The Devil’s House

The roof collapsed in and vines over grew on the walls. It was more than likely abandoned. He walked inside and looked around. All the furniture had rotted away. There was only a table with two chairs. One chair was broken in half and the other had a leg missing. They must have fallen off when the roof collapsed. He opened the door to the kitchen. It was filled with dirt and spider webs. He looked under the sink and found a couple bottles of water left behind. He struggled opening the door that led into the bedroom.

"Oh my..." Lavernius said

"Poor guy." Owen said

"Looks like he killed himself. His body doesn't look like the others in the street and town." Lavernius said

"Yeah, maybe he killed himself before the beast killed the town." Owen said

"Why isn't his body deteriorating?" Lavernius asked

"I don't know. Look, there is a book, or journal, under his arm."Owen pointed out

Lavernius gently lifted the corpse's arm and grabbed the book.

"In The Golden Field?" Lavernius said out loud, "written by Tyler Watson."

"Are you going to read it?" Owen asked

"No, I don't have time nor do I care." Lavernius said, putting the book back.

Lavernius turned around and saw the window open. He walked towards it and closed the window. He turned around and looked at the bed. A tattered quilt lay on top of a torn mattress. The bed frame was all but destroyed and leaning against the wall. The sheets were stained. He left the house and continued on his way, towards the mountain.

"Three days left." Owen said

"Yeah." Lavernius said

"Soon you will have the power of a god." Owen said

"I can't wait. Then I'll find the Atlas and kill all of the gods." Lavernius said

The forest was lush and hard to transverse. If there were any paths, they were all overrun. He slashed bushes and branches down that got in his way. After three hours, Lavernius stopped and took a break. He leaned against a tree and looked at the sky. It was a beautiful shade of red. The sun shined brightly as it set.

"I'm going to set up camp here for the night." Lavernius said

"Sure." Owen said

"Can you tell me a story?" Lavernius asked

"Another one?" Owen asked

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Lavernius said

"Sure." Owen said

"Thanks." Lavernius said

"There was once this man. He was the greatest warrior in all of the lands. He was aggressive, mean, and violent. His brother was his exact opposite. One day the king ordered him to venture North, to the ice caps. And his brother to the South, towards the sand dunes. They accepted these quests and departed from the kingdom. The man rode his horse North and slaughtered anyone who crossed his path. He made it to the mountain and found out why the king sent him there. There was an evil ice giant living in a cave nearby. He woke up the beast and declared that he was going to kill him. The giant valiantly fought for his life, but succumbed to the warrior. In his dying breath the giant said, 'Curse... curse the... one...' The man felt incredibly cold. His hands began to turn into ice. His skin turned to ice. His heart froze over and soon he became an ice statue. Meanwhile his brother made it to the dunes in the South. He, too, found a giant. This giant was made of sand. The brother called out to the beast and yelled, 'Peace between the lands!' The giant praised the brother and gave him a gift for sparing his life. The man turned to sand and fear overtook him. Before the brother changed he killed the giant, for he thought the beast was cursing him. The brother turned into a sandstone statue. The king cheered for the loss of the man, but mourned for the loss of the brother." Owen finished telling his tale.

"Wow. Another wonderful story. The spider and this one, are they real?" Lavernius asked

"In a way." Owen answered, "The moon is rising."

"Good night." Lavernius said

"Good night." Owen said

Lavernius fell asleep next to his fire and Owen watched over as he slept. The wind rustled through the trees and whistled. An owl hooted in the distance. The fire died slowly throughout the night.

In the morning, Lavernius quickly packed up and began his walk. As he walked closer to the mountain he noticed something strange. The forest began to thin out and the grass was brown. There were no signs of any wildlife.

"How far is the mountain?" Lavernius asked

"Still two days." Owen said

"I'm surprised the effects of it are all the way out here." Lavernius said

"Yes, it is very powerful. Give it a hundred or so years and it will reach even further." Owen said

Lavernius traveled for another day until nightfall. Once again he set up camp and fell asleep.

"Wake up! Lavernius!" Owen shouted

"Yeah? Is it morning?" Lavernius asked

"No, but something feels off. I feel a strange presence. It feels familiar but also foreign." Owen said

Lavernius stood up and unsheathed his sword. He turned around and looked for anything. There was nothing. It was easy for him to see because the forest was bare and there were less trees to hide behind. The fire and moon lightened the area quiet well.

"There's nothing here." Lavernius said

"No. There is something, or someone. Watching." Owen said

"Where?" Lavernius asked

"All over." Owen said

"What should I do?" Lavernius asked

"Pack up. We need to hurry. There is a dark presence here. Quick!" Owen said

"Alright." Lavernius answered.

Lavernius quickly packed up and walked fast towards the mountain. No matter where they went, Owen felt a piercing eye. Lavernius ran through the dead forest. The brown grass crunched as he stepped on it. He stopped as he left the forest line. A tear fell from his eye. A beautiful mountain stood tall in front of him. At the foot of the mountain layed a large field of lively wheat.

"Where's the Illuminati?" Lavernius asked

"You don't see- never mind that thought. Climb the mountain and enter the cave near the peak." Owen said