City of Ravens (End)

Opening my eyes, I saw a white ceiling I never saw before. My body aching all over, I tried to move, but my hands and legs were restrained. The room looked like a hotel room, with a hospital bed put in. "Hello!" I shouted trying to get someone's attention.

The door opened and a tall man, with a neat hair cut with a little of greyish hair on the sides. Wearing a white shirt and thick glasses with a smile he approached my bed. "How are you doing Domonique? Any pain?"

"Who are you? Where am I? Why I'm bound to the bed?"

"So you feel fine. That's good. But I need you to slow down a bit. One question at the time."

"What's with the restraints?"

"They were necessary, you were not very cooperative while I was sealing the symbols on your arm. I have to say, it was a pain in the ass to do. Since becoming a Seal Grandmaster, this was the first challenge I had to face."

"The symbols? Wait. Who are you and how did I get there?"

"Again, one at the time. Your master brought you and Emily here after rescuing you. You probably don't remember, but you went berserk, to be more exact the symbols on your arm, controlled you…"

"Controlled me? How?"

"Ok. I should explain everything from the start then. The symbols on your arm are a kind of seal. A very complex one. They changed your body and mind so that you will become a vessel for a being that wanted to come back to life. Eghhh… right she called herself the Raven Queen. Most likely by you using it extensively to make these feathers and fuelling the seal more the process was hastened. Thus, the seal activated and took over your body and made you go to the place where the Raven Queen would've taken your body over. Are you following so far?"

"Yup."

"Good. So then when you were mindlessly digging to the temple, Devin and Emily arrived, and your Master subdued you. Unfortunately, they entered the temple in the hopes of finding something that can help you. The Raven Queen took over Emily's body, but because her body wasn't adjusted to being a vessel like yours was, Raven Queen's mind shattered."

"Is Emily fine?"

"She is, I checked twice and cleared her body of any residual elemental essence. But in the process… she 'Inherited' some of her power. Most importantly her mind is fine, and she is herself again."

"That's good. I can't believe something like this… right I remember now. Wait! Monsters! Under the temple, there is a city and thousands of Monsters! We need to warn everyone!" Memories of what happened appeared in my head like a tidal wave. I remembered, everything. I couldn't control my body, but I remember being in a dream like a state while watching a movie of what my body was doing.

Master, Emily, the Raven Queen.

"Everyone knows already." The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by eyes of grief. With his words it hit me.

Something happened. "What happened?" I asked.

"The Raven Queen, before her mind shattered, she brought the city to the surface and released the monsters. All of them. Many died, but thanks to you many more survived. You warred the people on the checkpoint, only because of that they reacted faster and evacuated most people from the surroundings."

"… how many?... how many died?"

"… it's hard to say. The estimates are in tens of thousands. If not for the fast reaction, it would've been in hundreds of thousands."

"Where is my Master right now?"

"On the Fort-Coulonge front line. He is helping out stop the advancement of the monsters."

"I have to go as well. Let me go now."

"… you want to fight with your soul essence sealed?"

"What?" I closed my eyes and checked, my soul floating inside of me was surrounded by chains, I tried moving soul essence, but nothing happened. "… unseal my soul essence now!"

"Calm down Dominique, you won't be of much help there either way. You are too weak. People that are much stronger are dying right now fighting, if you go there, nothing but death awaits you. And I can't allow that, your Master asked me to make sure you are alive when he comes back, and I owe him much more than that."

"Sigh… its all my fault. If I wasn't greedy and childish this whole thing could've been avoided."

"Don't blame yourself for not stopping a boulder while you are still a child. I heard what happened, and I know it was not your fault, in the end, you rushed with all you had to warn everyone. Like I said, thanks to you a lot of people survived."

"And a lot have died."

"Agh… I hate situations like this. Look, it's true that a lot of people died, you will probably remember that and blame yourself for it for the rest of your life. Just don't let it cripple you, get stronger to carry those lives, and make sure you can stop it next time."

This guy really spews no bullshit. Everything he said was entirely true, but it was hard. I could feel them on my chest, pushing on it like a mountain. It was my actions, my decisions that led to this, everyone that died and will die is my fault.

But what else can I do other than push on? He said it. Get stronger and stop it from happening next time… assuming there will be a next time. Even though I'm still too weak, I will get stronger.

"If you need a moment we can talk later."

"No… it's fine. Tell me, how is the situation."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"As you wish. East form the Algonquin Hunting Ground, the Fort-Coulonge front line was formed. With the help from Ottawa and Montreal forces, the monsters were stopped before reaching the capital. But that sent the monsters north and south. Most of the south was empty, so the defensive line was pushed quite far, but with little casualties. To the west it was similar. It was the north that was hit the most. Monsters enclosed the entirety of Lake Huron. We lost two cities major cities, Toronto, Mississauga, but monsters kept going and went through the border and taken over Detroit. Now the US is helping us as well as many other countries which sent troops to stop the monsters."

