Eternal Lifeline

By eternallifelinebook

85 8 1

Humanity has reached the end of its rope. A village nestled within a seemingly infinite forest is its very la... More

Prologue
Chapter 1 - How a Sword Changed Everything
Chapter 2 - One Got Loose
Chapter 3 - Vacation Day
Chapter 4 - How It All Happened
Chapter 5 - The Crimson Lords

Chapter 6 - Morals and Ambition

4 1 0
By eternallifelinebook

The rest of that night was a bit hazy for Sebastian,—— he had gone to many of the homes to see the true damage that had been done. It seemed like Zuri made haste to put an end to the Hellhounds that made their way to the inner part of the town, so the town square, which his parents were working on, luckily, wasn't affected. He knew his dad and mom had spent countless hours on finishing what they had already completed, so they would likely have gone haywire if it were damaged, which would inevitably end up biting Sebastian in the ass. Was it sick that he was only worried about the town square because of that? Maybe, but he didn't care.

The biggest issue wasn't even the cleanup. No, Eden Village had dealt with such issues before, mainly because of fires that couldn't be handled properly. The biggest issue would be the terror of what was out in those woods. The fear of the Hellhounds by the townspeople would likely cause mayhem among the village, resulting in a decrease in production and a lower quality of life in Eden.

Sebastian didn't blame them, though. Who in their right mind would want to go out in the woods when those terrible things came right from them? The first response would probably be a one day vacation for the people so they could calm their nerves and figure out what had just happened. However, many of those people would be involved in cleanup, so their "vacation" would be more of a day off to do more work.

In the town, there was little need for government intervention, for its structure was self-sustaining and easy to operate with people leading themselves, but there were, at times, issues that even the people didn't want to touch basis on, and as a result of that, they would put the issue in the hands of the Nine, a council of nine of the wisest and most fit to lead in the community. Sebastian wasn't too sure how they were selected——some accounts saying that they created themselves and controlled the most important of matters in the village, others saying that the town's elder, Tobias Freeman, selected the names of the people and chose suitable replacements in the case of one passing away. Whatever it was, nobody knew.

Most of the town's decisions were made in the upper floor of the Town Hall, where anyone who wanted to go there would have their own vote. Typically, fifty to sixty townsfolk would go there every month, but if an issue was particularly pressing, around two hundred to two hundred fifty would arrive. There, they would nominate a temporary president and vice president to control the flow of the meeting. To Sebastian, it was archaic and inefficient, but he wasn't going to be changing any minds any time soon.

Besides, Sebastian knew that the people who were making the real decisions were those in the Nine, and everyone was content with their wisdom up until this point, so there was no reason to do anything other than that. Sebastian knew that a secretive government like that would bite people in the butt one day, though. Even so, that would be years in the future, a problem he would face later down the road, assuming humanity hadn't left the forest yet.


***

Sebastian spent that night at his grandpa's house on the upper floor. He had a guest room at all times, which was convenient for when Sebastian would hang out with him. His visits were more frequent when he was younger, but ever since he started his job as a lumberjack, he was unable to spare any time in his schedule to actually visit the old man.

He lay in the bed, looking up at the ceiling, feeling nostalgic about it all. The noise out in the village had died down substantially, but there were still the occasional lights turned on within some of the households. Sebastian wondered what those people were talking about——what they were thinking. Their whole sense of security had been uprooted in one day, and anything they thought was safe now seemed to be a threat for them. That's how he felt, only a few days earlier.

This was all so much, especially for them. He could understand the fear that the people felt all too well. They didn't know what else was out there, not even Sebastian, but at least he had Zuri, and at least he could use magic. Every once in a while, in fact, Sebastian would close his eyes and sense what was around him, wondering if each time that a crimson figure would be greeting him, ready for another attack against the village.

