Wingheart: Luminous Rock

Chapter 6: Myth and Magic

Cecil's talk of alternate universes did nothing but build on Magnus' frustration. The boy didn't believe much of any of this. But he bore in mind Cecil's candid insistence on having no reason to lie. "So I, Drake, our parents..." said Magnus, forcing away his skepticism, "we were all born in this parallel dimension?"

"Of course," answered Cecil. "I was also born in MorningStar, along with your father. Your mother was born in a nearby town in the same province, and I believe the same for your brother."

"Then how exactly would we have gotten here?"

"We have our ways," Cecil said firmly. "If I were to elaborate now, I fear I'd only be confusing you further and drawing away from the subject."

Magnus cocked an eyebrow. "In that case..." he sighed gruffly, "why would we have left?"

Cecil's expression crumbled. He folded his arms and heaved out a strangled breath. "For the same reason I left my house, and for the same reason I sit here with you now."

Magnus met Cecil's eyes. "Shades?"

Cecil nodded silently.

Magnus was still not sure whether he believed the story of the shades. But just as with everything else he had been told, he decided he hadn't much of a choice other than to trust his former guardian for now. It took all his willpower to force the question past his rational mind: "So then the shades came from Arkane?"

"Well, yes," said Cecil. "But no one knows exactly from where they originated. Some presume they escaped from another dimension, while others believe they were intentionally summoned."

"Summoned?" Magnus repeated, drumming his nails on an armrest. "By whom?"

"Almost undoubtedly the same man who now controls them," Cecil replied dourly. "Daimos Recett."

Magnus felt his heart lurch upon hearing the name, though he knew hardly anything about their supposedly terrifying pursuer. "Drake told me about him yesterday," he recalled. "My father wrote about him in his book."

"You ought to know more about him than just that. I believe that this book may have been written before its final chapters could unfold." Cecil picked up MorningStar and rubbed its gilded letters wistfully. "Decades ago, Daimos, or, more correctly, Eras Recett, was a councilman in the Serenian city of Anmer. He wasn't a person who attracted much attention...until he was linked to an uprising of the notorious New Order cult within the city. In the months that followed, Anmer suffered a violent revolt that led to the collapse of the city council. Eras assumed control of Anmer as a warlord.

"While the rest of the province scrambled to take action, Eras launched a second attack on Serenia's capital city of MorningStar. Thankfully, his army, which consisted mostly of mercenaries and New Order followers, was small and poorly constructed. He was struck down by the MorningStar Guard and fled into hiding. Your father, who was part of MorningStar's council, made an enormous contribution during the battle and the restoration of the city. It was because of his immense support that, months later, he was elected as head of the city's council."

"I already read all that in my father's book," Magnus interrupted. "What did you mean about its final chapters?"

"I didn't say this was the end of the story," Cecil replied. "It was about three years later that something strange began to occur. Every night, a small band of shades would soar down from the skies and attack the city's guards. They were nothing like anyone had ever seen before. As a rule, such spectral creatures tend to remain in a single location, guarding their place of death or something of importance to them. These particular shades attacked with a vengeance. They were no more than small assemblies at first and were easily driven away...but the threat grew worse. The shades' numbers would multiply, night after night, until two weeks had passed and the guards could barely maintain their defense."