The Star, The Demon, and The God - 15. The Ruins of Avelin

Luno

The days that have passed since the death of Mother have gone by rather quickly. Surely that should not be the case. When Monie and Viktor died, the days after felt long. Maybe something is wrong with me. I even blinded that poor man!

I should be feeling awful like I did in Varen. Well I do feel awful, but not at all like I did before.

This time it feels different. Like something closer to me was lost.

My family.

Tobias keeps an arm around me as we travel towards Avelin.

We were given a wagon by the village Tobias saw Raiyo’s messenger in. It was their way of giving thanks.

It is rather hard to believe that Raiyo would actually be behind all these deaths. Sure, he is bad, but I doubt he would do something as drastic as this. Not to mention, he is the one who has sent us on this quest. No doubt something else must be at work here.

Maybe I'm just hoping for the best. Simply praying that I am not working with the enemy.

The wagon has a strange sheet that covers the top. Tobias made them put it on so that they could hide me during the night. It has made traveling last longer. Now we do not have to wait for the sun to come back up.

Unfortunately, that means that I am stuck in a small space during the night.

Tobias has been very sweet during this time. He knows that I am sad. He talks to me; trying to make conversation. I sadly do not have it in me to talk much.

Everything feels wrong. I never even thought it was possible for Mother to die. I had always assumed that all gods couldn't die.

Tobias once said that Raiyo was cursed by Mother to never be able to die. I had been confused by that at first. I thought the gods already had that ability. It appears I was wrong. Why could she not have used that spell on herself?

No she should not have. Even I can tell that something is very wrong with Raiyo.

The worst thing about all this was the last time I saw her, she had revealed so much to me. We could have made our bond even stronger in time but instead she has been ripped from my life.

Why? Why did she die? Better yet, how? Do I want to know how? It feels so sudden. She had looked fine when I saw her. More than fine actually. I finally saw her true form and it was beautiful.

Her body was a painting of so many colors. She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Now she is gone...I can’t believe that is actually true.

I lean against Tobias’ shoulder and close my eyes, trying to remember the last and only face I saw of her.

“You need anything?” Tobias asks. I give a small smile at how rough his voice is.

Even when he is trying to be nice, he still sounds a bit angry.

Shaking my head, I sigh and lift my hand to run my thumb under Kulu’s head.

I feel Tobias nod and I can tell he is feeling a bit out of it. No doubt unsure on how to comfort me.

The fact he is trying at all says a lot to me. It is very sweet of him to try. I wonder when was the last time he had to do something like this. Surely when he was human he comforted others. Maybe those memories have washed away over the years.

Oh! I completely forgot about that!

When Tobias had told me his problem about forgetting his past, I remembered the magic that Mother taught me. I could bring them back.

Just when I am about to offer my help, I stop when I hear something out of the ordinary. It sounds like someone is humming outside yet...it has a faint echo in their voice.

Frowning, I sit up and move to peek out of the wagon. Thankfully it is mid-morning at the moment.

The voice came from our left, but all I see are trees. Not even any animals. No birds, rodents, or other furry friends.

Strange.

For a moment, I think it is nothing. Perhaps my mind playing tricks on me. It is when I hear the humming again as I stare off at the trees that we slowly drive by.

Again, I see nothing. Just green trees and grass. There are a few boulders, but nothing else.

“What is it?” Tobias says behind me. I jump at how close he is. I did not even notice he moved!

The humming continues, though it is still quite faint.

“Do you not hear it?” I whisper. “Someone is in the trees. They are singing.”

Looking at him, I see that Tobias has a confused look on his face.

“I do not hear anything,” He says. “Maybe you need some sleep. Something to eat? Are you hungry?”

My brow furrows in confusion.

I tell him no and turn to stare at the trees again, hoping to find the source.

How does he not hear anything? If anything, I think we have gotten closer to the voice. They sound a little louder.

Keeping my eyes out for anything moving in the trees, Tobias makes noises behind me that are a little distracting before I hear him grunt as he jumps down from the moving wagon. Who knows where he is going.

Today we are supposed to reach the ruins of Avelin. Not only are we going to finally get there, but we are supposed to immediately get to work with finding that necklace.

When Tobias asked Vlad what it looks like, he said that nobody knows.

Yeah...that made Tobias quite mad.

So we are supposed to run around in the rubble of some city that was destroyed years ago, for a necklace that we don’t even know what it looks like.

I suppose the Mother Goddess was in too much of a rush to give details.

The sound of something snapping brings my attention back to the trees.

Frowning, I squint my eyes to try and see better.

It looks like what I have been seeing the whole time before, but then I see it. It is the same thing that I saw before in the village!

A spirit hunter wearing a cloak! They are still is some weird golden mist. Only this time, the hood is down. My chest feels like it is being squeezed when I see their white hair.