He had been awake for a couple of hours by then, and despite how many times he tossed and turned, nothing was working. His eyelids, instead of growing heavier by the minute, fluttered with every creak of the old house and every breeze that moved the trees. He kept remembering that crooked, maniacal smile, tainted with bloodlust and hatred. Something was unsettling about that man, but his looks weren't the only thing that caused this feeling within Sebastian.

Rouge had mentioned being something called a Crimson Lord. Whatever that was, his powers were off the charts insane. Sebastian barely stood a chance against the man. If he were that strong, then what else was out there in the world? Was there something even worse than Rouge, just waiting for a sign that a human civilization existed so that they could seek it out and put an end to it? If this village was the last of humanity, civilization-wise, all of their forces, intel, and abilities would most definitely be focused on finding it. The question was, though, why were they trying to put an end to them? Despite the insanity in the man's eyes, Rouge was human, down to his very last expression. For what reason would he want to alienate his own kind and kill them?

Although his mind had calmed a bit, Sebastian still had a bit of difficulty closing his eyes for a long night's sleep. He wasn't used to staying up past midnight, so this completely threw him off. Usually, especially in the summer, he would drift off to sleep when there was still a bit of light out there, in order to ensure that he got a healthy amount of sleep to fuel his job. Outside was pitch black, aside from the stars, and it was almost impossible for Sebastian to see anything in the room he was trying to sleep. His thoughts finally returned to that dagger, which was placed eerily on his bed minutes before the village went up in flames.

He knew that he planted that thing in the skull of one of those Hellhounds, and he knew that it ran away, so how could someone get close enough to one of those beasts to retrieve it? Did Rouge kill the thing, or was he relying on it to spy on humanity?

"Magic leaves a trail, even after the user is gone, so that's what Rouge did, huh?" Sebastian's thoughts materialized into tangible words, even though his audience was unknown to him. He only wanted to empty the thoughts from his head, fitting in even the slightest amount to sleep, and saying them aloud was the way he planned on doing that.

It was no use——the sleep didn't rush in; rather, it only left him with more questions about magic and its intricacies. He lay there awake for a minute or two more until a blue glow came from the foot of his bed.

"Bash? Are you okay?" Zuri was sitting on the edge of his bed, which he hadn't noticed until she spoke up.

He jumped a bit, for obvious reasons, but his shock eventually reverted to calmness. His eyes, somewhat dead from being tired, but clearly not tired enough, were fixated on her, and their focus was fluctuating between attentiveness and unawareness. He scoffed with a laugh, "Yeah, but I'm having a bit of trouble falling asleep. You wouldn't happen to know any techniques for that, would you?"

She looked a bit disappointed, "Unfortunately, I wouldn't know. I have never had to sleep, but I can stay here if it makes you feel any better. You keep switching to your lucid state. Are you expecting something to come this way?"

How did she know that?

"Oh, don't worry, it isn't anything that someone would notice based on magical output. I can tell when you focus on your magic because your eyes are always closed when you do it, and you tense up a bit. It's kind of cute, actually." She teased.

Sebastian felt exposed, as if his magic could easily be discerned by someone of superior skill. If someone knew he was using his lucid state, then what other things would they know, especially if they were an opponent in battle?

"It's okay, though. Everyone has their telltale signs, and yours just happens to be that. But, you know, tensing up might inhibit a bit of your magical flow. That can be fixed with a bit of training. I see that you haven't been able to sleep for a while. Would you want to get in some practice instead?" She punched in the air, simulating some sort of boxing training regimen.

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh at her visual explanation. He was beyond tired, and it didn't help that she was doing something that would inevitably make him laugh. Was she doing it on purpose? Sebastian's silence and quiet chuckle attracted a confused look from Zuri. It was that 'did I do something wrong?' look, which eventually made Sebastian realize that she was just being herself.

"I wouldn't mind, but won't that just attract the attention of the villagers? I think they've had their share of magic for the day." Sebastian was wondering if they knew about his fight with Rouge. He and the Crimson Lord were somewhere out of the way of the others, but he couldn't help but feel that someone had gotten a glance at the fight. He didn't want to further gain attention from whomever it was.

