Tales from Tepata: Lightning

Chapter 2: Nightmares

Evuun? Evuun!

I cried out in my mind for him, for my love, yet he did not answer. I screamed into oblivion, begging for him to be returned to me, and yet he was not returned.

"Will?" I heard a soft, feminine voice say.

I woke up in a panic, sweat falling from my face.

"It's ok, you're safe," said the voice in a tone of comfort.

Her name is Violet, she's changed since I last saw her months ago, she now wears a fur-lined cloak, carries two throwing axes, wears tanned leather armor, and now wears her hair in a ponytail.

I met her during a war when I was 16. A group of Lords had attempted to resurface and take over Tepata, but we were able to stop them. But that was 8 years ago, and we have been friends ever since.

"Bluyr is here as well. When we heard you had appeared in Oopheruu, we sailed as quickly as possible. Was Evuun with you?" She asked, her face remaining focused and stoic, but her brows betraying her demeanor and portraying a sense of concern.

Bluyr, a gunslinger, once a sheriff who was given the title of Captain, I met him during the war too, back then we called him Blueberry since he was always seen eating them. Unlike the others, he had a heavy accent, since he was from the outskirts of some desert town, he often liked to wear boots, tattered pants, and a white shirt, claiming that if he changed it would weigh him down.

I got up and looked around, realizing this was Evuun's ship, a ship he adored and cared for; often, I thought he cared more about this ship than he did me. I couldn't help but grin a little.

Evuun, a man of mystery, I had gone to him for help before the war started. He showed me how to use my abilities and taught me simple magic. Being a year older than me, we had a lot in common. He captured my heart, and I captured his. We spent months training and stopping the Lords from returning, and it had paid off. Afterward, we decided to settle in Felisitis, the realm of inspiration. The war took a lot out of us, lasting for 3 long years, losing friends and family along the way. He was the only one I had left by the end of it.

"William?" Violet said loudly.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" I asked, snapping myself out of my thoughts.

"Was Evuun with you? We are trying to figure out what happened to Felisitis and if there are any other survivors." Violet explained, staring into my eyes as if attempting to find the answer before I could say it.

"Dead, Evuun is dead, I am the only survivor," I said, my heart heavy and my mind unable to process the grief and the burden laid on me with that statement of truth.

"What happened?" I heard a heavy accent ask.

It was Bluyr who spoke, standing in the doorway, though his pants were no longer tattered; he wore a fancy suit, boots, and pants as if he were now an esteemed gentleman.

"These creatures, made of some black ooze, showed up, and all we heard were screams. We had a group of us investigating, but found nothing. The day the realm was destroyed was when we finally saw the source of those screams. The sky went black, and all we saw were giant claws and these blood-red eyes, almost as if they replaced the stars," I explained, tears forming in my eyes, "And then it was all gone, I felt as if someone rescued me."

"The same creatures have been showing up across Tepata, originating from Oopheruu and bleeding into Tundaria and Xi Tuluk," Violet said, hanging her head low as if she had failed.

"Rumors have been circling the grapevine, kiddo, even some of the remaining Lords of darkness have come to us, telling us stories of these so-called Heralds, bringing destruction to towns and villages across the realms," Bluyr explained, a sense of rage and anticipation filling his voice as he ate blueberries.