D

arek silently sat on the floor of their room, leaning back against the wall. Darek thought Sorren was faking his death—but he wasn’t. Elder Rendall had inspected the body

and Sorren had been pronounced dead. Was there no way to avoid it? Darek was supposed to be the one to take the leftmost cup. If Sorren hadn’t switched cups with Darek, the opposite would have happened. Darek just couldn’t understand why Sorren did that. Sorren was a killer, one who couldn’t be trusted, and yet he decisively took the cup and drank, knowing that he would die. Why did he do such a thing?

The door opened. Azura entered and found Darek looking as glum as ever.
“Where have you been?” Sounding uninterested, Darek asked simply for the sake of asking.
“I had to throw up the water, just in case.”
“Throw up water?” Darek blinked. “Can you do that?”
“Of course,” said Azura, beaming. “Sorren was hinting something to me when I took the cup, so I held the water in my esophagus to keep it from going any further. It’s a complicated process, but definitely something you shouldn’t try unless you’re Aenarian.”
Darek said nothing in reply to that. Azura thought Darek would still be curious or disgusted by it, but he remained silent. Then, all of a sudden, he began to repeatedly bang the back of his head against the wall. She could tell he was still bothered by Sorren’s death.
“I can’t believe someone dies every step of the way,” said Darek. “First Reza and Drey—and now Sorren! Am I bad luck? Am I some stupid curse? I thought I’d be helping out the mission, but it’s almost like everyone’s dying because of me!”
“Don’t say that,” said Azura. “It’s not your fault! They…had their circumstances. There was nothing you could’ve done. Even if you weren’t around, it wouldn’t have changed a thing!”
“You’re wrong…” Darek smashed his dagger into the floor and yelled, “It is my fault!” He bashed his dagger into the floor, over and over, leaving many deep marks in the wood.
“Darek…” Azura whispered, shocked to see that he was so affected by this.
“Do you not understand?” Darek breathed. He made a pinching gesture with his index finger and thumb. “I was this close to death! I was the one who was supposed to die! ME!” He beat his chest in anger. “It’s my fault you were hurt by the Anarchists! It was my decision that allowed Reza and Drey to come along with us in the first place! It was my cup that killed Sorren! I’m sick of this being all my fault!”
Consoling, Azura said, “Everyone who came on the mission knew it would be dangerous. Things happen. It’s not like you didn’t try to help us. It’s not like we never wanted you on this mission. You still handled everything well in my opinion. You did manage to save me from the Anarchists. And Sorren trusted you enough to leave the matter in your hands.”
“He trusted me?” Darek buried his face in his arms. “Do you think so? I didn’t trust him. I didn’t like him. For him to trust me…it makes no sense. He was the skilled assassin. I’m just…a pathetic delivery boy…who can’t even handle deliveries. Now we have no hope. Without him, we can’t finish the mission.”
“That’s not true!” Azura said. “We can still do this!”
“Maybe you can.” Darek stood up and said to her face, “But I’m only a normal person. I’m a normal human being! You don’t even seem shaken by his death! Death is not something I can just brush off. If I see someone die before my very eyes, I can’t forget it so easily! I can’t be tough like you! I bet you don’t even feel a thing! That’s why you think it’s all right!”
Azura slapped him across the cheek; she slapped him so hard he could feel his jaw crack. His right cheek was burning red and swollen. Stunned, Darek almost retaliated, but refrained from doing so when he saw Azura in tears. With one hand, she grabbed the collar of his shirt, lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the wall. He stared apprehensively at her.
“Death hurts. I know,” Azura said. “Don’t think for a second that I’m immune to things like pain or sadness. I’m human too! But you don’t have to feel responsible for his death. You did not kill him. You had nothing to do with it! And there was nothing you could do to stop it. But there is something you can do now. You can stop acting like this and focus on finishing what he couldn’t! Why do you think he did it in the first place? He knew the transformation had consequences! But he trusted you. No one willingly sacrifices themselves for something they don’t believe in. He believed in you. He believed you would continue the mission…and live on. Are you going to just waste his effort by moping around like this?”
Darek hung his head, abashed. She was right. He couldn’t let Sorren’s death go in vain.
Azura dropped him and faced the other way. She wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her shirt; using her Aenarian ability, Azura stopped the tears from flowing.
“More importantly,” said Azura, turning back with a halfhearted smile, “don’t you want to see how Rathos is doing?”
With the shock of Sorren’s death, Darek forgot what Rathos had gone through. He asked, “Where is he now? Is he okay?”
“Windzer should know,” said Azura. “Let’s go find him.”