Her face had relaxed a bit, and she looked down at the ground. "Oh, don't worry. We won't be training here. I have a special place that we can do just that without anyone else knowing." She pointed at Azure's Edge, which reminded Sebastian of the blue meadow. How calm and soothing it was——the night sky, with millions of lights looking down at them, as if each star was blessing their souls.

He never thought he would be going back to this place. To Zuri, it seemed special——a place of solitude, and for her to invite him back there was quite a nice gesture. Maybe the meadow's stillness would do him some good.

Sebastian didn't know how to enter the sword himself, but he was certainly curious about how one would go about it. "So, how did you do that, you know, bring me to your meadow?"

She smiled with a slightly mischievous grin, and she put a finger to her mouth. "I can't tell you all of my secrets." She saw a look of disappointment on Sebastian's face, and her expression immediately switched to being apologetic. "Don't worry, though, whenever you want, just ask, and I will bring you in."

That struck Sebastian as weird. Ever since he had met her, Zuri was always willing to tell him his secrets, but this one was a bit off. Even so, such a thing couldn't be helped. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable with his questioning, especially when she was so easy to talk to for most of the time.

Zuri proceeded to place the sword upright, which didn't seem practical, considering that it looked like it would tip over at any moment. Right after she had done that, Sebastian waited for and anticipated a clink on the ground, followed by the sword settling on the floorboards. Such a noise would probably gain the attention of Grandpa, who must've been fast asleep, but that didn't come, and all that he saw was a dim blue light that began to shine out of the blade as it rose a few inches from the floor. Ever so slowly, it turned clockwise in the air, revealing a pattern that had slowly begun to form on the ground. Definitely not what he was expecting.

It was truly a sight to behold. The blue light slowly increased in its intensity, rising from the floorboards, and the spinning of the sword followed suit. Sebastian was worried that some onlooker would see this through his grandpa's window, but that feeling quickly vanished as one of mesmerization took over.

This was something he had never experienced before in his life, not even when he fell into Azure's Edge the first time. The process was beautiful, but it was also a bit slow——rather, deliberate. He tried to remember back to the previous day. Had this whole thing happened when he originally pulled the sword from the ground? It couldn't have. All he saw was a yellow flash, and then he ended up in the beautiful meadow where Zuri had been living. This time was certainly different.

The time drew out even more, and with every design becoming increasingly visible and apparent on the ground, his memories about his experience with the first time he entered the meadow were returning. Each line and arc of it, what he assumed was a portal, brought back a smidgen of memory about the original time he entered. Just like the current time, those same blue lines were scratched out into the ground. How did he miss it the last time? This time, he was ultra aware of what was happening. Was it his newfound magical abilities that allowed him to do so? Those lines and arcs reminded him of the strings of life, so it was safe to assume as much.

"It's really something, isn't it, Bash? Magic can produce so many abilities, and those who wield it can always find newer ways to use it. Whether it be for good or bad, it is constantly evolving. This portal is an example of its true beauty," Zuri said with a straight face. While this wasn't a new process for her, Sebastian assumed she was as amazed by the process as he was. "I don't know what these symbols mean, though, but I made a promise that I would understand one day."

Below them was just as Zuri had mentioned——symbols that formed along with the portal beneath them, glowing azure lines and curves that continued to etch themselves into the floorboards, as if actually permanently changing the composition of the room. They were actually very cryptic, and there was no comparable thing, based on Sebastian's knowledge, that could give a human an idea on what they were. They were so simple, yet intricate, paving the way for the magnificent portal that was going to transport them to another world.

They continued to spread throughout the room, making their way to Sebastian's and Zuri's feet, but that didn't stop them from their advance. They traveled well beyond the two. With a few seconds, which felt like minutes, passing by, the blue lines began to make a turn for the roof. Their reach was finally enclosing the whole room, and Sebastian's eyes remained fixated on the entire event.

