1 Epilogue

A strong flash of images rushed through the kid's mind. Darkness engulfed the land, people falling on their knees begging for mercy, wine red and black colourful energies turning into solidified goo slowly flooding over the chaos of war as one enormous presence covered the shade of the moon with his darkness. Faceless, nameless, feared by everyone, the Ithar of Corruption had no form, just a gigantic cloud of condensed evil residing within an open shell the size of a hundred men standing over each other. Explosions initiated, the smell of death took over, and buildings fell as their debris became part of the clam, aspiring and devouring all in front of her with her endless need for flesh, destruction and pure energy.

A collector of souls with such power that even the weather was drawn towards its clam, who prepared the last hit in his fresh arsenal of massive destruction attacks. The Ithar's shell opened completely, expanding the rest of his darkness over the already destroyed battlefield. One last attempt towards erasing the entire city and all of those within it.

-Raise the shield! -Ordered a commander standing at the front line behind dozens of soldiers, experts in protection energy. 

Feeling the tension in the air, the last battalion raised their arms in unison, a cascade of royal blue energies elevated from the ground, holding root on their feet while forming a protective sphere, hoping to stop what was coming.

-Now! -Screamed a female commander from behind.

As the lethal explosion of corrupted darkness flared from the shell like a volcano releasing all the pressure accumulated over years, a white light arrow the size of a ship broke the sky and pierced through the dense goo, aiming at the core of the enormous creature.

A missed hit, as if the monster had no flaws to exploit. A second wave of endless agony came through, making the shield collapse. There was little to do against it. Everyone in the realm was condemned.

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-Son, are you ok? -Asked the father hearing his son's screams due to his nightmares.

The kid awoke sharply, sweat all over his body, a lack of breath still in his lungs. Knowing the nightmares had been happening longer than expected, the father offered a glass of water. Once the kid was more stable, he sat beside his only son to comfort him.

-Dad, could you tell me that story once again?- Asked the young one with his eyes wide open. -You said by the age of sixteen, you would tell me the whole thing.

-Of course, my son, but this time, let me share the real one… -Certain worry built on the man's face.

"A few thousand years ago, through the big portal that connects both our worlds, humans came to the spirit world with the intention of settling and learning the secrets of life and balance from the superior spirits.

The world of the living was too dangerous for us, and we barely knew how to prevail back then. Our survival was at a point where we were not able to succeed any further.

The spirits, curious by our presence, decided to share with us their land, allowing us to eat from their trees, teaching us how to thrive and educating us daily about how fire could be used, how to commute with their environment, grow all types of aliments, taught us how to be healthier as well as the places we should avoid going around their territory. It was a great era of prosperity and respect between them and our race.

After thousands of years of living in harmony, our species kept developing and bringing more life to our tribes. Our houses, built originally with sticks and ropes, were now built with stones and strong combinations of mud and sand, and our knowledge about plants and gardens expanded. We brought the docile animals through the portal, lived in peace with them, trained birds to deliver messages, created languages, and recorded spirit stories into books. We shaped their world, and they were shaping ours. They loved our presence so much they decided to start sharing their gifts with selected humans. While we brought them experiences, entertainment, music and creativity, making their eternal lives brighter, they allowed the most sensitive ones to have a piece of the gifts given to them by their superiors.

Those who were in synchrony with plants and animals, or how to aid the ill, were given the gift of "Healing'', allowing them to use their natural energy and compassion to extend the lives of those around them.

The creative minds who were always looking to discover more, hungry for the future, were given the gift of "Sight'', making their minds capable of foreseeing events and situations that could save lives and prevent tragedy.

Some of the younger souls who were born closer to the spiritual world developed a bond called "Hyper-empathy", a skill capable of identifying and replicating feelings, talents and emotions around them from any living or spiritual presence.

Few selected ones connected to a deeper level with the spiritual laws of the universe, being a bridge between both worlds and receiving the title of "Mediums".

Last but not least, those with stronger wills, the most versatile of us, were awarded "Energy Control", a skill capable of channelling the energies around them and transforming them into something different.

It was a glorious time for humans. Our tribes became a nation, our nation built cities, and our balance with the spiritual world was our top priority. Our leaders were gifted people dedicated to extending their skills and honouring the superior spirits to an extent where our devotion and prayers started to have a bigger effect on them.

