The Cursed Souls of Liriethem - Forgotten Lore of Liriethem Volume 1

The awakening of the warrior

Liriam was not sure she had heard correctly... what was the answer to her offer? But the confusion lasted only a few seconds. Suddenly she felt an odd warmth sweep through her body; she felt suffocating, she felt her body burn in flames!

Liriam fell to the ground, trying to tear off her skin: it burned as if she had hundreds of embers on her. Her cries of pain echoed on the same walls where, only a few seconds ago, her promise to the spirits had reverberated. Nobody else could hear her: only the souls, who watched her in silence and did nothing.

(Footnote: The original text excludes Tim and the looters of the tomb of Oril III, either because time passed and they withdrew from Liamsa, or because, lost in the labyrinth of the city, they perished in their inextricable halls (of hunger or, killed at the hands of each other), or because the souls themselves killed every living being in the city by showing themselves to Liriam. The story does not delve into details about what happened to them. However, the most likely possibility is that Tim, in the state of sudden insanity he was in, killed everyone. This theme, that is, sudden madness, is repeated in many accounts of Liamsa. And again it is related to "the curse of Liamsa", although there is no evidence to confirm such a thing.)

The princess twisted and rolled on the floor, crawled, but the pain did not subside. She was breathing with difficulty, making horrible noises, suffocating from the heat she felt. Her whole life flashed before her eyes: every event, every decision... every moment that had led her to this place and this instant. The pain continued to increase until Liriam went blind... her screams continued, but the princess heard them farther and farther away, until her body could no longer hold, and fainted, falling to the ground out cold.

Liriam swam in her unconscious, floating over the kingdom of Liriethem, walking through the people she loved, talking to people she didn't know. Time seemed to extend infinitely, until she began to fall... a strong nausea made her lose all sense of orientation, and her insides only wanted to leave her body... the final blow was approaching, but a few seconds before the end... she opened her eyes: she had returned to herself. Her body was beating... everything seemed different... she felt full of energy, radiant. The sensation was strange, because the pain had not disappeared, but she no longer experienced it in the same way: It felt almost pleasant, like a new awakening, a rebirth.

- THIS IS THE BEST I EVER FELT IN MY LIFE! - she shouted from the ground, where she was still laying. Then, she stood up and had a long, loud laugh. Her foot had also healed. "It's a miracle," she thought, "but I guess it couldn't be otherwise now that I was just reborn?"

The spectres kept silent, watchful. The princess seemed to be out of her mind and looked at her hands, arms and legs as if it were the first time she saw them. A gentle breeze swirled around her body, moving her hair continuously - she was surprised to realize that it was her body that raised that wind, although she did not know what it meant. This self-contemplation lasted a long time, until it was interrupted by the statue king.

- Liriam II...

- Eh? Ah, yes... what do you want? - Liriam replied sharply, sounding annoyed.

- I thought you were interested in knowing who your father's murderer was, but maybe I was wrong...

- Yes! Tell me right now! And I will bring you his head to this enclosure, to accompany the magnificent kings of Liriethem for all eternity and contemplate the greatness of...

- Shut up and listen! - interrupted angrily the statue king - You have received the blessing of the souls of Liriethem. And because of it you will experience many changes: wherever you go, you will always take us with you. The power you have received will bring death and pain... but it will help you fight your enemies. However, let me warn you: be careful; don't let these new sensations make you arrogant and careless... You must go to Liriethem and return to the Heart of the Hydra. See with your new eyes and feel the world as we do. You can see directly into other people's souls just by looking into their eyes. You will know then whose heart is dark and quickly find the murderer. We cannot interfere... directly... in the lives of men, so the responsibility is entirely yours. - The statue king sounded awkward for a moment, but that feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. - Consider this as a test: prove yourself to the spirits and prove that we have chosen well.