Chapter 35: Back Home

The group composed of the four different races spent a few weeks traveling through the Dark Forest, to reach the Fog Banks with the little Behemoths to leave them in a new home.

"I FUCKIN' HATE DIS PLACE!" Kimora shouted in anger.

"Could you stop complaining already, Sister?!" Bromur asked in exasperation.

"No! It's hot during the day and cold at night, you can't see the light of the Red Sun at all, the puppies are idiots and attract all kinds of monsters, and it's full of..."

"Bugs? Like this?" Bromur said as he took a centipede the size of his arm in her hands, and showed Kimora as the being wriggled dangling from the Dwarf's hand.

"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed in fear, running away.

"Would you stop already too?

The little ones attract the beasts, don't attract them too by making her scream like this…" Jorael said as he checked his compass.

They continued walking through the dark shades of the perennial trees in the Fog direction when they finally arrived in front of it.

A thick, dense wall of mist started from ground level and rose to the sky as far as the eye could see, while inside nothing could be seen.

"We must be alert and ready... I have heard terrible stories of people taken by the Fog." Bromur whispered in terror.

"Like my Father, for example, he was taken...

How he got out of there is a mystery." Jorael whispered.

"The little ones ... are they shaking?!" Cyn'Thia said suddenly looking at the little Behemoths.

As soon as he spoke there was a loud roar and the earth began to shake.

"Something is coming this way!" Jorael shouted.

The veil of mist suddenly opened as two giant horns came out, and soon a huge Behemoth emerged, watching the little ones next to Cyn'Thia.

"W-We don't have to fight dis one too, right?!" Kimora whispered, trembling with fear as she remembered her death.

"Shhh... the little ones are walking towards it..." Cyn'Thia whispered as she watched with apprehension as the little Behemoths joined the huge beast in front of them.

"Ah! Looks like we can finally go! Ah ah ah!" Bromur shouted, causing the giant Behemoth to roar.

"Can ya shut up for a while?!" Kimora whispered in fear.

The three little ones disappeared into the fog, and after the Behemoth stopped staring at the four, it backed away into the fog.

"Blippi, Bluppi, Bloppi ... I will never forget you." Cyn'Thia whispered saddened.

Jorael walked slowly to the wall of fog and said as he got closer and closer:

"I've never been so close to this fog..."

When he got a little too close, he began to notice something strange and whispered:

"Something... Someone... is calling me.

Who is this voice?!

Seems somewhat familiar ...

M-Miranda?!

No...

It is a cold female voice, but at the same time warm ...

J-JOANNA?!"

Jorael cried at last, startling everyone. He started shouting again:

"How can you be here?!

Are you calling me!?

Mother?!"

"STOOOP!!!" Cyn'Thia cried as she pulled her master back, dragging him to the ground.

"You were entering the Fog!

We were calling you, but you did not respond!

What happened!?" she asked extremely worried.

"There was my mother!

Did you see her?" Asked Jorael confused, but unfortunately, all his companions denied.

"There was no one, ya are delusional." Kimora said.

"Brother, let's go.

This place is cursed, as the myths tell..." Bromur whispered in fright as he helped Jorael to get up.

"... Let's go before some Magic Beasts attack us." said the Traveler still shocked.

The famous last words were spoken and suddenly Cyn'Thia was heard screaming. Everyone turned to see what had happened and saw the Elf dangling in the air with her legs entangled by what appeared to be a green tentacle coming from the Fog.

Soon enough, a menacing shadow emerged from the fog and Jorael immediately recognized the threat and shouted:

"Shit! A Deathflower!"

It was a plant-based magical beast about the size of six mels. Its body was round and green with purplish yellow petals with frightening eyes at the tip. It possessed tentacles which it used as legs to move or to grab its victims and in the center of its body, it hid a mouth covered with thousands of sharp teeth which it used to grind its victims.

"D-dat's no flower!" Kimora shouted alerted whilst she took out her daggers.

"WOAHHH!" Cyn'Thia was screaming as the tentacle tightened her grip and brought her closer to the beast's body.

"We have to help Sister!" Bromur yelled as he started running with the ax ready and Kimora followed shortly after.

"Wait! Don't run to a Deathflower!" Jorael shouted warning them.

"Why?" Kimora said as she stopped her run as Bromur continued to charge the monster.

"YAAA!" yelled the Dwarf ready to deliver a blow with Forseti, but suddenly the monster spat a thick greenish liquid directly in his face, forcing him to stop his charge.

"What in the name of Flemest is this filth?!

I can't see anymore!" shouted Bromur.

"That's why ... Kimora please help Cyn'Thia, I'll take care of the Magic Beast." Jorael said.

"Sure..." she nodded as she moved with her agility toward the tentacle.