The energy was flowing towards them from our grateful words, temples were elevated to make them feel at home, and soon, five capitals were built, each one devoted to a superior spirit and the skills coming from it, but always connected between each other, allowing everyone to improve and seek bigger rewards whether if they were gifted or not.

We wanted to share our discoveries, advanced knowledge, tools, and gifts with others. We blossomed by spreading to other areas, and after some time, a few people ventured back to the human world to bring this knowledge to those who were further away from the spirit realm."

-And what happened then? -Asked the young boy, fully immersed in the story.

-We awoke something we should have never found.

"As you know, not everybody is gifted among us. Only the ones chosen by the spirits are given any of the five root skills. But humans sometimes carry darkness in our hearts. We let trivial feelings dominate us, and it took one person's wrongdoings to begin a whole movement. It took one man to corrupt our talents.

Rufius, the vanished, the lawbreaker. He was young and jealous of those capable of doing more. His mind couldn't understand why he wasn't chosen to carry a blessing. His parents, a poor family who had just passed the portal to the spirit realm, were not instructed on how to keep the balance. Excited by the words brought by our people visiting the human world, they came looking for power, for recognition and even though their son Rufius was born in this realm a few months after they arrived, he didn't have any gift by the age of sixteen."

-But gifts can come to us anytime in life, right? -Reiterated the son, confused.

-That's right, they can be provided to us when in need or when our soul has learned enough to be worthy of them.

"Rufius and his family were not instructed to be grateful or patient, and those around them couldn't foresee the catastrophe this could bring.

His anger for not being chosen led to one of the most trivial thoughts: If I can't have this, I'll take it from others.

His hands became faster and smoother towards taking food from other people. His desires darkened slowly, making him more anxious. Feeling disappointed and rejected by his parents for not being gifted, he started experimenting with trees, animals and small ideas connected to our skills until, one day, he thought about using blood.

In his sickened mind, drinking the blood of a gifted person might lead to him developing the same skill.

As we live in a total commune with the spirits, we would never damage a living creature. We take what plants allow us to have, we cultivate them, and we use the eggs that are not carrying new life, but we never kill.

Rufius wasn't educated about our beliefs, and this led him to murder a goat and drink its blood. The sacrifice had a huge impact on the spirits around the area. Not only did Rufius's energy become stronger while his mind was darkening, but his now corrupted emotions were influencing most of the spirits passing near him.

A few days later, by the time people found the goat's body, Rufius was nowhere to be found and near the goat, the body of a young gifted kid was found, with a spirit next to him crying for the loss of his gifted companion."

-You are old enough to know this son. As humans, we can never come back from our actions. Once our energy becomes dark, it only worsens.

-I know, I read about this... but what happened to Rufius? Did the spirits find him?

"Sadly, they didn't. With the help of the leaders of each capital, a group of Energy Controllers and other gifted were able to follow his energy footprints, only the best Econs could track such a man. Some of the best gifted in Hyper Empathy, commonly known as Hempaths, could feel his aura growing stronger and sense the trace where his dark energy was placed. Seers started to have nightmares about the consequences of his actions, and the Mediums could help ease the spirits who passed near him, but he was nowhere to be found.

A couple of years later, we realised that some of us were missing, making our monthly numbers smaller by one or two people.

Some warriors reported rumours of a new city around the mountains, animals missing, a place where the unwanted could receive a sixth gift and a place where spirits were forbidden from getting near due to the amount of dark energy in the area."

-Tomorrow, I'll have to talk with the leader of the Healer's capital to learn more. For now, why don't you go to sleep? -Said the father while hugging his son.

-Dad, we'll find him one day. - Replied the young boy, closing his eyes while his dad blew the candle next to him. The sight of an enormous Ithar destroying an entire realm was still fresh in his mind, but it was probably just a nightmare. After all, he wasn't gifted.

The morning after

-Ryker, we will be expecting you around the Ithar's palace room. Please bring the documents requested. - Said one of the oracles.

The city of Paleor was always a pleasure to visit for those who came from afar. The blend between the beautiful cascades falling from the mountains, the amount of flora growing along the white stone walls, and the level of architecture living fully in peace with the flow of water was a feast for the eyes. Everyone described how pure the energy felt while walking around the immense palace.