Is it normal to have white hair? I would think not. Especially for the young people.

Is...is this another clone? I know for a fact this person is not me. I would never hunt animals or wear their fur as a vest!

This person walks through a tree so I know they are not at all alive. Are these...visions? Well I would think yes, but who is this? Another clone’s memories? Perhaps.

The spirit walks through their golden mist. Soon they come across a house! It is also surrounded by the golden mist.

Something else shuffles around in the vision. Something I cannot see. The one responsible for the noises soon comes into view. It is a werewolf! Wow! I have never seen one of those before! They are magnificent and slightly terrifying!

The brownish-reddish haired wolf peeks in through the window of the home.

Oh gods. Is it going to eat the poor clone?

Sadly, I do not get an answer.

Like winds blowing it away, the mist disappears, revealing that nothing was truly there. It almost feels as though it was from a different time.

“Luno?” A voice pulls my attention away.

Looking over, I find a bowl being held out to me. In it, there are blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. They are all mixed together neatly.

Tobias pushes it into my hands and then sits next to me.

“You better eat up, we are about to arrive,” He says, offering a small smile.

For some reason, seeing him smile makes me feel a little better. I eat the berries as to not disappoint him.

~~~

When they called it ruins, I expected maybe an empty land full of towering plants and trees. The wildlife would have been plentiful with it being abandoned by humans.

It is the opposite of that.

There is a visible line in the grass near the broken fence. Where it is normally green with life, it fades into a nasty brown the closer it gets to the city. It almost looks as though the ruins are sucking the life out of everything around it.

Thankfully that is not the case.

“The war with the Serendians destroyed the city,” Tobias says next to me as we stand in front of it. “Years later, some kind of magic kept the life from growing inside. Everything should be covered in vines and other plants.”

Looking around me to make sure nobody is watching, I raise my hand to a patch of dead grass. My hopes was that my magic would have been able to bring it back.

It does not work.

Frowning, I look up at the skies for Enfi. She is flying past the dead line, so I assume it is safe to cross.

Taking a step forward, I find my answer was correct.

Bending down and hovering my hands over the dead grass, I listen for any signs of life. Perhaps it is trapped. If magic is involved, there must be a way to bring back the life.

No answer at all. They are truly gone. Not even the dead humans are this silent.

This place scares me now.

“Human mages did this?” I ask. “This seems a bit powerful, even for them.”

Tobias shakes his head. “No. I have no idea who did this. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Vlad comes up behind us. He tries to wrap an arm around my shoulders but Tobias shoves him away.

He chuckles before nodding to a group of soldiers watching us.

“We are to split up into groups,” he says. “If you two are sticking together, I am required to place two soldiers with you.”

Tobias breathes hard through his nose before shaking his head. “We do not need humans with us. We can manage ourselves just fine.”

Vlad nods.

“I am very aware of that. Unfortunately, orders are orders. They will follow you both diligently.”

With that, he walks off.

In return, a man and woman join us. They nod to us but say nothing more.

Glancing at Tobias, I see he is glaring at both of them.

Sighing, I run my hand over his arm before walking towards the fence.

Some of the other groups have already walked inside, we might as well right?

~~~

This place is very weird. It almost feels as though we are lost in time. Nothing moves except for the stones we step on. Not even the wind.

How has none of this been broken down with time? You would think it would have by now all these hundreds of years later, but it all still stands.

Nothing has grown. It is all a bunch of greys and browns.

The weirdest part would probably be the homes made of wood. Some of them still stand when I know they very well should have collapsed long ago.

It is all strange and not at all close to being normal.

One look at Tobias’ face tells me that he feels the same way.

We walk through different homes, though we are very careful. While it all looks intact, one wrong step might lead to an early death.

“We should spread out a little more,” Tobias says. “If anyone finds or needs something, just give a shout.”

At first the soldiers look uneasy with Tobias’ suggestion, but when they see him walk off, they immediately do the same.

Now that I am alone, Enfi flies down to meet me.

I do not speak because I know one of the guards would hear me. It is so quiet here that I can still hear their footsteps. Something tells me they are not completely heavy with their feet. Noises around here can be heard twice as easily.

Shivering from how creepy this place is, I choose a direction and start walking along.

Every now and then, I enter a home and look through these old drawers, dressers, and cabinets. Most are empty or completely fallen apart.

This place is very empty. Not even small items like forks! Nothing at all is here.

Seriously, how are we supposed to find one necklace in this place? Based off the map, the city is massive. The biggest that I have ever seen. The odds of finding it feels impossible.

Voice can be heard in the distance. They sound as though they are far away. Their voices have a faint echo to them.

Since I have seen it twice, I already know what it is.

With a deep breath, I decide to follow the voices.