Zuri's straight face suddenly changed, and a smirk swept across her face. "This is where things get great."

What had she meant by that? What was going to happen? Were they about to be shrouded in a bright light that would carry them to another world? No, something else was happening. Without warning, small blades of blue grass began to grow out of the floor, and bright, twinkling stars peered through the roof. Had the room been deteriorated so that they would end up outside? What was happening?

Suddenly, it sped up, and the entire sky began to fill in, the endless expanse of the meadow formed, and, in the distance, was that wonderful, mystical land that Sebastian was so familiar with. He was inside of Azure's Edge, Zuri's temple. His eyes were filled with wonder as he took in all of his surroundings. What an amazing sight!

He was just in the room in his grandpa's house, and then, Zuri's magic instantly transformed the world into something much better. The last time, he was more fixated on Zuri herself, but now he was able to get a much better view of what he was within.

The sky's brilliance, with the stories of the universe, was a canvas filled with it all: pain, happiness, expansion, magic, and so much more. In the distance was a lake, and its water appeared to be frozen——that's how still and serene it was. It perfectly reflected the sky from its surface, almost connecting the stars with the ground. For miles on one end, the meadow stretched, as if it was trying to touch the sky, always being out of reach. On another end was a mountain range, with a blue haze to it, and its rounded structure, coupled with the trees gracefully scattered about it, filled Sebastian's eyes with a calmness that he hadn't felt for a while.

"Zuri, you live in actual Heaven." Sebastian muttered. He couldn't think of anything else to say, but that seemed to suffice for such a sight.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She sat on the tree stump, which was at the top of the hill in the middle of the meadow.

Sebastian followed her up to the stump, just standing there, looking around for more. There was so much to take in, and every square inch that his eyes looked over seemed to be something new and beautiful. She mentioned that this was all natural, but Sebastian was wondering what sort of place could even produce such beautiful sights. "Zuri, what is this place, really? You know, aside from your temple."

Her eyes were faced towards the ground, like she was counting the blades of grass. "Oh, Bash. I had spent so many years alone, waiting for someone with whom I could share this experience. When I went all over the world, I wanted to find a place that could be my little hideout. All the continents, and I was never satisfied, that is, until I found this place. I told you it was natural, but I never told you where it was from, did I?"

Sebastian shook his head, hoping for an answer, but he should have known that Zuri wasn't like that. She mentioned that she had searched all of the continents. Did she mean that this place was on the same planet as Eden Village?

"Those mountains. They say that the mountain range was famous for its blue haze, which would be visible to every single person and living soul. Bash, we are in Appalachia. It is what I believe to be, quite literally, the most magical place in the universe. You see, that blue is a result of the strings of life being so densely packed that it could even be visible to a non-magic user. It is kind of like how the sky gets darker whenever there is someone with a crimson aura. If these mountains' strings of life can be visible to everyone without magic powers, then they would most certainly be even brighter when someone was lucid." She explained, now looking at the mountains in the distance. Her eyes then focused on Sebastian, who was amazed by it all, and then widened. "Oh my goodness, where are my manners? Would you like to have a seat?" She scooted over and gestured for Sebastian to come over.

He wasn't bothered by standing, but she insisted, so he couldn't turn it down. He didn't notice the size of the tree trunk before, and by the looks of it, it appeared to be hundreds of years old. What kind of a story did it tell? He wanted to ask about it, but he also wanted to hear about the wonderful place where Zuri lived. He moved over and plopped himself down next to her, and suddenly, she began to talk.

"Okay, good. Now that we're all comfy, how about we do some training?" Zuri cheerfully said. "What I want you to do is to close your eyes and begin to focus on the magic around you. Don't rush, just be calm. If you focus too quickly, you'll get a headache."