“You want to see him?” Windzer nearly jumped out of his shoes. They caught Windzer at the food court, scooping up some fried fish for lunch.

“Yes,” snapped Darek. “No matter how you rephrase the question, the answer is yes!”
Windzer ignored them and quickly ran away from the buffet table, taking his seat under the shade of a nearby umbrella. He hoped they wouldn’t follow him to the table. They did.
“Come on,” shouted Darek. “Take us to him!”
Windzer told them, “It’s just that I don’t think it’s a good idea to see him now. He really doesn’t want to be disturbed. He’s had a very rough morning. Visitors aren’t welcome!”
“Nonsense! Just take us to him,” said Azura. “We’re the guests of honor.”
Windzer scratched his neck and loosened the collar of his shirt. “Getting on your high-horse, eh? That is that and this is this. You can’t expect me to give in to all your demands!”
Darek got close to Windzer’s face and spat, “I wonder what the elders would do if they found out we weren’t treated properly.”
Windzer backed away, wiping the spit off his nose. “So you’re going to play that card, huh?” Windzer glanced nervously at the other tables, making sure no one was listening in. He motioned for Azura and Darek to get close and muttered, “I guess I have no choice. Just promise me that you won’t talk of him. Not a word about Rathos to anyone whatsoever.”
Azura and Darek exchanged glances and said, “What do you mean by that?”
“There’s no hidden meaning!” snapped Windzer. “Stop making things complicated!”

Windzer approached a small fortress near the elders’ castle. The walls were heavily reinforced; thick barbed wire was stretched over the fort like a massive net of prickly spikes. Watchmen were positioned on all sides of the walls. The captain of the guard opened up the front gate and ran out to meet Windzer.

“Have you come to question the prisoner?”
“Yes,” Windzer replied. He looked over his shoulder and motioned to the two others behind him who were in hooded robes. “These are my servants. They will be accompanying me. I’d like to go down.”
The captain nodded. “Of course, my lord. Anything you ask for will be granted.”
The captain led Windzer and his servants past the gates and into the main building. While in the first room, he grabbed several keys from his desk and took hold of a small torch on the wall and handed off another torch to Windzer. The captain opened up the barred door and led them down some stone steps into what seemed to be a dark, foreboding world. It was the dungeon created by the elders, a place of vicious punishment and inexplicable torture. It was the existence of this building that ensured that the rule of the elders was absolute.
The dungeon did not consist of the usual prison cells. There were no bars to peer through, only solid walls to hide the faces of the victims who were imprisoned. Each prisoner had his or her own room. While it may sound accommodating, nothing was farther from the truth. There were no comforts provided for them. They had no bed or blankets; ventilation was poor, making it hard to breathe in fresh air; the food was served charred, cold and heavily salted; the only water given was bitter. The dungeon had no windows and no light. It was utter darkness and pure silence. There was only one prisoner who had to suffer within these walls. Very rarely did anyone come here, for no one would willingly anger the elders.
The captain of the guard led them to the far end of the corridor. There was a revolting odor that lingered in the darkness. As they walked, their shoes squeaked from a layer of sticky, oily filth on the tiles. They stopped at a solid wooden door.
“Here he is. I’ll be waiting at the steps. When you’re done, please come see me.”
Windzer gave a slight nod in reply.
When the captain left them, Azura and Darek took off their hoods.
“What is Rathos doing in this horrid place?” asked Azura, feeling disgusted by everything around them.
“It’s the only jail we have,” replied Windzer. “Not much of a choice for lawbreakers.”
Darek grabbed the torch from Windzer, kicked open the door, and entered the room, clearing away the darkness that encompassed them. As he raised the flame, Rathos slowly came into view. Darek gasped when he laid eyes on him. Rathos was standing there, frail and sickly, his hands and feet chained to the wall. As the light hit his eyes, Rathos flinched. Though tired, he could not sit. His body was beaten and bruised, with flowing blood that streamed down like rivers across his back.
“Rathos!” Tears dripped off Darek’s cheeks. His compassion oozed out when he saw Rathos in so much pain and suffering. Darek passed the torch back to Windzer and approached him. “What happened?”
“Darek, is that you?” Rathos huffed, “Sorry, I can’t see well…”
Darek turned to Windzer. “We have to get him out of here!”
Windzer shook his head. “Doing that would only bring more trouble.”
“But he’ll die!”
“He won’t die. They won’t let him die. Every immortal is important to them. If he dies, it’ll be a loss, a grave loss. Not to mention, they only want to exact punishment.”
“He’s right,” exhaled Rathos. “Don’t worry about me. This pain means nothing to me. Now leave this place. The banquet will soon start at the castle. You must go and show yourselves. Do not be late. And please…do…not…fail…” He fainted.
“I understand,” said Darek, brushing away his tears. “I will do as you say.”

