Shadowbane

"Is it over?" Hera asked as we near the broken wall.

I walk up to her while pointing towards the back with my thumb. Eventually, her friend comes into view as she's dragged along behind the Templars in chains.

"N-Nisha..." Hera said, almost a whisper.

Nisha looked at Hera wide-eyed, then quickly turned the other way.

The unit marched on down the street, stopping outside the tent in the distance.

I thought they'd go into the main area of town, but I guess they're going to see Godwin first?

Glancing left at Hera, I begin to feel awkward since it looks like she's about to cry.

Ugh... Why did I stop here? I'm not good at these kinds of situations.

"... So what happened?" Hera asked.

Oh thank god.

"Let's go to the tent, odds are they're going to ask me the same thing. I was watching Keith's group for about twenty minutes before the spider showed up. Not that I have much to report since they were just standing around waiting like I was. But I also fought them first, so I assume they'll want to hear about that."

I begin walking towards the tent. Hera meekly nods as she follows after me. We arrive as Keith's group is forced to kneel near the crater.

"My disappointment at seeing your head attached to your shoulders is immense. Unless..." Godwin looks at the Templar in the front, continuing, "You saved him for me?! It warms an old man's heart that you would be so generous, Markus."

The Templar pulls back his hood, removing his helmet shortly after, revealing a gruff older man with long mutton chops grinning at Godwin.

"Not happening you fool and you know it. Arkaios has declared that they will be branded." Markus said.

"Bran...ded...?"

I've never heard that word before now, but the horror in Nisha's voice just now coupled with the look on the rest of the group's face has honestly shaken me a little. This 'brand' must be truly horrific for them to look like torture would be a nice alternative.

"... I see," Godwin said, glancing at Keith for a moment with what looked like pity, before returning to his usual stoic face.

Jasper sidles up next to me, whispering, "They are bound to eternal servitude until Arkaios decides they've redeemed themselves. If they die, they are then basked in energy waves of light if it was deemed an unnecessary death, burning their soul until a new body is prepared for them. If they decline to work or get lazy in any way, they are once again brought back to be purged for days, weeks, or months on end. At the end of the purge, they are sent back to this world to work. There is no means of escape. They are now slaves until Arkaios lets them go, which could be never."

... Now I understand why Godwin's attitude reversed completely. Cutting their heads off would be unbelievably kind in comparison.

"N-No!!! NOOOO!!!!"

Nisha begins thrashing around, screaming incoherently for several minutes before finally petering out, hanging her head down as tears drip off her face. Everyone silently watched, while the rest of her group had the faces of men who had given up all hope.

"Please... Uncle Markus, please..."

Opposed to his grinning face earlier, Templar Markus looked especially pained as he watched the girl appear to break before his eyes. To my right I can see Hera crying, unable to hold back anymore after seeing her friend's appearance.

"... You brought this on yourselves. Being my niece will assist you naught, I am merely the servant. May the god of dawn Arkaios declare you free after one hundred years of servitude..." Markus said.

"Five hundred and seventy-two," Jasper said, making everyone look at him. "The amount of Kitsune that were sacrificed. A hundred years would be quite kind of Arkaios."

"... We don't know what happened to them, they could be alive." The fire ability user said.

"Most are, but soon they'll all be changed, and none of them will ever be free."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ELF! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!" Nisha screams.

"I know because I spent most of my life in the realm you sent the Kitsune to. I know exactly what is happening to them right now."

Naturally, that caused quite a stir. After all, nobody has ever been in the other realms before and returned. Well, as far as I know anyway... Maybe things are different now. The only other person I know of is Viktor. He also transferred over and returned safely.

"You've lived in Eremnon's realm...? How is this possible?" Markus asked.

"It's not the Demon's realm. I don't know why, but anyone who travels to other realms has to go through another realm first, including the Demons and Eldritch. I don't know the name of the faceless creatures there, but I'm sure you've seen them before. The Demons bring them here for reasons I never discerned."

"The term 'faceless creatures' describes lots of monsters. How are we to narrow that down? We'll need more information." Jasper said.

Two Templars walk through the makeshift barrier with a large group of men carrying tools. One Templar guides the men towards the wall, while the other tells Markus 'It's ready'.

"Put this on hold for now, they have a large hall ready for us. We'll eat and discuss this further in there." Markus said.

The prisoners were yanked back to their feet as the rest of us made our way towards the main part of town. I looked around for a certain someone.

