Cia's Plight

"Damn it! Why did I agree to this? I just woke up and now I'm already getting myself deeper into this mess!" Cyrus yells to himself.

The sun rises higher in the sky as Cyrus and Barin Make their way towards Serenity by horse back.

Barin lets him know that the trip will take at least a week but Cyrus doesn't mind. He knows that once he gets there he may be in for a rough time.

After a couple of hours they reach a small mountain range.

"This is where we'll be stopping for the night. It's safer to camp here than it is anywhere else. Not only are the monsters weaker near here but the terrain is also easier to conceal ourselves ." Barin explains as he dismounts his horse. While we are here I can give you a quick run down on what we will be up against.

Cyrus follows closely behind Barin as he walks over to a small cave opening.

"First lets tackle the problem with the disappearances near the town borders. As far as we know, the demon has taken these people but has kept them alive. We are not sure where they have been held but this is our best bet to getting closer to the demon. If we can enter can allow him to transfer us to where all of the civilians are we should be able to make a plan of escape from there. If everything goes well this should save a lot of lives." Barin explains.

Cyrus nods in understanding.

"Secondly, we are going to have to handle the demon. As long as we can get the civilians to safety, You and I should be able to take him on without any hindrances. However, that is going to depend on how strong of a demon he truly is." Barin continues explaining the plan while pulling a stone with markings engraved into it out of his bag.

"Using this stone I hope to teleport everyone out of the town to safety. Once that's done, the demon will probably try to stop me. At that moment, We will be able to strike back. The demon will be vulnerable while fighting me, so I'll be able to take him down rather easily." He says.

"Now get some rest, we have quite a ways to travel in the morning." Barin tells him.

Cyrus nods before taking a seat next to the fire.

His body aches from the day's worth of riding and he feels tired.

As he lays down next to the fire he begins to drift off to sleep.

***

Opening his eyes to blurry vision, he sits up and looks around.

Everything seems a little distorted but he can sense a sort of familiarity between the figure and himself.

The figure begins to speak in a language he's never heard before walking off into the distance.

He follows the person until they are standing next to a large tree.

The figure holds out it's arm towards Cyrus and takes his hand as a Blue portal appears in front of them.

Cyrus is pulled into the portal with the figure before his vision goes dark.

Waking up from the dream, Cyrus rubs his eyes as he looks around.

Barin had already woken up and was preparing a meal by the fire.

"Morning. How do you feel?" He asks.

"Like crap actually. I just finished having the weirdest dream," Cyrus answers as he sits up.

"Yeah, I guess you must be a bit stressed from this job huh. Don't worry, I'm sure that everything will work out. You think i got to where I was because I was cautious?" Barin asks.

"I don't know. The last time I tried to fight a demon it didn't exactly turn out too well." Cyrus replies. "We may have won but at the cost of almost losing my friends life. That's why I'm a little worried about this whole ordeal."

"Don't worry. I'll be there with you. I might not look it, but I'm actually pretty strong," Barin says while flexing his muscles.

Cyrus laughs at his comment.

"That's right! I'm stronger than I look. I can crush boulders with my hands." Barin says as he stretches. Anyway, you need to eat something so go ahead and grab a bite. I made plenty."

While Cyrus eats, Barin tells him about how he became the commander of the guild.

***

Several years ago, Barin was a young man looking to start a career. He knew he wanted to join the military but he couldn't afford the tuition required for training. Instead of joining the army, he joined the guild to gain experience and earn money.

Since he had no family, no one would have even known if he died in an accident or something along those lines. So he decided that if he wanted to live a life of adventure then he needed to be prepared for anything that came his way.

Becoming a member of the guild meant he had to start from the bottom and work his way up through the ranks. Luckily he soon found a mentor who helped him get on his feet. His mentor taught him how to properly handle weapons, how to track, and other things he would need to survive. After a few years of working at the guild Barin had finally gotten himself into a good position. One where he really start to make a difference.

One day while he was out hunting in the forest he found a large scale monster known as a Bighorn sheep. It was a massive creature that looked like a cross between a ram and a goat. Barin was sure that he could kill it and use it as another milestone for his career. Unfortunately he underestimated the beast in his greed.

Seeing Barin coming towards him, the Bighorn sheep charged forward and trampled him before biting off half of his left leg. Barin was bleeding profusely and his leg was nearly severed. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to make it out alive, he quickly pulled out his sword and stabbed the goat's neck several times. In his desperation he was barely able subdue the beast before losing consciousness.

When he awoke he was surrounded by his fellow hunters and was rushed back to the town and treated for his wounds.

They were able to reattach his leg but he would lose it again during the recovery process.

After being discharged from the hospital, he returned to the guild and informed them of the incident. He explained that he had lost his leg and would no longer be able to hunt for the guild.

But Instead of being let go, they offered him a job as a commander which allowed him to train the new recruits,. Seeing the potential in the young warrior he was given a chance to contribute to his Country even in his damaged body.

He accepted the offer and began to oversee the daily operations of the guild for years.

After managing the guild for several more years, he himself was even able to regain some of his lost potential, having healed his injured leg quite a bit using his earnings.

***

Cyrus stops eating and looks up at Barin.

"You've been injured this whole time? You shouldn't be going to face off against a demon!" Cyrus exclaims as he stands up.

Barin stands up as well and grabs Cyrus by the shoulders.