The streets that led to the castle were getting swamped with activity as people trickled in. Broad smiles were on the faces of the immortals as they headed toward the castle. It was almost time for the banquet to begin. The immortals usually had nothing to do with their time. After a hundred years of living, they had already explored their original hobbies and sought after new ones. Aside from several household chores and simple jobs, the immortals would spend their time creating fine arts in the day and partying at night. But even so, they still felt excited to go to this banquet because there was now a reason to celebrate.

Darek and Azura took their time to walk to the castle. They weren’t in a rush. Even though they were the guests of honor, they’d much rather be fashionably late.

Darek didn’t have anything fancy to wear. Rathos had packed him several long sleeve shirts and pants, which he had used during the journey for cold nights, and he hoped that long sleeves would be more appropriate for such an occasion. While the clothes were better than anything he had, there were still shabby and dirty from the trip. He was a bit nervous because he looked so out of place.

Azura was also nervous. While Azura did have some personal sets of clothing on hand, it was all meant for combat. Her clothes were rather plain as their main purpose was to withstand tearing and offer protection. She had on a purple, protective blouse, which she would usually dress underneath a vest; Azura didn’t have a skirt, so she wore silky black shorts.

Darek shrugged. “I hear lots and lots of footsteps if that’s what you mean.”
Azura said, “It sounded like an animal crying.”
Darek perked his ear up and listened carefully. “You’re right,” said Darek. “Now that you mention it, I hear a dog whimpering over in that alley.”
The two of them wandered into the back street to investigate. They found a little puppy standing on its hind legs, scratching the brick wall. When it saw Darek, it stopped and stared at him.
“What’s it doing in a place like this?” Darek crouched over and stuck out his hand. “Come here little puppy. I won’t hurt you.” The puppy had an innocent look on his face and it strode over to Darek’s fingers, sniffing and licking it. It grinned maliciously and chomped down on Darek’s hand, nearly engulfing it. Upset, Darek jerked back his bloody hand and shouted, “Bad dog! Bad dog!”
“Oh, shut your whining,” said the puppy. The puppy started to rapidly grow in size before their very eyes until it was larger than Darek. It was the black wolf, Thedes. Apparently, he had the ability to change the size of his wolf form; it was something Darek had witnessed in the mansion, but back then he had thought it was merely a trick of the mind.
“Thedes?” Azura was surprised to see him. “You survived too?”
“Of course I did!” growled Thedes. “I visited you yesterday!”
Darek tried to recall everything that happened the day before. “No…I think I’d remember something like that.”
Thedes grunted, “I was the one who gave you the letter! Did you even read it?”
“Th-that was you?” Darek stammered. He quickly recovered from the shock of remembering Thedes’s human form. “How did you and Rathos make it back?”
“We found another exit soon after,” Thedes explained. “And conveniently, we found several tame Kajins—these birdlike beasts— waiting there for us. We rode the Kajins back here, arriving shortly after you did.”
“Ah, it must’ve been Windzer,” said Darek.
“Windzer?” Thedes asked, “What does Windzer have to do with anything?”
Looking bewildered, Darek said, “Isn’t he a part of your group?”
“No,” said Thedes. “Though he’s a noble, he’s a servant of the elders. Lower class immortals are forced to be servants, clerks, and the like. Nobles do not usually bother with that, but he went directly to the elders and requested to be their servant. He’d make a great spy if he did join our group, since he’s so close to them. But he is not affiliated with us in any way.”