What did she mean by that? She didn't give him that disclaimer when he just started to learn magic, so why now? Whatever, he just decided to listen to her warning, since it would probably be best. He only nodded in affirmation and then closed his eyes. This time, he slowly introduced his body to his lucid state, and he focused even more on his breathing, trying to stay controlled.

Suddenly, the feeling returned to him, and he began to see light——no way. What on earth was this? He couldn't handle what he was beholding. Did something go wrong? All around him was a solid bright blue light that filled his entire field of view. Not only that, but the pressure surrounding his body made him feel like he was at the bottom of a lake. All around him was a dull pain, crushing him, or at least it felt like that.

Not being able to take anymore of it, Sebastian quickly opened his eyes. The pressure and bright light both washed away, but his breathing had become heavy, and his shock immeasurable.

He looked straight at the ground, unsure of what he had just experienced. He had expected those graceful strings, showing him to the lifeforms that lived within the beautiful meadow, but he got something more. What he saw was an entire ocean of life, teeming with magic and raw power. The forest back at home was nothing compared to this.

Zuri began to laugh, and her hand touched Sebastian's back, possibly making sure that he wasn't dead. "It's overwhelming, right?"

Overwhelming was an understatement. Overwhelming was having to decide whether or not his grandpa could go out into the wild with them. This made that seem almost insignificant. What he had just seen was beyond anything he thought he knew about magic.

"Don't worry, the magic is harmless to you, but its power gave you quite the scare, didn't it? When I came here, I felt the same. I almost threw up because of how crazy it all was, but then I remembered that I couldn't throw up, but I wanted to. This is all the magic and life of this Appalachian Valley. It puts things into perspective, doesn't it? To think that, despite all of the magical power someone has, the universe is always there to meet them with something ten times as powerful." Zuri sighed, in awe of everything in front of them. "It still sometimes gets me."

"I guess this is why you always seem to be so calm and collected whenever we get into trouble with an enemy. Because despite how powerful that enemy might be, you can always remember that this place exists, and you know that no one can be more powerful than your sanctuary. I get it now." Sebastian's fear had washed away. The red flames that were inflicted upon him by the wrath of crimson were put out by the azure waves of the universe's infinite power and wonder. He almost felt like he was one with it all. He wanted to stay in this place for the rest of his life, but he knew that wouldn't be an option.

"I see you aren't restless anymore. That makes me happy." Her trademark smile returned, which further calmed Sebastian.

He opened his mouth for something to say, but no words came out of his mouth. At this point, Sebastian knew that he didn't need words to convey how he felt. Zuri just knew. It was all wonderful. This place, the sword, the blue light, life's essence, Zuri.

"Well, it looks like your training is complete." Zuri sat up, looking at him.

Sebastian snapped back into reality, trying to understand what he had just heard. Complete? What had he done? All he did was close his eyes and immediately wake up. "What? We haven't even learned any new techniques or anything. What did I do that's considered training?"

A puzzled look washed over her face, and she blurted out, "You really don't know? You just did it."

Was there something he wasn't understanding?

Her face looked like she ate something sour, and then she spoke, "When you closed your eyes, Bash. You were introduced to the infinite wonders of the universe. Your training was to understand that there was something greater protecting you, guiding you to your goals. It was to attain a sense of peace, and I think you did just that, so mission accomplished!"

She was right. He wasn't nervous or scared anymore. Looking at the universe and its ultimate power made his individual problems seem insignificant. Was this what his grandpa was talking about whenever he was in a rush to get to work? Was he so worried about one thing that he wasn't able to just take a step back and look at it all? "I suppose you're right. It did help me a lot." Sebastian finally understood.

"So you're not worried about any more of those Crimson Lords attacking the Garden of Eden?" Zuri jokingly asked.

Sebastian winked and responded with, "Crimson what now?"

She giggled, and he let out a laugh. He was still worried about them, but the threat of them attacking Sebastian no longer seemed to be an issue. He kind of welcomed the challenge. Maybe it was his newfound knowledge talking, but he felt like he could take them all on right then and there.