"Son of a Brutynrnmandyrm!

Get this shit off my face!" cried Bromur furiously.

"Sigh... just wait a little bit." Jorael whispered when Kimora finally managed to cut the tentacle holding the Elf.

"AHHH!" Cyn'Thia yelled as she was falling to the ground, but she was promptly rescued by Kimora who picked her up before slamming to the ground.

"Finally... Firewall!" Jorael instantly cast on the beast, then a pillar of fire engulfed the monster causing it deadly damage.

"D-did we win?!" Bromur asked with his eyes still blinded.

"Sure. Hydro!" Jorael threw forming a huge ball of water over the Dwarf's head, which soon fell on him to wash away the sticky liquid of the Deathflower.

"AHHH! Son of a Brutynrnmandyrm!

Warn me Brother when you do such a thing!" The Dwarf exclaimed angrily.

"We should go now." Jorael said as they hurriedly left the place.

...

They spent long weeks traveling through the Dark Forest, between the perennial darkness and the ferocious attacks of monsters, but they finally reach Vas'Anellir.

"I'm finally back in a place I can somehow call... home." Jorael exclaimed.

"These rocks in the middle of the trees?!" whispered Cyn'Thia.

"The entrance is hidden, follow me." he explained as he made his way through the hidden door.

To the amazement of Jorael's companions, they found themselves inside a stone-paved passage that led them to the library. It was still dark, as there were no lights on, but as soon as Jorael called for his teacher, suddenly green flames began to ignite all the torches around the place, showing visitors the ancient splendor of the lost library.

"W-who is it?!" a floating green ball of light emitted an old male voice, floating on the fountain in the center of the library.

"Old Man... I'm back." Jorael said.

The luminous sphere suddenly changes shape, transforming into an old Elf, and says:

"My name is Tor'Elkast ...

Brat, I thought you were already dead."

Cyn'Thia, Kimora, and Bromur began to slowly approach the fountain, incredulous at what they were seeing and hearing.

"You have not contacted me for a while, I really thought no one would disturb my sleep anymo...

Who are they?!

JORAEL, DID YOU REALLY REMEMBER THE PROMISE?!" suddenly shouted the Elven Sage, startling everyone.

"W-what prom... oh...

They are my companions: Cyn'Thia of Vas'Cyn, Kimora of Solaria and Bromur of Myordir." Jorael said introducing his companions.

"An Elf! You brought a gorgeous young Wood Elf here!

I have to say I am most impressed and maybe I should reevaluate my thinking about you...

Plus, a stunning Human from an exotic island!" Tor'Elkast said with an enthusiasm that he thought he had almost forgotten.

"Uh? Whaddya say Old Man?! Are ya a ghost or something?!

Would ya stop starin' at my tits or what!?" Kimora yelled breaking the atmosphere.

"W-what?!

H-how rude of you..." whispered the Sage.

"Now I remember how my Mother called the last Elven Sage...

Tor'Elkast the Pervert." Cyn'Thia explained in disgust.

"I can imagine that knowing how he unlocked his first fulcrum by thinking about..." Jorael whispered.

"Shut up!

This poor old man has been studying books for hundreds of years, he has become a wise Sage and your mother dares to call me that?!" Tor'Elkast said.

"Uhm... Everyone calm down!

We have important issues to discuss..." Jorael tried to calm the waters.

"Ah ah ah!

This Old Man is funny!" Bromur commented laughing.

"M-me… funny?!

Is a proud wise Sage fun to you, Dwarf?!" Tor'Elkast said angrily.

"Please stop.

I didn't contact you for a while because I had to escape the Empire, then I met Kimora and Bromur, then I was already in the Dark Forest fighting a Behemoth, then I met my Mother... and here we are.

Where do I start…" Jorael explained.

"Behemoth ?! Mother ?!

Why did you have to run away?

Did the foolish Humans find you?" Tor'Elkast asked.

"Yes... and it seems our assumptions were true.

The Kalipso cult is destroying the Empire from within." He explained.

"To think that Humans have begun to worship a fallen Goddess is beyond my comprehension..." the Elven Sage whispered wrapped in thoughts.

"F-fallen Goddess?!" Kimora exclaimed in confusion.

"Kalipso lost her divine status as a Goddess millennia ago, and now she is associated with Death.

You might even call her... the fallen Goddess of Death." Jorael explained to everyone's amazement.

"W-wait so, the faith, the priests and priestesses who worship Her... actually worship Death itself?!" Cyn'Thia asked.

"Yes... Old man, her devotees known as priests and priestesses are actually man-eating monsters called... Vampires." Jorael explained to his teacher.

"My name is Tor'Elkast...

Vampires?! This is the first time I've come across this strange word.

Is it a new word forged for these monsters? "Tor'Elkast asked curiously.

