Chapter 8 - The eyes of despair

Egios wakes up in a dark cell, its walls raised in gray bricks receive only a small beam of light through a tiny grid on the top of the wall. In his cell there is not a bed, only the bones of his previous guest left there intentionally to offer him a sample of his future. Only a little water seeps through the rocks, offering the only outlet to that hellish world.

All his belongings were taken away, and through the bars of the door he sees a kind of magical room, sometimes one or two men enter, then they leave. Hemust be there for at least 3 days, that's what He tries to count, but fatigue and starvation start playing tricks on his mind. Would Kathrinna come to rescue him? She had her box, would it be worth risking everything to come and save him? Had he made a connection strong enough to her that she would decided to risk his entire mission to save a friend? So many questions that could go through his mind, his tired face showed confusion, and what about his friend Ardulan? Would he do something to rescue him? He was sure that he was, but how could he do it without knowing that he was in trouble? He searches among his clothes, they have taken everything, the jars, the rings, his dagger, his boots, his coat, his... hidden among his shirt, in one of many hidden pockets that he loved to improvise, he finds one of the magical scrolls that his friend Ardulan gifted him, a slight smile is marked on his face, a ray of hope and freedom, Before he can use it two men approach, wearing their iconic tunics.

- Egios, we have come to negotiate. - says one of the men, his hood covers him to the nose revealing only his mouth, his chin is completely free of beard.

- Oh yeah? I want to see that.

- By now you will have realized that your companions will not come for you, and that unless you make a deal with us you will never leave that cell, just like that man there - he says pointing to the bones inside Egios' cell - What I offer you is life and a space between our worship.

- The cult of Qwrarles.

- Qwrarles is one of the true masters of this world, they have been stigmatized as demons by those who worship the guardians, but they are the true rulers of our world. Qwrarles is the lord of despair, because that is where hope, change is born, where mortals really must be reborn and hold on to that ray of light to get ahead, or die in despair. Lord Qwrarles only wants good for the world, but he knows that in order to achieve it, we must take mortals to the limit, because that is where they can be reborn.

- Is that what you do with me? In this cell?

- It is your decision if you decide to die in despair, or if you prefer to be reborn with us and destroy those who stole what does not belong to them.

- You know Kathrinna, don’t you?

- Kathrinna is a thief, she has taken something that does not belong to her.

- How did she steal you?

- That box is not hers, it belongs to our Lord Qwrarles and therefore whoever has it in his power is an offense to our cult, to our Lord.

- What is in the box?

- A truth, an artifact of our Lord, that must be returned to him... and you will help us recover it.

- You don’t even know...

- Look, Mr. Egios, - the man says, taking off his hood, his bald head and whitish skin is nothing compared to the sight that he has removed his eyes and from his sockets sprout some black tears. - Don’t be confused, your soul will be delivered to Lord Qwrarles either in life... or in death.

The man ends up showing him a sacrificial altar nearby, on top of this, the face of a demon without eyes is sculpted, only the place where they were, with decayed skin and sharp teeth. After putting on his hood again, the two men retire. Egios runs to drink a little water, some slight drops that quench his thirst or at least it seems that they do. He takes a deep breath and observes the adjoining room, making sure there is no one else there, takes out his papyrus and prepares to use it to send a message to Ardulan, however this doesn’t work, he tries several times as he always did, but the papyrus only behaves like an ordinary paper.

- Hey Egios

He is surprised by a voice that seems familiar, he quickly hides his papyrus in his clothes and goes to the bars to discover Yovun who plays with his rings.

- These guys are really going to kill you. - Yovun says - You see, even if you killed my partner... my friend,... I'm here to let you know that it's better to cooperate.

- I will not be a sold as you Yovun.

- You will be, I've seen things in this place that... well... I don’t think hags are capable of doing them.

- Will you do them too? Are you going to take your eyes off Yovun?

- I'm a mercenary,... I'm paid to bring the box and kill the vampire, that's all for me, you could have joined me and share the payment, but you preferred to be the tough guy and kill Barleif, you preferred to be friends with that monster.

- You didn’t even bother to know Kathrinna.

- For what? To fall in her spell? ... what good was it? She left you here in this place, for 5 days rotting in a cell without food or water. Do you really think you'll last much longer? ... I'll show you that I'm a good guy and I want you to make the best decision. - Yovun tells him as he throws bread and some fruit. - They're not poisoned, ... don’t worry, if I kill you, these guys would dissect me.

Egios turns to see the food, it is a terrible temptation, after so many days without eating nothing he really feels that he loses the strength of his body. He approaches and takes it.

