Elli
October 16, in the year of 8845, Reminis Calendar (RC)
Elli’s soul drifted. She didn’t know where it was going. She stretched out her hand and jumped to the air, trying to grab it, trying to restore it into her body, but she couldn’t reach it. She tried to stand up, only to find herself collapsing again on… a floor of white clouds. Where am I? She patted the clouds carefully; they were hollow and her fingers became wet instantly, making contact with the air molecules. She looked around. The entire surroundings were of sheer whiteness. Is this Haven? I’ve done nothing noble that allows me to end up in Haven. Wait, I killed the Vampists.
She smiled. For the first time in her life, she felt she had done greatness. She stood up again. Her feet sank into the hollow clouds. She steadied her pace and tried to walk, each step a time. Slowly, she got used to it. Squinting her eyes, she cast her vision forward. A grey cliff lay a yard of clouds away and she ran towards it. When she arrived at the edge, she expected to see some flying gods. Nothing. There was only a willow tree that grew forlornly at the edge. A zephyr blew past and the leaves caressed her cheeks. The wind brought along the scent of red wine, and the sound of new footsteps.
Elli’s heart throbbed and she spun around, only to find herself facing to the man she hated the most; or perhaps the man she used to hate. She wasn't clear of it now. “You! I thought you were dead.”
Vadiraj stood ten feet away from her. He held his hands mid-way in the air, a sign of surrendering.
Elli frowned. He looked different. She took a step forward, then another, until she was only two feet away from him. The clouds dissipated and she could see him clearly now. He had cut his hair short. The middle stubs of his black hair were jelled up nicely, like the one she transformed him in her dream the previous night. His face was smooth, no longer cracked up like dry land. Instead of bone-knitted cloak, he wore a simple grey cloak; but he still kept his goatee.
“You saved me, remember? You saved me when Netto…”
Netto… Elli began to recollect the missing pieces in her mind. She closed her eyes and when she opened it again, she saw a gleaming emerald stone on Vadiraj’s neck. Her parents were right. Everyone is born with a kind heart. The death of Vadiraj’s most-loved pet made Vadiraj transform into someone new.
Reading Elli's mind, Vadiraj said, “I’ve changed. I am no longer the man I am. I no longer crave for blood and love. I won’t force you to marry me, if you don’t like me. I was wrong, terribly wrong, and I’m here to repent.” His amber eyes bored deep into Elli’s heart, with sincere tears dancing in the lobes.
“How could being here help you to repent? Where're the others? Where's this place?”
Vadiraj brought something out of his robes and passed them to Elli. One was her father's broken sword and the other was her jukebox.
“Dorris!” Elli’s brown eyes sparkled.
Instead of greeting her with its usual despicable tone, Dorris’ tone was jovial. “Lady Elli, glad to see you again. I know you’ll survive. The premonition of Dorris is never wrong.”
“Dorris, where's this place? What’s happening?” asked Elli, while leaning against the trunk of the willow tree. Vadiraj sat across her, keeping a comfortable distance. Even his skull-knobbed staff and his fangs didn't look as menacing as they used to be.
“This is the Void of Eternality. Any souls that the Underworld and the Haven can’t determine their directions will fall into here. When I first died, my soul had lingered here for a month, before Sir Kodi Myron found me. He noticed I have a gift in foretelling and pleasing people, so he placed my soul into a jukebox. This is how after thousands of years, I’m still, uhm, alive, sort of.”
“Then where’s Sir Kodi Myron? I saw him once, in you, in the jukebox. Can’t both of you show up and bring me out of here? I want to see my friends.”
“We can’t. We are just a memory now, but we can guide you. In order to find the exit, you need someone to give you a purpose, a purpose for you to live. That’s why Vadiraj is here.”
“He? How can he help me?” asked Elli, throwing Vadiraj a sultry look.
Dorris made a frustrated face and said, “Elli, he saved you. He kissed you and gave you his final breath, so that you didn’t bleed to death. A Vampist has this gift. When they die, part of their greed and desire will transform into the Breaths of Jayafi. That’s the reason why they can live in both worlds. Now that he has given you his last breath, he has generally become your guardian. He’ll see you leaving this void, before he dies, forever. That's actually another way of killing them.”
"Thank you for your detailed explanation, Dorris," Vadiraj said with a bemused tone.
Elli studied Vadiraj’s face. It was now a face of a young man, innocent and macho. He'll die after I leave the Void, yet he still looks so placid. Can he be trusted? Hmm, better not.
Vadiraj opened his mouth to speak, “Elli, you’ve to trust me. You’ve to discard all your suspicion and hatred. The Void feeds on these negative emotions. The stronger it is, the deeper your soul will be sucked into it, the longer you’ll stay here, even forever. If you don’t trust me, at least, trust Dorris.”
Uhh, he'll never change his mind reading habit. Sighing and running her fingers through her short brown hair, she said, “All right, so what do we do now?” She directed the question to her jukebox; she didn’t want to get too close with Vadiraj. She hadn’t forgiven him, not yet. Ironically, it was Vadiraj who answered her. He gave her an answer that made her want to drown herself in the sea of clouds.
She wanted to drown herself in the sea of clouds, because of fear.
“I’ve made a terrible mistake. I knew Dominic has been serving Illidad, a dark overlord of the demon tribe in Realm Kalkaris. Now Dominic has led my armies to Illidad. Reminis is a magical land sealed by protective enchantment. There had been only one war created, by me, ten years ago. No outsiders have intruded Reminis because of this enchantment. But now that Dominic is with Illidad, he, as a Reminis citizen, can break the charm and summon Illidad to enter our kingdom.”
“How many soldiers or demons this Illidad has?” asked Elli.
“His armies spread like the constellations in the sky. Only, they are not of beautiful breeds. They are all kind of demonic creatures with all kind of body builds. They are darker than one’s nightmare, and they act with the stealth of wind. I should’ve killed Dominic. I used to be war lust, and I spare him, so that I can enjoy the sufferings of warfare. But now I realise, a great leader avoid any warfare if he can.”
Elli frowned. She tried to find an answer to comfort Vadiraj, but she seemed to have swallowed a Silent Pill. Though a minor part of her still hated Vadiraj, she couldn’t help but sympathise with this man who was striving to amend all his wrong doings. She died to save a war, only to be awakened to hear a new war had arisen. Could she, who was the last heir of Lucifer, prevent this upcoming misery?
It was Dorris who broke the silence. “Do not press a desperate foe too hard, Master Sun Tzu once said. Perhaps it’s a wise option to let Dominic away. What are you going to do next, Lord Vadiraj?”
“I’ve preserved some armies. I’ve ordered the Clandestine Triad to brew a potion that could make them hibernate for a week. Kaizord should be awakening them now. If I follow the teaching of Sun Tzu properly, I should be able to win this war with even the least soldiers on hand.”
Elli brushed her hair away from her face. “We need to get out of here then. I want to help too.”
“Not so soon, petal. We need to visit the Spirit Pet Ranch.”