“A place to stay?” The woman's voice scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous. I will have no Serendian staining my property!”

The sound of a door slamming shut echoes in front of me.

I come upon a house where the slam should have come from. When I find that there is no door, I get very confused. Maybe I was wrong?

No. Maybe...these visions are from the past?

The sound of a door being knocked on nearby pulls my attention.

“Look, I heard what happened,” A man says. “I’m afraid I cannot allow you in.”

A small sigh from another person. It is the clone.

“Please, sir,” He says. His voice carries an accent that I have never heard of, yet...they sound familiar?

“I have nowhere else to go. All I ask is for one night! It is raining out here!”

The older man chuckles. “You desperate? If you are desperate enough...I may have something you could do. Only if you’re willing to share a bed that is.”

My nose wrinkles in disgust as the man reaches out to run his fingers along the clone’s cheek.

Their head turns for a moment to get away, but they slowly give in with a small sigh.

“Very well,” He says in a small voice.

The old man gives a sinister grin before stepping aside to let the clone in.

Golden mist then vanishes into thin air.

Frowning, I look at the pile of rubble that was once that man’s house. Where the poor clone had to...do things...for a bed to sleep on.

Not wanting to stay here any longer, I move on to other houses to look for the necklace.

This is so strange. Why am I seeing these things? They only show me things that the clone went through. Are they his memories? Something tells me that, that is the answer. If that is the case, why am I able to see them?

One thing is for sure, he was here in the city.

Walking along what I believe was an old market area, I hear another vision being played in an alleyway nearby.

“Come on now,” A man says. “Get on out of here! We do not need your kind in this city!”

“Yeah!” Another says with a scornful laugh. “Dirty desert dweller! I bet you’ve got all kinds of demons pulling on that neck of yours.”

Frowning, I finally can see what is going on.

The clone is backed up against the back wall of the alley. Two large men are standing in front of him and they look very angry.

From this angle, I can finally see the clone’s face.

Well, I can see that Morgoren really put some thought into this one. It looks just like Raiyo! They could practically be twins! The main difference would be the hair and eyes. They are white. The eyes are especially creepy however. Pretty sure mine don’t look like that.

The clone remains calm and collected; trying his hardest to not show any fear to these men.

“I only wish to get to work,” He says. “I have a friend waiting for me. If you would please let me pa-”

“Shut up, you Demon's slut!” The larger of the two men shouts. “We ought to teach you some manners now don’t we, Flax?”

Flax chuckles like some kind of crazy person before he pulls a knife out from behind him.

“Let’s mess up that pretty face!” He grins.

I am a bit scared to keep watching in all honesty.

“You don’t want to do this,” The clone says, sounding afraid."Please leave me alone!"

The two men laugh before stepping closer to him.

With a snap of his fingers magic flickers onto the clone's fingers.

A strange weapon of scythes chained together is summoned into his hands.

At the sight of it, the two men gasp.

“You see that?” Flax exclaims. “It really is a demon’s bitch!”

“Kill him!” The larger man says.

Both of them pounce onto the clone, but he moves out of the way.

With a swing on his chain, the clone sends a scythe out. It curves out far and is about to hit one of the men.

Closing my eyes and turning away, I still hear the sound of metal slicing into Flax’s head.

“You killed Flax!” The other man cries out. “Brother! Just wait till I tell the King!”

Chancing a peek, I see the clone standing there staring down at the two brothers. The large one is holding Flax in his arms. Flax’s head is bleeding a lot from the side. Just the sight of it makes me turn away again.

"I'm sorry," I hear the clone whisper. "I-I can't let you do that."

I can only think about how scared the clone sounds before I hear a small shout. Another sound of metal sinking into skin then follows. Another snap can be heard and then I hear deep breathes.

Looking again, I almost jump at how close the clone is to me. He is only inches from my face! His head rests against the wall next to me. He is breathing hard and trying to calm down.

With shaky breathes, he allows a few tears to fall.

“Lleros?” A woman’s voice calls. “Lleros where are you?”

The clone looks up in fear and quickly wipes his eyes to make himself presentable.

“Coming, Irene!” he calls and walks right through me.

The mist is gone again.

Lleros is his name then. Well that is nice to know I suppose. I feel awfully sorry for him though. Why are all these people being so mean to him? They call him a Serendian as if it is a bad thing! It isn’t right.

Walking along, I think about Lleros.

Is he like me? Is he a star, or is he some other life form that Morgoren has corrupted? Where is he? Is he still alive? I do hope he is. I would like to meet him. Perhaps we could help each other understand why were forced to be shaped like this.

I give a small gasp when I realize that Lleros probably doesn’t even know who or what Raiyo is. He looks so much like him, I bet it would be more of a shock for him than it was for me. It will be like looking in a mirror!