With Zuri and Sebastian, they could be ready for any challenge that would arise. He was a boy who went down the wrong path and found a spirit in a sword. Never in a million years would he have thought about that or imagined such a thing, but now it was a reality. There was a bit of a silence for the minutes to follow, but it wasn't awkward. Both of them were glued to the surroundings of Appalachia. Nothing was awry, nothing was wrong.

"Wow, the stars are something else tonight, aren't they?" Zuri's eyes glistened, reflecting the light from the sky. Her mouth was slightly ajar as the beauty in the sky looked at her. One would think this was the first time she had ever seen this place, but maybe it was that amazing. Who was he kidding? It was that amazing!

"Yeah, you really are." Did he just say that? He meant to say 'they', but did 'you' slip through instead? What was he thinking? Oh no!

She turned and looked at him with a puzzled demeanor and softly questioned, "What?"

"What?" Sebastian could only mutter in response. Maybe if he ignored what he said, she would forget too. He knew that wouldn't be the case, but maybe she would be forgiving.

She only turned her head back to the sky, and that look of wonder returned to her eyes. "You flirt."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he bolted up. She did hear! "No, no, no, no, no, no! I didn't mean to say that! I don't know why. I just said the wrong word, is all." He frantically shook his head and gestured with his hands in an animated manner.

She laughed again, and her voice, softly spoken, interrupted his sorry excuse of a defense. "No worries. I don't mind."

Sebastian could feel a rush of heat in his face, and he was sure that his now flushed cheeks would greatly contrast with the calm blue all around them. He had to act normal though, careful not to cause another laugh from Zuri. To de-escalate things, he took a seat back on the stump, and he looked into the sky. "They really are." There, maybe that settled it.

Once again, the whole place fell silent, and the only noise was the distant chirping from the crickets. At this point, Sebastian was actually feeling quite drowsy, which was a miracle. He had been tossing and turning in his bed for so long.

Sebastian got up from the stump, which yielded a look from Zuri, and he proceeded to lie down on the grass, which was much more comfortable than it had looked, so his idea proved to be even better.

"All this excitement must have finally gotten to you, Bash," Zuri said quietly, not trying to frighten him. She was right. All of those hours had finally caught up to him, and Sebastian was ready to get some shut eye. He looked upwards, gazing at the many stars looking back, and his eyes began to flutter shut.

"Zuri, do you mind if I fall asleep here?" Sebastian said as a yawn exited his mouth.

She was silent for a couple of seconds, but he could feel a calming energy from her. "Of course you can. For as long as you'd like," she finally answered.

Sebastian smiled, eyes closed, and he took in a breath of the fresh air that was circulating around him. It smelled like hay being cut. What a calming scent. Drowsiness continued to chip away at his awareness, and he could feel his body slowly become limp with exhaustion. Zuri remained seated on the stump, taking in all of what was around her, and her silence was eventually cut off by a soothing, but audible, strand of words.

"Hey, Bash. Do you want me to tell you an old poem that I heard once?" She whispered.

His eyes were still closed, but he could fully hear her, and he accepted without any time to think.

She seemed pleased, "Ah, good. Well, it was something I heard this old man say as he was walking down a street. You see, this was during the mystic days, where humanity and magic were almost one. Many people were able to use magic, and it was seemingly a paradise, to one looking at it from the outside, but it wasn't as so much the case for those who lived in the kingdom, especially those who weren't able to use magic.

"Despite the fact that humanity was so close with nature, they were still plagued with avarice and hatred, as I just mentioned. Poverty and discrimination were still a thing, and no matter how much power humans had, they were still haunted by their failures. This man, you see, was one of the few who saw it, for he was a non-magic user, subject to the pain that others hadn't experienced. Bash, I could feel the pain in his voice as he mentioned this poem, but something about it was so peaceful to me, and I couldn't help but enjoy every word as he spoke them, even if their meaning was something entirely different than what he had meant. I'm not even sure if he was the creator of this poem, but he knew the words as if he wrote them himself. and he started saying this while walking about. I've had centuries to think of the words as I wandered the world, sometimes only having them as my security and reassurance that I could get through the day to go to the next. Here are what they were:

"With every minute ticking by,

A child grows, unknowing of all life outside.

