Xanum

Chapter Nine

Tony and I appeared in the room we'd been stuck in for those few days, attempting to find the correct combination. We found ourselves sitting on the lower bunk of the bunk bed, and someone's legs were swinging directly above us, barely an inch or two over our heads. I swatted one of the legs away and the person started clapping. The person jumped gracefully off the bed and landed on the floor. It was Fayne. He didn't stop his slow, deliberate clapping for a second. "You finally did it, huh? You went home," he said. He looked excited.

"Yeah, we went home, but we're back, and we're here to train," I said, stepping down onto the floor. Fayne put his hand up, as if to ward me off.

"You didn't miss much, and Amplov still has a bit more to do until his speech is ready," Fayne said, his eyes glowing in the dim light. "I doubt he even knew that you were gone. Since we still have time, I want you to tell me what you did, and what was so horrible about your home that you chose to return here," he said. He seemed genuinely excited to hear about our adventure.

"You're not even angry that we left?" Tony asked.

"I am not, there is no point in being angry at what has already conspired. The past is gone, Tony. You are back, and that is what matters," Fayne responded.

"Okay," I said, sitting back on the bed. I began with Jon's basement and the things that we noticed upon travelling there. Fayne took no interest in that. As the story progressed and I covered the black-eyed-men, Fayne's face became tighter and he began to look concerned. I had barely explained the way that the smoke had risen from their eyes when he stopped me.

"Black eyes, bodies that should be dead but are still alive? You're sure?" Fayne asked, sounding critical.

"Uh, yeah. But I'm not done with the story," I said. He waved his hands about.

"Carry on, then," Fayne said impatiently. I continued with the story and Fayne took no interest until I mentioned the figure cloaked in darkness, and its aura of fear.

"Stop," he said. I was in the middle of a sentence, and my jaw hung open.

"Okay, what's wrong?" I asked.

"This...figure that was surrounded by blackness, you're saying that when he was near, you became irrationally terrified?" he asked, his eyebrows arched. I nodded. "Then the king is right, Xanum is coming," he said. He scratched his chin and stared off into the distance.

"Xan-Xan...what?" I stammered. I looked at Tony, confused. "What the fuck's a 'Xanam'? Is it like a Xanax?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Xanum is a who, not a what," Fayne said sternly.

"Okay, so this is a who, but that still doesn't tell us what this thing is," I said. I was still confused.

"Xanum, when I was a child, was a legend, a myth. It was labeled as... as a god. Specifically, the god of destruction, death, suffering, the list goes on. For the longest time, it remained that way, a nightmare that wasn't anywhere near real enough to be worried about, until it appeared here and killed half the kingdom in a single second before vanishing. One person, I believe, reported seeing a black emptiness hovering above the glacier fields, but after that, it was gone. Shortly afterward, civilians started disappearing," Fayne explained.

"So, basically, we met your god of death, and for whatever reason, it wants us," Tony said.

"I assume that is the reason you've returned," Fayne stated, leaning back. I nodded.

"It killed my mother," Tony spat. Fayne made eye contact, and quickly looked back at me.

"Wait, what is it? I mean, is it actually a god? Has anyone seen it without the void surrounding it? Has anyone tried to kill it? Has-" I spurted.