"It's a disaster."

The biggest disaster in recent history. I knew it would happen when I saw the monsters in the city, that if they ever get out, it will be a catastrophe, but the scale… It was worse than I could've ever imagined.

With so many monsters that are almost unkillable, it will be hard to push back the frontline.

"So what is this place?" I asked.

"The MCA regional headquarters."

"And you are?"

"Jasper Hill, the MCA regional director."

"… and my Master asked you to help me?"

"Yes."

"How the hell does he know someone like you?! I can't believe that hobo knows someone that important."

"… well, stuff happens in life, don't think about that too much."

"Either way. What about Emily? Where is she?"

"The room next to yours. She was awake for a few days now. She even visited you a few times."

"A few days? How long was I out for?"

"A week. Your body was pretty messed up, but still… I thought that it will take at least a month for you to wake up, and yet, here you are."

"Damn. What about the symbols? Will they make any more problems?"

"No. I placed a seal on your shoulder and your wrist. They suppress the 'software' of the symbols and block them from getting any more soul essence. But just in case I put an additional seal on your shoulder when activated it will cut off all energy flow from the arm to the rest of the body, so if by any chance it activates, you can stop it from taking over your body."

"Thanks."

At least I don't need to worry about that thing anymore. "So, Mr. Hill, can you release me from the restraints now? And unseal my soul essence?"

"Right!" after he took the restraints off, with a tap on my chest a small chain left it, and my soul essence was unsealed. "Done and dusted. Well if you have any more questions just shout, and I will show up. Sooner or later. Clothes are in the closet down the corridor there is a kitchen. You should be able to walk right?"

"I'll be fine."

"Perfect!"

After Jasper left, I got up and stretched for a while. It was hard not to think… and having nothing to do only made it harder. After some light exercise and checking on my soul image manifesting correctly on the arm where the seal was I left the room and got into the kitchen.

I ate everything that didn't need much preparation, and as I was burning a toast, Emily rushed in and put it out. "Jesus… it's only a toast! How did you put it on fire?!"

"…"

"Let me do it."

Like a professional, she danced in the kitchen and made dozens of sandwiches. Consuming them at the rate, she was just able to keep up making more. "You really are a glutton."

"… so how are you?"

"Just fine. And you?"

"Just fine… Are you still working on the translation?"

"Yes. I made a lot of progress these past few days. But it's not important anymore. Now I'm doing for the pure joy of it."

Like that we started talking. One then two hours, we talked about everything and nothing, straying further away from any important topic, talking just to… talk. But there is only so much we could talk about.

"So… what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"These guys in black suits are probably still looking for me, if I go back now they will find me."

"What guys in black?" out of nowhere Jasper showed up. Seeing the sandwiches that were still not devoured be me, he joined us and started eating. I explained what happened with the men in black, the museum, and then in front of the MCA building…

"These guys? I know who you are talking about, nasty organization, relatively small but they make up the numbers in quality. Nasty people, they got themselves some deal with the government, but I can try pulling some strings, but that won't stop them for long."

"In other words, we have to hide from them for the rest of our lives?"

"If that's what you want to do."

"What else can I do?"

"What would you want to do?"

What do I want? I know there are other cities like the one the monsters came from, Master told me he found one. This means there can be other. If that's the case… "Find if there are other cities like the one in the Algonquin hunting grounds, then destroy them."

"Isn't that a noble goal. And you Emily?"

"If it involves more ancient languages I'm up for it."

"Then let me give you a hand. The Library of Mages in the University of Martial and Arcane Arts. When I was studying seals, I saw a book that had similar symbols to the ones on your arm."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yup. It is actually quite famous as no one was able to do anything with it for years."

"How can we get it then?!"

"Join the University of Martial and Arcane Arts."

"…"

"What? They only let very few people go inside. And it always is people from the University of Martial and Arcane Arts. But that won't be a problem for you, Dominique."

"???"

"Your master said something about admitting you there. He said… 'I neglected his education a bit.' He decided to send you there for a while, and when he finishes his busines, he will take you for training."

"I need to call him."

"But for you Emily I don't mind making a phone call."

"Thank you."

---

After both Emily and Dominque decided to enter the university I left and made a call.

"How did it go?" Devin's voice went through from the other side of the call.

"Easy. I just had to mention that book in the Library of Mages, and both were on board. But the Order is after them."

"Both?"

"Yes. They decided to look for other cities and destroy them, so I gave them a clue. Coincidently it leads where you want him to be."

"I only asked you to make the Kid join the Uni, but whatever. They will be safe there. But the Order? Damn. I had no idea. Those guys are moving a lot these days."

"Are you going to do anything about them?"

"Nothing more than usual."

"What about the two? Will you let them look for the cities? Now we know there must be more, so if they find something and it happens again…"

"It won't. Kid is a quick learner, he won't make the same mistakes twice."

"If you think so."

"Make sure he gets there safe. I can't talk any longer, Monsters are approaching."

"Good luck."