Chapter 18: Messenger of the Beyond

CHAPTER 17

“What?” I asked even though I had heard it all too well.

“I only left the room for a moment, I went to get him something to drink and when I came back…” Moirah explained through the sobs.

“Are you sure he didn’t run away again like he did earlier?”

“I heard him scream…” Moirah explained.

“Are you that adventurer?” the woman who had just been arguing with the elder turned to me. “Please, our poor baby, he must be so scared right now.”

So the man and the woman were Moirah and Bran’s parents.

“My lady, I will try to do anything I can to make sure your kid is returned to you safely. Can you please let me know what happened? Did you see anybody around your house, any sign of somebody breaking in?” I asked the mother.

“I already told you,” Moirah interrupted, “we were sitting in our room and as soon as I went away I heard him scream and then he was gone.”

“Is it alright if I come and inspect your house?” I asked them.

“Yes, please follow us.” the parents nodded.

Arriving at the humble abode where the two children I met by chance lived, I tried to pick out any detail that stood out. I was led inside, into the room where little Bran was last seen.

The window was closed so it was unlikely that somebody had come through there. On the ground I saw painted wooden figures of paladins and knights that Bran had been playing with. It was an upsetting scenery, the kind of emotional weight I did not prepare myself for when embarking on my first quest.

I ducked to inspect the ground and close to the painted toys I saw what appeared to be a dark piece of paper. I assumed it would be futile but decided to give it a try regardless.

‘System, can you tell me anything about this piece of paper?’ I thought.

[Affirmative. This is a residual parchment of a completed incantation. Faint undead energy still lingers on it.]

I was shocked to receive any information from the system, let alone this much. Undead magic was involved in all of this somehow. Whatever was happening here only kept getting more drastic.

‘Do you know what sort of incantation it was?’ I asked the system once again.

[Negative] it replied.

‘Is ‘Frost of the Silver lake’ an undead ability?’ I tried again.

[Negative, ‘Frost of the Silver Lake’ is an elemental ability]

I pressed my fingers against my temples. My head felt as if it would explode at any second and if I was honest, it had every reason to do so.

“Did you find anything?” Bran’s father asked, standing at the door.

“Nothing conclusive.” I admitted.

“You don’t believe in this tale that the elders of our village are muttering under their breaths. That all that is happening to our children is divine providence?” the father continued.

“I don’t even know what the tale is, really, to tell you the truth.”

“It’s some myth they claim they have read in one of their books. It says that with each generation people will grow more and more wicked. Once wickedness can no longer be tolerated, the merciful god of nature, Tennerhet, will send forth his holy soldiers to rid the world of wickedness and those that are spared will learn and repent.” the father explained.

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“Who are the wicked in this case? The children of this village?” I let out a laugh full of bitterness. I could not believe that such a myth could be used to explain the suffering of the innocent.

I did not care that this world was new to me and that it operated under different laws than Earth in so many ways. The purity of children is the one thing that would never change, no matter the world, dimension or universe.

“I do not believe in this tale, not even for a moment. You and I, the elders of your village, every man and woman of this world, if any of us were the target of these “holy soldiers”, I would have it in me to understand it. But a young boy in tears, who is too scared that he might accidentally hurt the ones he cares about, never. Never!” I said.

I saw the tears in the father’s eyes as I turned away to hide my own.

“Please, find him, find all of the kids and return them to us.” I heard him say.

“I will try my best.”

It was a promise.

Despite the promise, I had nothing to go by. No clue and no hints save for a burnt piece of parchment. Should I go back and talk to the elders once more? Ask Regan for help again? Return to Dragon’s mouth cave? All of the possibilities seemed like dressed-up dead ends.

I excused myself and left Bran and Moirah’s house. I found Moirah on the street, staring at the ground.

“Do you know where he is?” She asked as soon as she noticed me.

“I am still trying to figure it out.” I said.

“Will I see him again?” she added.

“We are doing our best to make sure he returns…”

“But how will you do that, none of you have any clue where all the kids are!” She cried.

“We are trying…” I said weakly.

“I am a terrible sister, Bran deserves someone better than me, if only my mom had given birth to someone braver and stronger, someone who would protect Bran.” Moirah wept.

“Moirah, this is not your fault.” I said, trying to console her.

“It is, he had been so scared ever since his powers first showed up. I could have consoled him, I could have been there for him, if only I told him I had powers too!” Moirah exclaimed.

“Moirah, what did you just say?” I asked, wondering if I had misunderstood something.

“Please, don’t tell anybody,” Moirah said as if she only then realized what she confessed, “well, it doesn’t even matter now, my silence had already cost me all it could.”

“Moirah,” I began, lowering myself until I could look at her straight in the eye, “nothing is lost yet, your brother might be gone and he might be scared right now but that is all the more reason for us to go and find him. Please, tell me everything you think I should know.”

Moirah wiped her tears and nodded.

“It started only a week or two before Bran’s powers first manifested. Some of the children have already gone missing by then. I was coming home from the market when I saw Laudna standing on the side of the street. She was the one that went missing first. I was so happy to see that she had returned but when I got close she looked very sad. I asked her where she had been but she would not respond. Soon, I learned that I was the only one who could see her. I think that Laudna was a ghost.” Moirah explained and began to cry once again.

“Moirah,” I said, exasperated, “you think that you have the power to see… to see ghosts?”

She nodded.

“This girl, did she ever speak to you?” I asked next.

Moirah shook her head.

“After I saw her that day, a few days later I also saw Dreiss next to Laudna.”

“Dreiss is another child that went missing?”

“Yes,” Moirah said, “Usually, they would not do anything, they would just stand around and they would always have a really sad look on their faces. A few times, it seemed like they were trying to tell me something but I was so scared and I would just ignore them and beg them to go away. I am so sorry!”

The implication of Moirah’s words was heartbreaking, I hoped it wasn’t true but even if it was, these children deserved justice.

“Have you seen any other missing children?”

“No,”

There was still hope for the others, in that case.

“Laudna and Dreiss, can you see them now, Moirah?” I asked her.

“Not right now, but if I called on them, I think they would show up.”

“Could you please do that? Whatever they were trying to tell you, maybe it could help us save Bran and the other kids.” I explained.

Moirah raised her head and nodded. Maybe it was because she had finally confessed something that has been torturing her for a while but in that moment I could see some hope in her eyes.

“I will do it,” she said.

She closed her eyes and stood in the middle of the street.

“Laudna, Dreiss,” she began, “I am sorry for not listening to you sooner, can you please tell me if you are here right now.”

There was a brief moment of silence. I looked around but could not notice anything different. After a while Moirah opened her eyes and looked at me.

“They are here,” she said.