strange look…
“Oh yes, of course… my apologizes” He bowed slightly like a nobleman would do in front of someone he introduced himself to… “They call me Zeyir. Zeyir Grozen.”