Paleor was always seen as the capital of the Healers. A peaceful place where they could develop their skills, study ancient texts about plant properties and bring the ill humans to rest and recover, guided by the hand of the Divine Priestess Ms. Bianca, the young woman who was able to speak to Deanare, the superior spirit of Life or so-called, the Healer's Ithar.

The statues, perfectly sculpted and located along the palace halls, could show multiple forms people imagined for Deanare, a mysterious female spirit represented as a human with flowers and water levitating around her or with long vines and flowers growing around her body.

The representations were far from reality as only the Divine Priestess was able to see how she was appearing in her visions, where she was taught about new remedies and ways of healing the people as well as the spirits who were touched by darkness and corruption.

Ryker's job was simple: For two years, he had to meet with each leader to find the location where Rufius might have been, follow the rumours, study the clues and bring a final report to the Union of Ithars, a group created to keep the balance and prosperity between nations as well as recording each new discoveries and changes between both Spirit and living realms.

It took him over two weeks to ride by horse with his son to arrive in the north, where the city of Paleor was located. Still, along the way, there were many small monasteries with healing practitioners who were always eager to help those in need, and this time, since it was their first trip together, he could start educating his son further about his future career.

The sun was rising over the mountain located near the city, which meant that the meeting with the Divine Priestess should be occurring soon.

He walked eagerly towards his destination, crossing paths with multiple healers dressed in white who were attending to plants and bringing more documents in the same direction than he was.

A beautiful door made of wood and vines stopped him. Convinced he had everything, he walked into the room. Two tiny jellyfish-shaped spirits were floating in front of the table, looking peacefully curious at the new guest, staring at him with big bubbly eyes.

-Welcome, Mr Ryker. It is a pleasure to have a member of the Union for this matter. -Said a man at the end of the room. Ryker's attention shifted quickly to look at where the voice was coming from. A man stood up politely to welcome him.

-The pleasure is all mine. -He replied, looking around the room.

Multiple bones of great animals were hanging around the walls, with hundreds if not thousands of flowers and leaves coming out of them, decorating the place and making it look more green, followed by a great rectangular opening at the end of the room that allowed the sights of the big cascade of Paleor. Birds and spirits shaped like hummingbirds were playing with each other and chirping in beautiful tones. A big table was in between each of the guests, with multiple scrolls filled with information and maps of the spirit realm. On the right, another wooden door opened.

-My lady. -Said the old man quickly.

A young woman with beautiful white skin walked in, dressed in white and lemon elongated silks, carrying a blue flower over her left ear. Her brown hair was perfectly aligned, her purity could be felt from meters away, and her eyes were as blue as the waterfall behind her.

-Mr Ryker, my name is Bianca, and this is my dearest advisor, Mr Lynneas.

Lynneas looked wise and respectful, a man around forty years old, with no hair as most monks and advisors around the capitals would have. His clothing was bright white and blue, as most healers around the city were wearing. The refined details along the costume expressed that he had a superior charge. In Paleor, the small details in the confection of the tunics and dresses were enough to tell people about their common jobs and statuses.

-It is great meeting you, Mr Lynneas. I brought all my investigations, hoping you could share more of the situation. -Replied Ryker putting some scripts over the table.

-We've been having a few disappearances during the past weeks. Even though we asked for increased security, we never had to deal with any violent situation previously, which means we lack warriors. All our security is slowly arriving from the Ithar's Union and the Econ's capital. I'm also instructing my best healers in the art of protection, but we barely had time to investigate those skills through healing, and the wisest spirits are reluctant to share that knowledge with us. -Explained Ms Bianca while sitting down gracefully, creating a more beautiful sight by the open area showing the waterfall behind her.

Somehow, Ryker caught a small sight of disappointment in Mr Lynneas' face, quickly looking down, trying to cover a certain mark on his neck.

-I understand it is quite concerning that this is happening. I'm sorry for the distress of the situation. My team is also on the way here as we speak. I appointed them to protect you until we know more about what might be happening. -Added Ryker as he sat down.