“He still is helping you guys,” said Darek. “I’m sure of it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Darek leaned against the wall and thought about it. “Okay, maybe I’m not that sure. But he did save us from the Rock Worm at the right moment, which means he was in the area at that time. And when we asked him to take us to Rathos, he did! It was almost as though he knew we were working with Rathos.”
“If what you said is true, we may have to back out,” growled Thedes.
“What? Isn’t it a good thing?”
“It’s not like we can trust Windzer so easily. Yes, he could be on our side—but he could also be helping us as part of an elaborate scheme to bring us before the elders.”
“Darek said the same thing about Sorren, calling him a possible traitor,” said Azura. “We all know how that ended.”
Thedes ignored Azura’s comment. “Did we not tell you the whole purpose of this mission? The whole point was so that even if you failed, there’d be nothing to tie us together! If Windzer, who is so close to the elders, knows of our connection, he may be waiting with a trap to corner us in. Once we are inside the castle, we might fall into their hands.”
“I don’t care if it’s a trap,” said Darek. “We’re doing this.”
“Oh?” Thedes looked surprised. “You sound confident. Where does all that confidence come from?”
“I’m not that confident,” said Darek. “But look where we are! We’ve passed the ceremony and earned the trust of the whole community! We’ve come so far. It’d be a total waste to back out now. I mean, how often do you get a bunch of aliens that you can try this with? This is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Thedes crossed his furry arms. “Sure, you may have gotten quite far. You have dealt with the biggest hurdle. But aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What?”
“Sorren is no longer with you. He was the greatest asset to the team. He was the main reason we wanted to do this mission in the first place. I have seen first hand how great his skills are at stealth and combat. Now that he is gone, my master’s faith in this mission is wavering.”
“You trusted Sorren so much,” said Darek, looking Thedes in the eye. “Yet he placed his trust in me, even to the point of death. Doesn’t that give me any kind of credit?”
Thedes nodded, smiling at Darek’s attitude. “I’m surprised. Very surprised. Darek, maybe I was wrong about you. You might just pull it off. Very well, I approve of tonight’s mission. You may continue as originally planned.”
“Tonight’s mission? You mean—at the banquet?”
“Yes. The banquet will be more than just a party for you.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to do it tonight?” asked Azura. “Everyone will be there!”
“I know,” said Thedes. “But we have no choice. Tomorrow will be the test of your abilities to determine your social rankings. Because you faked the first test, I’m assuming you’ll have no abilities to show, which will cause problems.”
“I could fake it,” said Azura, beaming. “Superhuman strength is my forte. I’m pretty sure I could pass for one of the lower class.”
“But Darek wouldn’t be able to,” said Thedes. “If we do this mission tonight, we won’t have to worry about tomorrow. There are other reasons we must do it tonight. For one, our spies have found out that many security guards will be taking off for the evening so they can attend the feast. This negligence on their part is our gain. Moreover, since it’ll be crowded, it’ll be easier for you to slip away unnoticed. Lastly, the main and most obvious reason is because the place we must investigate is inside the castle. Rarely does anyone get a chance to go inside the castle. Only the elders and their servants live there.” Thedes paused and frowned. “However, because this is working out a little too perfectly, I still feel that a trap is likely.”
“Even so,” said Darek, “trap or not, we have to do this. Once we finish this, the elders will be exposed for who they are, and Merdon will be able to take control.”
Thedes nodded. “I’ll take you to where you need to go, but from that point forward, everything else will be up to you. You can die if you want, but whatever you do—do not fail. The future of our planet rests in your hands.”