His quiet face is without a worry in the world.

Content repose interrupted,

Met with protest after his peace was destructed.

His infinite slumber...ceased by the worries of this world.

Punishment for a crime long gone,

Now exiled...from his perfect garden...he'd grown fond.

His Garden of Eden was nowhere to be found in this damnable world.

Another drop in that large sea,

That soil-made body could no longer be free.

Now festered with weeds, tying him down to this world.

His ambitions and displeasure,

Increasingly heightened...daily, beyond measure.

Why was he here on this damnable world?

In exchange for his innocent life,

He gained the world's knowledge; he was damned out of spite.

The soul's indifference and morality was corrupted by this knowledge-filled world.

Searching Heaven's erudition,

Dictated by morals and driven by ambition.

His soul, fabric, woven with God's grace and the Devil's embrace...

Lived in this beautifully sinful world..."The whole field had gone silent, and even the crickets had stopped to listen. What had he just heard? Her words——every one of them resonated with him. A Garden of Eden? Heaven's erudition? Had humanity really tried to reach a state of God? It seemed like their ambitions had gotten the best of them, and everything was pulled from right under them. Zuri had lived in so many eras, seeing humanity fail time and time again. What made them so special to her? Why did she trust in their ability so much that she would keep on throughout the years to keep them alive?

Before he could ask that, Zuri spoke once again. "Good night, Bash."

It was right when she said those last words that he finally was able to drift off into a blissful dream state. He had no idea what the next days, months, or even years would bring, but that didn't matter to him. He would take each day as it came, and he would do the best that he could to live each of them to the fullest. That's what Zuri did, and that's what he would do too. Maybe he would be able to find a way to break the spell that plagued humankind for all those years. He would cleanse it all and make everything whole again.

BAM!

Sebastian bolted up, expecting to be in an open field, only discovering that he was lying in his bed again. Had it all been a dream?

"Sebastian!" His grandpa said urgently, eyes widened.

Sebastian looked his way, still tired from his slumber, but surprisingly well-rested. He asked what all the noise was about, and a look of dread was strewn across his grandpa's face. Sebastian knew something was terribly wrong.

"The Nine have requested your immediate audience. They want to question you about what happened last night."


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello! If you have gotten this far, then I am extremely glad that you read my book up until now. I'm so happy to see that you were interested in it up until this point.

This is my first book in a trilogy, which also includes Crimson Night: The New World and Event Horizon: The Ancient World. On top of that, I have a sequel series that follows Geoffrey Lindloff's journey! Those two books, which will be part of a five book series in the Tears for a Fivefold Light series, are called Tears for a Fleeting Light: The Invisible Darkness and Tears for a Forgotten Light: The Children of Timpus

If you would further like to support my writing, then check out my website, eternallifelineseries.com, and you will be met with all of my books and information on them and their lore!

Also, if you want more updates on my writing, follow me on Instagram (eternallifelineseries) and on Twitter (UtzJackson).

Continue Reading

You'll Also Like

176 8 13
All life derives from chaos, the chaos of nature causing trees to sway, the ground to rumble. The chaos of animals eating each other for survival to...
74 2 26
Deep within the forest, many enchanted creatures live and prosper. This is all due to the magic of the fairies, which gave each creature the ability...
29.9K 3.5K 52
One day darkness came and made everyone's hearts it's home. *** The village of Umbra has...
49.5K 2.7K 29
Once upon a time, there lived a poor little girl in the dirty streets of the human world. With her parents gone and her having to survive alone, she...