Passion (Book 1 of "The Fantasy of Life" Series)

Epilogue

Simdagun Mountain

Marhara's eyes fluttered open. He was laid over the desk he'd seen in Valerie's cave.

Valerie. That name held a strange feeling. He sat up and looked around. To his left he found two dozen Ashen filling the cave, waiting, watching. Something changed to Marhara, he didn't feel afraid of them, he didn't feel angry, he felt superior.

"What would you have us do, duke?" One in the front hissed at him.

"Duke?" He asked, scratching the back of his head, but as he did he felt a smooth, cold, round thing sticking out of the back of his head. He gasped and backed away a little.

Yes, welcome my son. You are the latest vessel for my champion, Bloedbad.

Marhara recognised this name, though he was uncertain why because he certainly never learned it at the Evenura, he never learned it from his mother, perhaps his father?

He recognised it as one of the many human intellects, it meant carnage. He'd never heard of anyone named Bloedbad.

Valerie was a very formadable vessel though her body was beginning to deteriorate with age and I'd began to find her magic unreliable. A kindred would have been a better vessel, but you could master the art of tecniks just as fine.

The voice beckoned to him, but Marhara stayed firmly sat against the desk.

Come my child. Meet me.

Rocks from the wall of the cave behind him fell. He turned around to see a narrow tunnel deeper into the cave open up, bright orange or red light showed on the other side.

Come.

The voice repeated.

Marhara turned around and walked into the tunnel cautiously, taking each step very reluctantly. He looked around at all the walls wondering what exactly it was he was supposed to see. The tunnel could only fit one person trekking forward, and was carved into the stone, there was no green in sight, much different than the cave.

The tunnel was actually very short, hardly delving into the mountain at all. A brief walk led him to what looked like some sort of core. Around the edges there was a spiral ramp leading up. He walked up it ever so slowly.

Yes, my child, continue.

He looked around trying to find where the voice was coming from. "Where's Ashanaya, York, and the others?"

Most are fine, they are no longer your concern.

"Most? Who's not okay? What's wrong with them?" He looked around frantic and angry.

Passionate, you'll be a good vessel indeed. One of them is dead.

"What? I'll kill those Ashen!" He went to turn around, but just as he did an image of himself appeared, as if glued on the back of his eyelids. His hair was pitch black, his eyes red. His fingers were longer and claw-like. He screamed and fell back. "That's not me! It's a lie! It's a lie!" He shook his head.

It's not, my child. There's nothing let for you with my future pets. Now come, Bloedbad, proceed.

Marhara sat, mortified with what he saw. He refused to be believe any of it. It was wrong, all of it was wrong. He was just going crazy, he'd just simply count to ten with his eyes closed and he'd be back at the Evenura with Ceylorn, or at least back at camp, glaring at Kel for calling him Oldie, or messing with York, anywhere, anywhere but here.

He opened his eyes and he was still sitting on the stone ramp that led up the mountain.

Proceed.

The voice repeated itself a little more agitated. A tear rolled down Marhara's cheek and he stood, and walked up the rest of the ramp slowly.

Don't worry yourself with those insects. If you really want you can take them back, and have them serve you. It's your only option, do you think they'd ever accept you with you like this?

Could they? Marhara thought back to when York fought so avidly to try and find a way to reverse the change to Ashen. If they found out how to do it then things could go back to normal. Maybe there's hope. Maybe-

Marhara's thoughts were interupted as he noticed he stood at the top of the ramp. Just above him was a small hole that showed the outside world, it was very dark, he had no idea if it was the same night of the fight or weeks, even months later. There was no real way of knowing.

Marhara moved his gaze down, he jumped back as he saw a giant wing shift sightly. He looked more intently and saw that it was a dragon. It filled the entire inside of the mountain and some under it. It was large, very large, unbelievably so.

Gaze upon your master, Bloedbad.

The dragon shuddered as the voice called to him. He knew that it was the dragon speaking, Simdagun, if he remembered correctly.

It was a monster, sleeping, it looked as though it had been sleeping for an eternity, sleeping on a bed of molten rock flowing around under it, occasionally splashing upward toward Marhara.

He stared, not wanting to believe what he was seeing, not wanting to believe any of this could be real because if it was, everything he knew was going to be destroyed. Everything he ever loved would be wiped away, like it had never even existed.

The End