Chapter 7 - The Realm of Forgiveness
Nestled in a picturesque valley, the Sylonian city of Lincier was like no other place in Udicia. With an abundance of greenery, rolling hills and a vast diversity of wildlife, it was evident that no Shadow cast his rule here. Even the people of these lands seemed to be in tune with the beautiful nature around. It was as if the transformation had already well and truly begun.
There was only one other realm that shared this. That was Delcia, in the centre of the Realm of Innocence.
Yuri Gusev thought he was the luckiest Realm Keeper in this transformation. He had been there for almost a day and had not met one Shadow Lord. He was aware of the powers of the ring and the way it exposed any Shadow within his realm, but as yet he hadn't found any pockets of negativity.
Gusev was wearing a long grey robe fastened at the neck, light-brown trousers, a white shirt and short stocky boots.
Presently, he sat at a table on a boardwalk, sipping a brew that closely resembled coffee. The boardwalk ran along the edge of a river that flowed through the centre of the city. He watched as boat-shaped chariots made their way along the river, the people on board pleasantly chatting and enjoying the scene around them.
Suddenly a mandala appeared at the opposite end of his table. Withers looked at him with a grin.
“Captain,” exclaimed Gusev, dropping his mug on the table. “What a surprise!”
“Number One,” said Withers, “in the number one realm.”
“Well,” said Gusev, “someone has to sit back and smell the flowers.”
“Very good,” said Withers. “It's good to see there's actually a little piece of Earth here.”
“Oh,” said Gusev, “the rest of the place isn’t so friendly.”
“But I still found some good people,” replied Withers, sniffing the inviting aroma. “Is that coffee?”
“It’s similar. The ring tells me it has been ground from a bean,” replied Gusev. “There are so many interesting things in this city.”
“I take it you haven't found any Shadow Lords here,” said Withers. “We do have a way of flushing them out, remember.”
“I've communicated a lot by means of the ring,” said Gusev, motioning to his right-hand ring finger, which had a symbolic picture of a “third eye”. “There's a potential Shadow Lord here, and he's in the army. He's a General.”
“I wonder how he's been overlooked by the red eyes of the Shadow Master,” mused said Withers.
“As he's not as yet a Shadow, we can't really move him along the way,” advised Gusev. “We can only keep him in our attention.”
“But that won’t stop me from paying him a visit,” said Withers, “I'll get him to work before Gylith does.”
***
Withers entered a Sylonian army compound and was immediately surrounded by a group of soldiers. In the split-second of sensing danger, he threw the Oracle-discus as one of the soldiers was about to fire upon him. The Oracle sailed in a wide arc, knocking the crossbows from the hands of all the soldiers. When it returned, Withers held it up ready.
A figure of authority approached Withers.
“So you must be one of the vigilantes who have been getting around the world causing havoc,” said Major Knove. He face was a poker face, but Withers could tell he had a few cards up his sleeve.
“I'm happy that my status has been upgraded from terrorist,” said Withers, also not betraying any emotion.
From a long range, a sniper using a high-powered stun-rifle tried to fire at Withers. Withers neutralised the weapon at the moment the trigger was being depressed.
Suddenly, three chariots appeared, hovering above Withers and the Major. The soldiers standing on them lifted their weapons and were about to fire, when Withers put his attention on them, causing them to collide with each other. The soldiers fell back into the chariots, crossbows clattering to the ground. One soldier fell over the side of a chariot. So Withers used the vibrations from the Oracle to soften his fall.
The Major suddenly looked a little uneasy. Soldiers on the ground were holding up their weapons, but weren't sure whether they worked anymore or whether Withers was a friend or a foe.
“We are wasting time!” snapped Withers, feigning anger. “The Tyronians are about to invade!”
A more senior officer walked out of the Command Centre and looked at the awkward scene. “OK. You have our attention,” said General Nas. “Step into my office.”
From the Oracle, Withers knew that this was the future Shadow Lord.
***
Nas stood behind his desk, glaring at Withers. “I've been in the military for a very long time and seen some unexplained things, but never anyone who could single-handedly hold off a platoon of professional soldiers.”
“We could sit here all day and talk about me, but that's not important,” said Withers. “Let's discuss the Tyronian invasion.”
“Invasion, eh?” said Nas. “We have no intelligence about any such invasion. Why the hell would the Tyronians want to invade Sylonia?”
“Well, I'm giving you intelligence, General. Gylith has amassed a large army. He could be here within hours!” snapped Withers.
“Hours?” mocked Nas. “It would take weeks, possibly months, for Tyrone to stage this ludicrous proposal.”
“What sort of proof do I need to convince you?” started Withers.
“Listen here, mister!” snapped the General. “If you were the Chancellor of Sylonia, I would be listening, but who the hell are you?”
Withers’ eyes lit up. “I will show you how he'll get here in hours.” He opened a huge mandala on the floor of the office and looked down at it. “Through one of these.”
Nas's eyes fell on the scene below. “Where's this?” He was shocked by the scene in front of him.
“Tyrone. That's the invasion force.”
“What sort of trick is this?” asked Nas, leaning over the mandala to get a better look. Withers came around behind the General and knocked him in. Withers followed.
Withers and the shaken General landed in Tyrone. They watched as thousands and thousands of angry Tyronians massed on chariots around the palace.
“Do you want to go over there and see if they’re real?” Withers asked. He, too, had been here many years ago as a special forces soldier.
“Our intelligence was watching Varlia. We thought Tyrone was too busy border-fighting with the Jentinians.”
“The Jentinians were assimilated. They're part of Gylith's empire now. You’re their only real threat.”
“I don't understand,” said the General.
“Yes, I understand your confusion. There's a bigger picture.” Withers pulled the General back into Sylonia.
The General stood behind his desk and was quiet for a long time. “All right, I'll send an invasion force to counter theirs. We may have several hundred, but nowhere near the army that dictator has amassed.”
“Leave that to me,” said Withers. “Just get your men ready.”
A mandala appeared and Withers stepped through.