Empyreal Calamities

Chapter 9: The Mornspark Sepulcher Part 2

Kara hit the man's head with her staff before the knife stabbed Ilys. She dropped her weapon and covered her mouth to keep from crying when she saw him fall to the ground. Never before had she used her staff to hit someone and she felt a little sick from doing so. She didn't mean to hit him so hard, but panicked when she saw him nearly kill her sister. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Ilys groaned as she sat up and looked over at the man. "You didn't kill him. He's just knocked out," she told her sister.

The Snow Elf walked over to the man, seeing that he was still breathing but had a little blood trickling from the side of his head where she hit him. "A-Are you sure he'll be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Ilys assured, standing up. "Probably have a headache when he wakes up, but he'll live." She picked him up and carried him over to a nearby chair. He stirred a little when she sat him down but didn't wake.

Kara looked worriedly at the man as her sister walked over to the area where his stuff was. Now that she could see him better, he was an old Light Elf man dressed in tattered gray robes. His long gray hair was shaggy and wild. His body emitted a foul odor that made her feel nauseous. He looked emaciated and deathly pale like he hadn't eaten or seen the sun in months. She caught a glimpse of his hands before Ilys moved them to the back and saw blood on his fingertips. "He looks and smells like he hasn't bathed in months."

"He probably has been here for months," Ilys replied as she tied the rope around his wrists. "And most likely went mad if he's been living here." She stood in front of the man when she finished restraining him.

"Now what?" Kara asked.

Ilys didn't answer her and picked up her dagger. She stared at him for a few seconds before backhanding him. The man woke up with a gasp and looked around frantically before focusing on them.

"Ilys!" Kara shrieked, not expecting her sister to do that.

"I'm not feeling particularly nice after he tried to stab me," Ilys quipped. She used the tip of her dagger to lift his chin and looked down into the light gray eyes. "Who are you and why are you here?" The man began moving, trying to free himself. She pushed her weapon a little harder against him. Not enough to cut him, but enough to scare him. "Either calm down, or I'll cut your throat."

"You have to get away," the man croaked. "The Eye...it showed me everything. We're not safe."

Kara shared a confused look with her sister. "What are you referring to, sir?"

The old man continued looking at Ilys with unfocused eyes. "The Eye of Avi...it showed me the truth about everything. The world isn't safe! The Buquenian is among us! The Vessel of Rebirth will end the world!"

"I've never heard of any of this," Kara whispered to her sister. "Sir, is this item causing the lights and noises at night? Or is it spirits? Necromancers? Something else?"

Ilys rolled her eyes and pulled her dagger away. "He's not making any sense. I don't think we're going to get any straight answers from him."

"We should be patient with him," Kara insisted.

The man struggled to break free and glared at her. "You don't understand! The Dimiosa is here! HERE! To end the Incarnates!"

"Can you tell us who these people are? And is the Eye causing the lights and noises?" Kara asked gently. She feared that the man wasn't going to give them any answers but she had to try.

"You don't understand...," the man told them in an eerily calm voice. "The Eye is calling to them. When they touch it, it'll unlock their powers and the world will end. The Dimiosa will end the Incarnates and the Buquenian will burn this world and create it anew from the ashes." He looked around again and started mumbling incoherently to himself.