The festivities were so loud that, at times, the uproarious music and crowd could be heard outside of the city walls. Darek already had high expectations for what he would experience in their greatest celebration, but his expectations were thoroughly surpassed. He didn’t know if it was because he never really expected much in life, or if this was just way above his imagination. For one thing, the moment he entered the dining hall, he froze and gaped at the immense size of this one hall alone. The castle seemed large on the outside, but the inside felt much bigger than it should be. The ceiling of the hall had to be nearly twenty stories high; massive columns supported the weight of the beams above them.

The town band was there in full form. It was focused mostly on percussion. A hundred drums of each and every size filled the stage and twenty skilled artists manned them. Each drum had a particular note and it seemed they were able to play beautiful melodies with this vast array of drums.

Long mahogany tables were lined up along the walls for the people to sit, leaving space for small circular tables to be placed closer to the center of the room where food was served. Servants strode in and out of the kitchen, carrying platters of treats for the guests.

Everything was excessive. Chandeliers were suspended overhead, and when a strong gust of wind rushed through a network of air ducts, the chandeliers swung from side to side like dancing pendulums. All of the eating utensils and plates were forged of gold. The walls were ornamented with hundreds of perfectly cut diamonds.

Darek said, “What do we do now?”
“Eat and enjoy,” responded Azura, almost swooning. She was absolutely famished and did not spare a single second before digging into the feast. She voraciously slurped up any food within reaching distance of her hands.
The music stopped for a short moment as Elder Zid stood upon the center stage and announced, “The banquet will run through the night. Please enjoy yourselves till dawn.”
“Dawn? They’re crazy,” commented Darek.
Azura laughed, “That’s a good thing for us.”
A servant approached Azura with cookies on a plate. “Please take one.”
“Thank you.” Azura picked up one of the cookies. It was light and most likely hollow.
“Looks like a fortune cookie,” said Darek, sounding eager to crack it open.
“Go ahead,” said Azura, handing it over.
Darek cracked it open and found a small piece of paper that read:

Twenty paces forward will lead you to a door. Head down that hall until you see a four. Pull the rope to go to the next floor. Be prepared for a prize in store.

“How’s this a fortune?” groaned Darek, disappointed. “Fortune cookies never have fortunes anymore! They should say things like ‘You’re going to get rich soon!’ or ‘You’ll soon find the love of your life!’ How lame. Did it even have to rhyme? Super lame.”

“Give me that!” Azura tore the note from Darek’s fingers. “Of course it’s not a fortune—these are directions! They must be from Merdon.”

Darek was about to wander off, but Azura grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him to a door that seemed to be twenty steps away. No one was in that area. Just as the note had said, they found the number four on a door at the end of the hall. Right beside the door was a quaint rope.