Soon I reach what looks to be the worst destruction in the city. There is a giant mountain of stone and rubble.

I remember Vlad saying it was the castle that Violette once lived in. Not only her, but Laneer as well.

There is a building close by to the giant pile that looks somewhat safe to go into. It also looks a bit scary. Something about it creeps me out.

A faint voice can be heard.

It sounds like a whisper. Like all the other visions, it sounds as if it is from a distance. It whispers a name.

“Laneer.”

That name! This clone knew the name as well? Is this the reason I feel as if I know this person?

Shivering at the pain that comes from the voice, I slowly make my way to the building.

Something feels very off about it. I am not sure if I should go alone. Should I not call the help of one of the others?

Looking around me, I see a few soldiers standing where the castle once was. They are digging around the rubble.

That should mean I am safe right? They are close.

With a deep breath, I walk past the entrance; or what I think is the entrance.

Not going to lie, this place is a lot bigger than I thought it was. There are stairs that lead up, and another set that leads down.

The ones that lead down look particularly creepy so I avoid that one for now.

I jump when I hear shouting.

“Father,” It shouts. “None of that is true! Let us out of here!”

A man in a crown runs past me, his face pale in fear.

Frowning, I follow the voice that was shouting.

“W-were going to die,” I hear Lleros whisper.

There are rusted cages everywhere here. It feels like halls of torment and sadness. It is making me sick!

I finally find Lleros and the other man. The sight that I see makes my eyes widen in shock.

Lleros is wearing messed up clothes that barely cover him at all. He looks like he is freezing. A man with dark red hair and freckles is holding him in his arms. He tries to warm him up with his hands, but it does not look like it is working very much.

“What are we going to do,” He says into Lleros’ hair.

They both look so helpless, I so badly want to help them. Opening the door does not do anything sadly.

“I-I don’t know,” Lleros trembles. “I’m sure we can think of something.”

The man holding him nods and softly kisses his head, then they are gone. The mist disappears.

Narrowing my eyes, I stare down at where they were.

What is happening? None of these images are making sense to me. They are so clustered and scrambled; how am I supposed to figure out what is going on?

Clearly these are Lleros' memories, but why do I have them in my head? I am about to leave but then I hear something.

Singing.

Standing slowly, I feel my skin crawl at the voice.

The voice is powerful. It feels as if it is vibrating in my mind, yet it is only from a spirit!

Following the source, I see that it leads downstairs.

The voice...the tune they are singing...I hear it but my mind can’t quite grasp the vocals. Why?

It is a beautiful voice, but it is also scary; mostly because it is coming from a dark underground area.

Another deep breath for courage, I slowly make my way down the steps.

Down here, the voice is so much louder. That only makes my heart beat even faster.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I squint my eyes through the darkness to try and see more. Unfortunately, it is too dark.

Praying that no one will come down here and find me, I open my palm and create a small ball of fire to light up the darkness.

I scream when a skeleton appears in front of me!

Covering my mouth with my other hand, I look behind me for anyone that could have heard me.

Nobody calls out or anything.

Letting out the breath that was stuck in my throat, I look down at the skeleton again. I realize now that there is more than one.

The voice had gone silent at my outburst, but it begins to sing again.

I make my way to the source.

The air here is damp and cold. I can hear drops of water hitting puddles. How there is water under here, I would not know. It definitely does not feel right though.

This place is so much bigger than I thought it was. There are so many cages. Most of the ones down here seem more important. Instead of rusty metal bars dividing them, there are stone walls. The doors are made of a thick dark wood. They have little square holes that lead inside.

Large stone pillars are scattered around under here. Holding the building up.

Honestly, the doors might be the creepiest part.

I know it is my mind playing tricks, but anything could be behind them!

Instead of focusing on a possible werewolf attacking me, I concentrate on the haunting voice in the dark.

Something is pulling me to follow it. I am not entirely sure how to explain. The pretty voice makes me want to...do whatever it says. It pulls at me like a spell.

Blinking, I put out the fire in my hand.

There is a light coming through one of the cell doors. A soft, white light beams through the square hole.

Careful to not make too much noise, I tiptoe my way over to the door.

The voice is coming from inside.

Is there someone in there? I thought it was supposed to be empty in the city! Nothing could possibly survive here on their own.

Reaching for the door handle, I pull the door open.

At first I see nothing. I am blinded by the white light that comes from inside this cell.

The voice practically sings their heart out during this time. I so desperately want to see them but the light is just too much!

Just when I think I can handle it, the voice stops. There isn’t anymore singing. The light dulls down and then I can finally see inside.

My jaw drops when I see what we came all this way for.

The necklace is a silver chain with a crescent moon pendant. It spins slowly in the air, as if someone is holding it up between their fingers.

I...I found the necklace!