"Not really, it comes from... the other world." Jorael whispered.

"Was it you who named them or had they already been named so themselves?" asked the Elven Sage.

"Both." Jorael replied.

"The implications of this are troubling, but it could clear things up. If this is true, Kalipso may have chosen Her Travel..." Tor'Elkast was explaining before being interrupted by Cyn'Thia who asked confused:

"Master, what do you mean by... another world?"

Silence ensued after her question, only to be broken by the Elven Sage who asked:

"They do not know?"

"No." Jorael answered while everyone else looked at him perplexed.

"Oh, come on, how many truths are ya hidin' from us?!" Kimora eagerly asked for the truth.

"First of all, months ago I made a promise to someone who helped me through so many things.

She was with me in my sleepless nights, she helped me regain a little of my sanity, and slapped me hard in the face when the situation called for it.

Thia, you are free." Jorael suddenly said as he broke the slave contract and opened the Elf collar on her neck, setting her free again.

"What kind of weird shit are ya both into?!" Kimora asked as Cyn'Thia's eyes got wet.

"Master... Thank you." said the Elf crying.

"No more Master now." he replied with a smile and then continued with his speech:

"...I'm not really of this world."

"W-what ?!" everyone screamed in shock as Cyn'Thia wiped the tears from her face.

"I was a human and I come from a place called Earth, and when I died there, I traveled into this world, ending up in the womb of my new mother Joanna." he revealed.

While everyone was speechless, Tor'Elkast explained:

"He is a Traveler. Chosen by the Goddess Gaia.

He holds a fraction of the power of Hers, kindly lent by Her. "

"That's why... you said you had more than one family?!" Cyn'Thia asked incredulously.

"Yup."

"... and this is why you sleep so little at night?!" she asked again with a sudden realization.

"Yup."

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as she burst into tears again.

"What is it now?!" Jorael asked.

"I... I... I know what it means to lose a family.

you lost two of them...

I can't fathom..." she murmured desperately in tears.

"Thia, it's okay..." he said as he hugged her to console her.

"No... and you know it's no good..." she pointed out.

"The Brat had a lot of difficulties. He could hardly ever sleep due to the many traumatic events he went through, but now I can say that he is back here with all of you, I can see that he is definitely better..." Tor'Elkast explained.

"Yes... thanks to what may seem like a new family, I can say that I am doing a little better.

... and now thanks to my powers I will never lose my family again." Jorael stated, making Cyn'Thia smile again.

"So, do ya want a room for ya two?!

Ya both will keep huggin' all day or what!?" Kimora jokingly exclaimed, immediately making separate her embarrassed companions.

"Ah ah ah! Youngsters!

W-wait... she's older than me.

Wait again... How old were you when you... died?" Bromur asked confused.

"I was 35 years old. Plus, my seventeen years in this world, I should be about 52 or 53, considering the time I spent in the womb of my new Mother..." Jorael answered.

"50 years?!

Now that ya mentioned... Sometimes I felt ya were too mature for your age, but sometimes I had the opposite feeling. Are ya dumb or are ya just actin' too dumb?" Kimora stressed.

"He cannot handle his body." Tor'Elkast began to explain to everyone's amazement, then continued:

"It is a Human mind that lived a full Human life that suddenly was forcefully implanted in a half-Demon body.

His mind is unable to process all of the information from his Demonic side, as he cannot interpret signs, instincts, warnings that his Demonic blood is sending to him. Add to this the trauma he had received and not to mention that he is going through puberty… again."

"A full Human life my ass.

Old man, you never told me.

… And by the way, you are giving a fairly accurate description." Jorael whispered in confusion.

"My name is Tor'Elkast...

I've had over ten years to study you, who do you think I am?!" The Sage replied arrogantly.

"So, if you are so wise, what is this "Hunger" I have already told you about..." Jorael asked.

"I... go ask the Demons." Tor'Elkast replied.

"I already have. They don't know." Jorael replied.

"You asked the wrong ones.

Go to the Demon Kingdom and ask the right ones." The elven sage replied.

"It might be worth looking for...

Next, we will need allies, and we have some useful information for Demons about Humans." said Jorael.

"Beware of them Brother!

I have heard that their Queen is a voluptuous and scary woman..." Bromur warned.

"V-voluptuous?!" Tor'Elkast whispered surprised as both girls sighed.

"Wait! Don't go too ahead!

You didn't tell us what your divine power is!" Kimora said demanding an answer.

"Oh... I can stop time." Jorael replied nonchalantly.

"W-what?!" his companions shouted.

"He has Gaia's left eye. He can stop time and move at will." Tor'Elkast blurted out.

"Wait! It's not like I can stop time indefinitely.