"Where is Aresa?"

"She's with the Kitsune right now. They are her oldest allies, so she's staying near them during what turned out to be yet another horrible event involving them." Jasper replied.

Upon walking through the barrier, I noticed that the residential area behind us wasn't the only one blocked off from the rest of the town.

"What a strange design, but I kind of like it?"

"It is unique, that is for certain. While there are always residential areas, I have yet to see one built in such a way that half the town is sequestered into six different residential zones filled with similar homes built in a way that they connect to one another. Apparently, it was districts restricted to family trees. Six large influential families lived here in the past. While those homes seem simple, they apparently cannot be burned, so that's why it was okay to build them together like that." Jasper said.

"Interesting, thanks for the explanation. I was just saying that out loud... I didn't expect anyone to actually know why the village is designed this way."

"I only know because of the Kitsune we brought here, they are their descendants. You can see some of them here and there right now, but they're uh..." Jasper said, trailing off.

Looking around, I see that there are quite a lot of Kitsune loitering around, and they're making faces similar to Keith's group earlier. Most of them are filling up caravans full of their belongings. A few of them begin scowling as they catch sight of Keith's unit being dragged through the town in chains.

"They already heard about their brethren being sacrificed?"

"Yes. See the ones packing as well? The relocation project is scrapped. They lost everything because of Keith." Jasper continued. "Well, the sky played a part as well. At this point we don't know what to expect down here in the south, so it's too risky to try and build up this area."

The Templars enter the tallest building in town. The very same building I saw before that was on fire... Except it's completely intact?

After following the Templars inside, an extravagant hall fills my view. The design is something I've only seen on TV back when I was a child. What was it called again? ... Oriental, I think.

There is one other part sticking out to me as well.

"Jasper, parts of the wall are on fire."

"Indeed."

.................

"That's all you have to say??"

Jasper raises an eyebrow at me, "... You were being serious? Have you never been inside a Kitsune temple, or at least heard about them before?"

"No... I think? I've never been inside one, but I can't rule out the possibility of someone telling me and I forgot."

"Well, the whole building can ignite. The Kitsune god is long gone but there is speculation they have an old god watching over them. Speculation I deny, mind you. There is no proof whatsoever. It's all based on the temples still burning to give off warmth or supplying ether to nearby allies. While I may not know how it's done, that doesn't mean an old god is responsible. And if there is one looking out for them, why is this the only help it's providing? It is a fool's wish to tie this building to such a being."

Jasper looked thoughtful for a second, then said. "Ahh, but... I suppose I cannot blame the Kitsune for wishing for such an outcome. There are barely any of them left now with the Tengu relentlessly hunting them down."

We sit down in the middle of a long table. Off to the side, I see the prisoners being placed near the wall. They are sitting down with a large cloth draped over their heads.

"The Tengu is that Raven thing I saw trying to kidnap Aresa, right?"

"Wow, you really are from a different time period if you don't know about that abomination. Strange though... I swear the Kitsune god was killed by the Tengu forty or fifty years ago. That's when the records first mention it. For some reason it's always been obsessed with completely eradicating the Kitsune." Jasper said.

"I kind of remember the Kitsune god dying? Eh, try not to expect me to understand history from my time in Xelba. Everyone else was merely... objects, that happened to exist on the same moon as Xelba. That's how the people there viewed the rest of you."

"Did you as well?" Godwin asked.

Looking around, I see everyone is now seated, looking in this direction. Devon had also joined at some point.

"... Yes, but not to fuel the creature living there. I was working with my friends to move to Gaia. That dream obviously ended in failure."

"While I am curious of the reason for Xelba's madness and this Viktor you speak of. Right now however, I want to hear about this 'other realm'." Markus cut in.

"It actually involves Xelba, which may or may not surprise you. Do any of you happen to remember the Elf merchant group named Navi Incorporated? It used to travel to Viseux twice a year."

Devon's hand shot up. "I do! Not once have I ever forgotten Lady Sera's beauty..."

"That embarrassing behavior of yours has reminded me of the merchants as well. Devon was in love with the group leader's daughter and stupidly believed he'd marry her one day. The other hilarious part I remember is that her father was not your greatest fan. Some bum priest from this dull moon marrying his daughter? IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN LOSER!!" Godwin said, laughing loudly.