"Calm down. I told you, I'm better than I look. I'm actually pretty tough. Besides, I haven't lost my touch yet." Barin says as he releases his grip.

"You really expect me to believe that? I mean your leg is still heavily injured right? It's a miracle that you're still walking around. Even if it's possible for you to fight with that demon, I highly doubt you'll be able to come out with your life. I'm sorry but I can't just let you go." Cyrus says.

"And what makes you think that you can stop me from doing anything? This is my choice. I have been on the sidelines for far too long. If I can sacrifice myself for the sake of my people, I will gladly take the chance." Barin says as he turns away from Cyrus.

Cyrus stares at Barin for a moment trying to think of something to say.

He hadn't expected this when he first came here. He wasn't even aware of the fact that Barin was injured.

"Well I can't force you not to go. But I will be the one to make the first move. Unless I need help I ask that you leave this fight to me. I refuse to see you die for nothing if it could be avoided. You just focus on getting the civilians to safety." Cyrus says as he turns away from Barin.

"Fine. I understand." Barin says as he mounts his horse.

The two continue on with their journey for a few more days.

Cyrus continuously worries about his leader but he does his best to keep it in check knowing that he can't change what Barin has chosen to do.

In the end, Cyrus decides to push those thought to the back of his mind and prepares himself for the challenge ahead.

A few days later, they have finally arrived at the outskirts of Serenity.

The town was built on a small plateau that rose high above the surrounding area.

The town is surrounded by a heavy veil of fog.

It's so thick that it blocks out the sun completely making visibility near impossible.

As the two near the town A blinding light flashes in front of them.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them begins to shake violently causing them to loose their footing.

Both men fall off of their horses and are sucked into the earth beneath them.

Cyrus flips onto his feet as he lands in a large room resembling a library.

looking over he spots Barin who had landed face down next to him.

"Looks like you took a hit there. Are you okay?" Cyrus asks.

Barin gets to his feet and dusts himself off.

"Yeah I'm fine. Do you know where we landed?" Barin asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

"I don't know. I think we were dropped in some kind of library," Cyrus replies.

Looking around, the room is filled with bookshelves on every wall.

There are also several tables and chairs scattered throughout the room.

"These books all seem to be very old. They look like they have been gathering dust for years," Barin says while examining a book sitting on top of a table.

"A bit rude of you to talk about my belongings like this don't you think" A voice suddenly says.

Looking up Barin and Cyrus notice a small child in a white robe floating above them.

"I'm sure I asked for at least a thousand people to be sent here. Not two, "The child says in a winy voice. "Are you humans looking down on me?" The child asks in a childish tone.

"Who are you anyway?" Cyrus asks.

"Everyone calls me Cia. As for who I am...I think I'm supposed to be the keeper of this place. The child explains.

"Where are all the others that were brought here!?" Barin asks.

"Hmmm. Everyone else has already begun searching. They should be back any moment now. It's just taking them a bit longer than expected. They are all rather clumsy," Cia says as he floats down to the ground.

Cyrus watches him closely as he walks towards one of the shelves.

"So can you tell us where we are?" Cyrus asks.

"This is the library of ... um, I think it was called the ruminate Library? Or possibly the rumination library... hmm?" Cia says as he taps his fingers against his head. Anyways, I just call it the library."

Cyrus eyes Cia suspiciously.

He definitely didn't give off a demon vibe. At least compared to Akuji.

"Ok... Just wondering though. What happens if I try to leave? Will I be devoured or something like that?" Cyrus asks.

"Leave! you cant do that. I still need all the help I can get. Even if you aren't going to stay, you should at least wait until everyone returns." Cia scolds him.

"Well then what did you bring us down here for?" Barin asks.

"Well, My master told me that he need a special tool located in one of these books. But there's just soooo many of them. So I had a brilliant idea. I could just ask the townspeople to help me look for it," Cia explains with a proud expression.

"And how exactly are they helping you," Cyrus ask.

"Oh, that's easy. I had each person pick a book and then i helped them enter it to look for the item. Some of them were a bit slow at first but soon everyone was excited to help out." Cia explains. "Although it has taken them quite a long time, and no one has come out yet," He pouts. "I guess there must be a lot of places to look.

"How about you let everyone out so that they can try searching in some of the other books since no one has found anything yet," Cyrus suggest.

"I cant do that! Then i will never know if the item was in the book or not. Besides, they will probably be back soon. So how about you pick out a book to help out while we wait for them," Cia suggests.

"I'm going to have to respectfully decline for now."

"Whaaat but... I need all the help I can get. Cmon, just choose one," Cia shouts while pushing one of the book into Cyrus's face.

Cyrus pushes it away.

"I'm sorry but I'm just not interested going through any of those books.

"What!?" Cia begins to shuffle about nervously before turning to Barin. "How about you, I'm sure you want to help me out too."

"No, I'm good. Thanks anyways." Barin says.

"But why not? how about this I'll pick a book for both of you." Cia says while flying over to one of the shelves and pulling out two large books and setting them on the ground.

"Wait! Hold on for a second!" Cyrus yells out as he can hear the boy begin chanting.

After the chant ends Barin and Cyrus are Rapidly pulled into the books.

Cyrus tries his best to escape the pull but is ultimately overpowered and dragged into the pages.

Feeling a surge of information flow through his mind Cyrus is overcome with an intense pain before only one sentence is left in his mind.

"Rewrite the tragedy of Jefoar"