Journal of Fire: Embers

Chapter 9, The Escape

Journal of Fire Entry 4 (Atrein Diablon)

Year 0 A.D., The Second Day of Winter

The Eastern Countryside of Ertore

Once again, I was confronted with an odd dream in my slumber. This time the setting was a massive city filled with pink soul. It was a city of romance and love, with massive structures as far as the eye could see. The architecture was quite peculiar, and it emphasized beauty. Carved into the stone of every building were flowing patterns, and arches dotted the city at regular intervals. I found myself on top of a structure I somehow knew was called the Grand Keep.

It towered above the surrounding buildings, many of which were made of stained, dark pink bricks. The Grand Keep sprawled across the city and toward the sky, and most of the brick buildings surrounding the Grand Keep were only three stories tall. The layout led me to believe they were the kingdom's administrative offices, meaning that the Grand Keep I found myself on top of was most likely the residence of the royals.

After gazing at the dazzling scenery of the serene city, I sensed trouble. I noticed fires dotting the city, and I felt my stomach drop. Not this shit again, I thought as I closed my eyes in preparation. I found myself in yet another dream of war, I guessed correctly. When I opened my eyes again, I saw fighting, and this time it was between a group of warriors dressed in red and horrifying, corrupted human beings. They looked possessed and mutated, for their skin was warped and sickly. A fresh aroma of terror spread throughout the streets with a somewhat sluggish wind. Many dressed in flowing and ornate pink robes were fighting the corrupted beings, defending their family and friends from the ravaging possessed. The possessed were being controlled like puppets, killing everything that moved. Once they downed a target, they would bite into it. Immediately after, I spotted tiny beads of pink soul zooming towards the city's southern section.

I looked in disbelief as the pink soul ziplined on thousands of thin wires of purple soul, which seemed to originate from a Cathedral's spire. In the Cathedral, tens of thousands of men and women were barricaded, defending themselves from the onslaught. The red robes were valiantly tearing their way through the possessed in an attempt to reach the Cathedral. It was an impressive yet terrifying scene.

My mouth hung agape, and the only question circulating through my mind was whether or not I was the one controlling the possessed, but some foreign feeling told me the answer was no. The scene's significance was lost upon me at the time, but I attempted to focus my vision on the warriors who wore red. They were undoubtedly Ertorians, and I wanted to know who they were. However, several rough bumps woke me from my dream before I saw the figures clearly, and my head slammed into the uneven wooden floor with every bounce of the wagon.

I snapped awake, and I carefully listened for a minute. After hearing nothing but the breathing of the horses who pulled the cart, I determined I was being transported to The Holy City. I lifted my left eyelid a tiny sliver to observe my situation. I was pinned to the ground under a mountain of chains snuggly wrapped around my chest, arms, and legs. I laid there in a supine position, and I attempted to turn my neck. I realized then that my body was sorer than during my wait to cross the trench, and even the slightest attempt to move my neck was painful. I looked down to see my respirations coming out in ghastly clouds and realized I was freezing. My arm and leg hairs were standing straight up, and I shivered more forcefully. I concluded that my situation was pretty bad, but it was better than having my head displayed to the citizens of Krotrean on a pike.

A family member was also required for Exilliante trials, for I saw Seimn sitting on the opposite side of me. She was curled against the wall of the wagon, her head only slightly sticking out of her robe so that she resembled a turtle. She stared at me rather oddly, and I felt she had been watching me sleep.