"... Sera's mother, Nel, had agreed to take me back with them, but I couldn't join them on that return trip of theirs. I needed time to say my goodbyes and get permission from Lord Rai'ga to leave. I was to leave with them on their next trip six months later, but they never returned. It was supposed to be the last time they came here because of how unstable Urza was becoming at the time, and the fact that the portal to the Elf world was so close to... Xelba..."

Devon looked over at me, realization dawning on his face. "... I remember now. Sera said her family wasn't going to be doing any more trips to other moons or planets after the next one. As a result, all of the houseguards were coming with them, and they were bringing her little sister with them this time so she could experience the world. I forgot all about that until just now, but I remember her name... It was Reimia, right?"

Slowly, I could see the dots connecting in everyone's minds, until Markus eventually spoke up first.

"You were sacrificed...?"

"... Yes, we all were. My family was well guarded with men fitted in high-tech armor and weapons, but an edge over the average person is only an edge at the end of the day, especially since Viktor had Demons assisting him. I was only six at the time so it's kind of a blur, but I don't remember the battle lasting very long. The next thing I knew, Viktor was kindly explaining to me how to tell my soul to accept the transfer while everyone around me was being chained up and tortured."

Devon looked at me like the world was ending.

"Sorry Devon, just know that my family, including Sera, had all died peacefully. They were under the influence of one of those faceless creature's gods. They were... Changed. Something about them wanted to obey the creature. I managed to kill it, which was a miracle when I think back on it, but it happened, and in doing so everyone connected to the god had their lifeline cut. Apparently, once the god they are connected to dies, the souls of its followers decouple from their bodies, and... Well, I'm not sure where they go. Hopefully reincarnated but I have no idea." I explained matter-of-factly.

It's not easy explaining this... It's taking everything I have to not get emotional. That day was the worst day of my life. I thought I had saved them, but instead I could see their souls becoming increasingly unstable, making it clear that I had killed them instead... It is good that I removed them from that hell, but I've always wondered if there was another way to save them.

Markus rubbed his chin, "Now I understand what you meant by the Kitsune not dying. 'Most of them', was the phrasing you used? What happens to the others then, do they all die?"

"Yes. When I woke up in the other realm, we were all in a pit, and there were faceless creatures embedded in the wall everywhere. They were like worms with hardened black shells, coming out of the walls to eat someone, and then immediately returning to their holes. I don't know how long it went on. I was... I was just a little girl, and I couldn't find my family, so when I saw a small hole in the wall just barely big enough to fit into, I ran over to it and crawled inside trying to run away. After that, tiny plant-like creatures bit at me as I crawled through, until I eventually fell through another hole and landed in an underground cave. There was no one around, including monsters, and it was dimly lit by the vegetation there so I could see what was around me. There were weird plants that I could eat and a stream to drink from, so I was able to live comfortably there for many years. Eventually though, I stealthed into a Satyr transfer without them knowing, where I found myself in a city known as 'Xelba'. There is way more to the story, but this is the short version."

Markus leaned back, thinking about what I said for roughly a minute before responding, "Are these faceless beings responsible for why you changed as well?"

"I don't know, I slowly transformed while hiding in that cave. After I had completely changed, I needed more than plants to survive, so I had no choice but to venture outside. Not once did I see a hybrid who looked like me, not even vaguely. Also, none of the people within the domain of those creatures had their bodies altered. Yet here I am now, pale with white hair and red eyes. Their minds were influenced, while my body was altered. I was obviously influenced by something else there, but I have no way of knowing what it was. The cave was completely empty after all." My soul was changed too, which I'm sure they know by now.

Everyone went silent, digesting this new information, but just then an idea occurred to me.

"Oh! How about I show you with my soul realm?"

"I was going to ask if you would do that Rei, but I wasn't quite sure when to interject." Jasper said.

"I would love to see this other realm if you are truly okay with it? This generally isn't something that people offer so freely after all." Markus said.

Yeah, I can understand why. Having others come into your most personal space doesn't feel the greatest. But it won't be a problem for me, my master trained me to get used to it.

"It's fine, I'm ready anytime you are."

Godwin nodded, holding his hands out to those beside him. Eventually the whole table's hands were linked. Once I saw that, I removed the veil surrounding my soul, so the others could probe it. Once I felt the connections, I dove deep inside, bringing the others with me. The same desolate landscape appears before me, as the others join my realm one by one.