“So this rope unlocks the door?” Darek jostled the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Azura yanked on the rope and they heard a loud rumbling. The door clicked open and revealed a pitch-black room.
Darek entered and fell right through a trapdoor beneath his feet. “WHAAAAA—”
“Darek!” Azura jumped down into the hole after him.
After tumbling down a slide, the two of them stumbled into a beautiful garden full of shrubs, flowers, bushes and small trees.
Darek got up and shook off the dirt and leaves from his clothes. “Where are we?”
“Seeing as we fell down,” said Azura, “this would have to be under the castle.”
“Under?” Darek couldn’t believe it. There was a blue sky above them and all of this vegetation at their feet. How could they be underneath the castle? It didn’t even look like a room. There were no walls, nothing to enclose them in this open space. “Looks like the outside.”
“It’s fake,” she replied. “Take a closer look. Only the dirt is real. Everything else is fake.”
Darek inspected the leaves of the leaves and they looked like they were pinned to the branches. “Hey, you’re right!”
“I can’t believe you didn’t figure that out sooner. I was sure the sky was a dead give away. It was completely dark outside an hour ago, but it’s sunny in here. That’s impossible.”
Darek gazed at the sky and said, “No wonder the clouds don’t look like they’re moving. But why would someone bother with this?”
“Probably just an over-extended hobby,” replied Azura. “Bored people do all sorts of crazy things.”
“Or someone could just like to have perfect weather all the time,” growled a voice.
“Who’s there? Is that you, Thedes?” Darek inquired.
A lion crept slowly behind them. It stood tall on its hind legs and turned back into its human form. Not surprisingly, the man still resembled a lion after he transformed. His long golden hair was like a lion’s mane and his stalwart body was intimidating to say the least.
“I have not introduced myself, have I? I am Elder Rendall.”
“Isn’t this the guy who hurt Rathos?” hissed Darek. “The lion punk.”
“Calm down,” Azura whispered to Darek. “We don’t stand a chance against him.”
“It seems you picked up the note,” said Rendall. “Congratulations! You are the lucky winners of the event for tonight!”
“We won? Seriously? What did we win?” asked Darek.
Rendall smiled cruelly. “A trip to your own private dungeon.”
Rendall wasn’t lying. It was something of a dungeon, but it wasn’t that bad. The walls were a vibrant white color and the floor was soft and cushiony. It reminded Darek of a crazy house, one of those places where they keep people who had lost their precious marbles. Darek and Azura were held in separate rooms next to each other. A barred door kept them from escaping their prison cells. They both sat on the floor with their backs against the same wall in such a way that if the wall weren’t there, they’d be sitting back to back. But even though the wall separated them, they didn’t feel lonely. They could hear each other through the wall.
“So…I guess it was a trap after all,” said Darek.
“Yeah,” said Azura gloomily.
“Can’t you break out of here?”
“I’ve tried. I can’t. It’s hopeless,” she grumbled.
Darek cleared his throat and said, “You don’t sound so good. Is something wrong?”
“I hate…being locked up.” Her voice quivered. “I hate it…” She buried her face in her arms. “I HATE IT—HATE IT—HATE IT!” she screamed.
This was a side of Azura that Darek had never seen before. From the sound of it, she was panicking and breathing unsteadily; he thought he could hear her sobbing. The noble, mighty Azura was now scared. He always believed she was absolutely fearless; after all, she fought terrifying monsters and made death-defying leaps with no less than a smile on her face. Azura seemed like the type to laugh in the face of danger. Yet, at this point in time, even though he couldn’t see her face, he could imagine her terror as if she were right next to him.
“I don’t know why,” said Darek, “but even though we’re locked up in this place, I’m not worried or scared. Maybe I’ve gotten used it to.” He forced a laugh.
Azura was silent.
Darek continued, “It’s weird. I want to be free, but every now and then I seem to end up behind bars for no reason. At the same time, I figure I always get free in the end. Maybe that’s why I’m not scared.” He paused. “So don’t worry Azura. I’m sure we won’t be in here long.”
After a long period of silence, Azura said, “Thank you, Darek. I appreciate it.” She took a moment to think. “Did I ever tell you about why I became a Hero?”
Sounding excited, he responded, “No.”
Azura’s frown broke into a slight grin upon hearing Darek’s enthusiasm. “I suppose you don’t know much about Aenaria either. It’s similar to this planet except, instead of terrifying monsters, we have frightening animals. The animals on my planet are fiercer and stronger than most of the monsters here. They are gargantuan beasts. With great strength they rule the land, sea and air. You may have heard of some of these creatures, some which are called dinosaurs.”
“You still have dinosaurs on your planet?” Darek gasped.
“Yes. To survive such a dangerous world, we worked together. Luckily for us, despite their immense size, dinosaurs rely on instincts, and such instincts are predictable and easy to turn against them. But even so, a slight miscalculation in trapping them would lead to death.
“Every day is a fight for survival. We hide in small caves and mountains. We strike when the opportunit