An elongated form came in through the open rectangle behind Ms Bianca, green and blue colours shaped with scales in a long shape body with legs and claws, similar to the long mystical dragons that only big spirits could represent, commonly drawn in stories. The spirit's eyes came last as if he brought his tail and lower legs first. Once his whole body arrived, he accommodated it into a spiral to show his face, a big dragon head with thin whiskers that oscillated around.

It was the first dragon spirit that Ryker had seen in his lifetime.

-Excuse my lateness, my dear humans -Expressed the dragon telepathically, not even pretending to open his mouth.

Few spirits would imitate humans speaking, which was unnecessary since they could all share their thoughts directly with the minds of those in their presence.

-Thanks for coming, my friend. -Said Ms Bianca smiling slightly at the dragon -I hope you're bringing good news.

-My apologies, I don't. All we know is two human healers were headed towards the mountain behind us through the North Eastern pass. All spirits in the area have been instructed to move towards surrounding forests and share any knowledge they might find through the common mind.

-Wait, no spirit has reported seeing anything about this through the common mind? -Asked Ryker moving a bit closer to the table with a worried tone of voice.

-The common mind is… corrupted by increased dark energy in the spirit world. -Ms Bianca replied, looking at Lynneas with a certain worry.

Lynneas stood up and picked a scroll from the table, rotating it and spreading it fully to explain the situation.

-As you know, the five capitals were built around the portal that connects us to the world of humans. All spirits can share knowledge through the common mind, ensuring that information is never lost. Unfortunately, the northeast region outside of our capital has been detecting serious dark energy fluctuations. No spirit can get close to it without being corrupted. No human near it comes back… It is like a giant cloud that keeps expanding and depriving us of our gifts. -Showed Mr Lynneas pointing at a map of the area.

-Have you established any connection with the Ithar? -Asked the Dragon, now floating closer to Ms Bianca.

-Deanare is nowhere to be found, I've been worried about her, but she is a superior spirit. I doubt anything can happen to them.

Ryker's knowledge about the superior spirits was a bit short. Only five people in the realm could connect with them, being fully a choice by the superior spirit to select the human that would share their gifts. To be honest with himself, most non-gifted people thought the superior spirits died a long time ago since nobody could see them, and the leaders would avoid using their skills in front of others.

It wasn't the first time Ryker had been talking about superior creatures with leaders of each capital, but they all seemed impossible to reach for the past two years.

-How are the other leaders holding up? -Asked Ms Bianca looking towards Ryker's position.

-They were somehow ashamed about being unable to connect with their superiors, but only Paleor and Taentrum have reported the strangest cases.

-Concerning... Both the capital of the healers and the capital of the mediums have been reporting odd situations. As we are both located in the northern area of the portal, we might assume Rufius has made his base further in that direction. -Ms Bianca expressed, pointing at the corner of the open map over the table.

-There is something more he wishes to say -Interrupted the long dragon looking at Ryker, detecting his repressed emotions.

Ryker felt a knot on his chest by the sudden look from everyone in the room.

-My son…

A massive explosion made the place tremble, a brusque sound heard from within the palace, maybe a few floors below them.

Somebody slammed the door behind Ryker. -My lady, we are being attacked. -Said an old man everybody knew as Sir Jonas.

Sir Jonas was known throughout each village as the knight who had always protected the white lady since the day she was appointed by Deanare as her chosen one. He was a big icon for the people of the spiritual world, his wiseness, appealing face, white hair and big armour, shining with purity while riding on his horse. It was impossible not to recognise the old man from all the tales and stories.

-Please join us. -Ms Bianca stood up quickly while she rushed to the door, followed by Lynneas and the floating dragon.

Ryker barely had time to think. In a blink, he turned over and ran behind them, ready to protect any person in the building with his life.

Healers dressed in white were seen running away from the stairs. They were picking up as many pots filled with plants as possible. Screams of pain, panic and random words begging for help could be distinguished from among them. The white lady was already heading downstairs, and the only way to spot them was to follow the dragon's long green and blue semi-transparent body.

Hysteria was taking over, with increased smoke coming from the second floor, easy to spot due to the cubic form of the palace, a giant squared building with three floors and a central garden filled with water, vines, and vertical farming systems developed over the big white columns that sustained the building.

"My son's room." -Thought Ryker remembering he was telling him a story right on that floor just the night before, near where the smoke was coming.