My head explodes with pain when I activate the eye, and I can move merely for a few seconds…" Jorael explained better.

"That's how ya immediately moved next to the Behemoth and fired your beam!" Kimora exclaimed realizing what she had seen weeks ago.

"Ah! Brother is so powerful! Ah ah ah! "shouted Bromur.

"Just to make sure...

Did you use your power when I wash myself or change clothes?!" Cyn'Thia asked worriedly.

"No." he denied.

"He has.

Speaking of Demons, will they have a good furnace and tools for you to make my new daggers?!" Kimora asked with apprehension.

"I don't know Sister... Demons aren't really known for their craftsmanship." the Dwarf explained.

"Duh... I should have gone to Ercante." she whispered.

"Oh yes, the compass!

Old Man, check this out!" exclaimed Jorael showing Ercante's creation.

"My name is Tor'Elkast...

What is this trinket?" the Elven Sage asked curiously.

"It's called a compass and it shows you where the magnetic south pole is, so you can travel safely without worrying about getting lost as the needle will always point south." Jorael explained.

"Such a cunning tool, I'm not sure a Human could have invented it..." Tor'Elkast whispered.

"You're being mean, but you're right, because it wasn't Ercante's creation." Jorael revealed.

"What?!" both Cyn'Thia and Kimora shouted.

"His master created them, but with the knowledge of my former world." He explained.

"Now that you mention it, he once said about his master, a Dwarf if I'm not mistaken..." Cyn'Thia recalled.

"A... Dwarf?" Bromur whispered as if he had seen a ghost.

"Yes, it was about 20 years ago if I'm not mistaken, and..." Jorael was saying but suddenly Bromur fell to the ground.

"H-hey!? Are you okay?!" Jorael asked.

"Never been so good as today.

It seems like following you was the wisest decision I've ever made.

Thank God Flemest, ah ah ah! "Exclaimed the Dwarf while getting up again.

"What's wrong with you?!" Jorael asked.

"So, you told your story, brother, then let me tell you mine:

I am Bromur, from Myordir, as you already know. What you don't know is that I'm the son of the most talented blacksmith that ever lived.

Bramir is my father's name.

He left Myordir about twenty years ago, as he was still not satisfied with his abilities. He thought that traveling across the continent would lead him to reach new heights.

We never met him again.

For twenty years I have taken care of our family, my mother, my younger brother, and sister, and when my family finally managed to support themselves without me, I left Myordir to look for him." Bromur explained.

"So, you think Ercante's teacher was... your father?!" Cyn'Thia asked.

"He could be." Bromur replied.

"Hey, you can go to Rivella with Kimora, you will find more clues about your father and she will finally have her new daggers.

What do you two think?" Jorael asked.

"No Brother, I know you will return to the Empire one day, as you wish to save your friends. I will wait." Bromur replied.

"Jorael, I will not leave you because I owe you my life." Kimora said on her knees.

"Oh-oh, you have very good friends Brat ..." Tor'Elkast whispered.

"So, it's decided?!

Will we leave for the Demon Kingdom to find allies and explanations for Jorael's "Hunger"?!" Cyn'Thia asked.

"Yeah, it's so good now that you've dropped the Master thing..." Jorael whispered relaxed.

"I... I was acting... like a slave." Cyn'Thia revealed.

"Oh. My. God." Jorael said frustrated.

"Which one!?" they all asked curiously.

...

After conversing with Tor'Elkast everyone except Cyn'Thia was eating, while she was spending time with the Elven Sage.

"...so, they exiled you, the Kingdom closed its borders and cut off communications with the outside!?" Tor'Elkast asked in surprise.

"Yes, they will no longer trade with Humans or Dwarves." she replied.

"This so heartbreaking.

To think that Cyn'Namon's granddaughter would be exiled and come here. You are as beautiful as her, if not more.

By the way, why is the Brat calling you like that?!

Are you... " the Elven Sage was saying before she interrupted him:

"Shut up! No!

He came out on a whim calling me like that!"

"He knows?!

Because I didn't explain that particular thing to him..." he pointed out.

"I realized it!

I haven't made myself clear either..." she whispered.

"You should explain it to him, to avoid misunderstandings..." he advised.

"No! It's too embarrassing!

And if it's him... that's okay." She answered embarrassed.

"Ah, now I understand... I will give you some advice:

If you want to live in harmony, let him go his way.

Travelers are known to bring chaos to those close to them, and those who are close to them tend to pay with their lives.

It would be a shame if the young lovely heir of the Cyn clan died…" Tor'Elkast warned.

"I will not abandon him, as he had not abandoned me." She answered confidently.

"So, you have already chosen..." whispered the Elven Sage sadly, then he said one last thing:

"Beware of the path you have taken, may Landris bless you with His divine protection over you."