A few minutes went by with nobody saying a word. Everyone but Jasper was fascinated with the world itself. They were studying the parts of the landscape that took on the shapes of different types of horrors.

"Rei, what is this?" Jasper asks, pointing to the TV I use to view my real body.

"That's a television. Don't ask me how it works, because I have no idea. Six-year-old me wasn't an engineer. When my master was teaching us how to keep watch over our real bodies inside our soul realms, he said it's one of the most difficult but important parts pertaining to your realm. It's all for nothing if you lose your real body after all. Anyways, the others took over a year to do it, but I made that TV the same day we began training."

Jasper's eyes went wide hearing that. "You created a way to keep watch over your body in one day?! That... Should be impossible. This device though... It must be the cause. What does it do?"

I made the TV show cartoons from my world.

"It's for watching entertainment on the Elven planet. It was one of many different types of electronics reverse-engineered from the original humans, or so my uncle told me."

"This is beyond fascinating... but I think I get it. You already had something designed to view things from afar, so the mental idea of creating something to view your body was established from the start. I need to try creating one of these tonight when it's time to turn in." Jasper watched for a little longer, then asked, "Why is this cat so incompetent? Killing a rodent like a rat should be easy for him."

I burst out laughing immediately. It was just so ridiculous being asked that in this environment.

"Y-You... Oh my god, you're asking something that I had asked when I was five or six. Lots of kids ask that but eventually they understand it's just the way cartoons are. They're pure entertainment, Jasper, nothing more. If the Cat caught the Mouse and ate it in the first ten seconds of the show, then there would be no point to the show."

Jasper, to my surprise, turned red and looked away, pretending to study the surroundings instead.

"I believe I understand what you meant by 'faceless creatures' now, Reimia. That is indeed the only way to really describe these creatures. The corruption they emanate is so deep and vile that the world itself is twisting into their image... How the hell did you live in this nightmarish area for years?" Markus said.

"You get used to it... Well, for the most part. It still takes your breath away when you run into new types of the faceless ones. They're much closer to Eldritch in design than they are Demons. You never know what to expect from these creatures. Each god is different, and eventually they 'evolve' into something far more powerful than their original form after sapping the souls of those serving it. They take just enough so the soul heals itself, keeping the victims alive forever. These are all things Viktor told me though, so take it how you will. Personally, I believe he was telling the truth."

"I know not this Viktor, as I said earlier, so it is hard to discern the truth from those words. But for now, I shall take your word on it." Markus replied.

"Hang on, I'm seeing something very familiar in the distance. Rei, is that what I think it is?" Jasper said, pointing to the pitch-black clouds miles away from here.

"I was wondering the same thing, but I'm not entirely positive. We need to see the end of the black clouds on Urza to know for sure." I said, warping everyone here to the edge of my world near the black clouds. "This is as far as I can go. I never went any farther than this in the other realm... I was too afraid to find out what's inside here."

"Shit, I don't blame you. Even knowing this is all just a projection inside your soul realm, I still don't want to go any deeper." Godwin said.

"... I'm sorry Rei," Devon said, breaking his silence.

"Devon?"

"All those years, Sera's sister was in Xelba and I could have helped her..."

What the? Was Devon this kind of person? I saw him as an old grumpy priest you could find anywhere but... That was off the mark apparently.

"That's surprisingly sweet Devon, so thank you. I'm sorry you never got to say goodbye to my sister..."

Markus clapped his gloves. "Alright, I've seen enough of this wretched place. With that said, thank you for showing your soul realm to us Reimia. If these clouds are in fact the same, at least now we know where they came from. It could be related to these 'faceless ones'. It is imperative that we quickly return to Viseux to discuss this with the confederation."

"I'm assuming you're all ready to leave then?"

"Wait!! I want to fire some guns. Ooh, I so miss the feeling of firing those weapons of death." Godwin said.

"Father..." Jasper sighed.

"Another time Godwin, I'm starving right now. I've been devoid of food ever since I woke up in that hole."

"Ahh shit, I didn't know that. Alright then, next time we shall use these faceless ones as target practice." Godwin said.

That's actually not a bad idea, it would be a good stress reliever. I can't believe I never thought of it before...

"I'm late to realize this, but why are you in a dress? Where's the outfit I gave you before?" Jasper said.

Oh right, I still need to tell them about the artifact armor. Jasper is probably going to throw a new price at me that I'll be paying off for many years to come.