- Look Egios, You’re not going to leave from this one, I know you have friends who know about sorcery, the one who gave you these rings... that strange armor, so... I mentioned them to the cultists and that's why they prepared this cell especially for you, it has a strong magic block, no magic can get out of here and cannot find you, not even the dagger with that eye that the vampiress has.

Egios looks at Yovun with fury and impotence as he looks at him with a slight smile.

- They asked me to leave you one of those pieces of paper, so you would believe you had a chance and see from your eyes how hope escapes, - Yovun pauses and laughs a little- ... I didn’t lie when I told you that I want you to take a good decision, but I can’t tell you that I don’t enjoy seeing you suffer, after all you were the one who killed Barleif.

Yovun slowly withdraws from the room.

- All sins are paid Yovun. - Egios says.

- And you're not exactly the cleanest of all, smuggler.

Egios is again alone in his room, although he would like to not taste that bitter food that Yovun has brought him, he knows that if he doesn’t, his body will weaken even more, and if the cultists return, they will take it away. So with ravenous speed he decides to eat it, a small hope in a world of darkness, a small pleasure that will possibly never be repeated but will remain in his mind every time he sees Yovun again, mercy was once shown and although he knows that it will never return, his heart will always cling to the feeling that it can happen again. He tries to reach the small window that faces the outside but there is no way to reach it, it is as if everything is organized in the best way to cause the greatest possible despair, he looks between the bars for some defect, between the walls and the floor, some hidden place that he could have not seen before but all his efforts are unsuccessful.

How many days have passed? Again a faint ray of light sneaks through the window, the cold, damp ground is already comfortable, and the taste of those fruits has almost disappeared from his mouth. The stream of water seems smaller and smaller and feels that at any moment it will dry up. He tried to hit the wall with the bones but a magical barrier protects it. At this moment, really begins to take seriously the proposal of the cultists, feels that he will not last much longer in that state. Deliver your eyes, offer your soul to the devil, as the only way out of your doom.

Every day that passes, it seems that Kathrinna is his only way out and that it is increasingly unlikely that she will return. After all this time she may have already reached Dwaralav. Ardulan, his thoughts do not reach his great friend, his little papyrus doesn’t work in that place, how many more letters would have arrived, how many gifts? He had promised to complete the task, his mission, never to give up, to see his great friend again and tell him everything he had lived, yes, that was just a dream, a fantasy created by his mind, those cold walls were only part of his imagination and therefore could break them with his fist, it was enough to believe, just like those heroes of the books, discover an inner power, a gift from the gods that only manifests in those moments of difficulty. With the strength that remains, he stands up, breathes deeply and closes his eyes, feels his inner strength, observes that wall of rock, it’s only paper, his structure will yield to the unstoppable force of his will. His fist moves by cutting the wind, through the world as in slow motion impacting hard on the rock wall, the rumble resounds in his ears, more by the echo and his own concentration than by the real effect. That blow against the reality finishes destroying its essence, its sore hand, its bloodied fingers in front of a wall that hardly has noticed its existence. Perhaps some guardian would have protected him, but he himself decided to distance them, decided to deny his protection. There really was no escape, he clings to his own body just as he came to this world and there rests one more night.

- Hey, Egios - a voice says.

Slowly he opens his eyes and sees the face of the cultist who once again comes to visit him. Yovun and another cultist are at his side. The man bends down so that he can speak closer to Egios.

- From the first day we sent a message to your friend, the vampiress - says the man - we offered your life in exchange for the box, and you see, it's been 10 days, she will not come for you. This will be the last time I'll come to offer you the deal, next time I'll take you to the altar, so decide at once whether you'll cooperate or not.

- I know secrets... things...

- What secrets Egios?

- I must not say... they would destroy me... and all of you ...

- Yovun laughs at the words of Egios - he is delirious - He tells them.

- Of course he is delirious, he will do whatever it takes to keep himself alive. - says the cultist - Look Egios, at this point you should understand your situation, nobody will come for you ... you are the only one who will make the decision to die or live.

- What a life that would be... it wouldn’t be my life anymore.

- It would be a life with meaning, under the mantle of Mr. Qwrarles your life will have value, it will have a purpose.

- I already have it... I fight for my ideals... we fight for a better world.

- Who is fighting?

- Those whom I shouldn’t mention ...

- If we give you food, will you tell us who they are?

- No... I should not... it's secret ...

- Yes, he’s crazy - Yovun mocks.

- Egios, there is no one - follow the cultist - there is no secret people, your mind plays with your memories, you despair and you cling to a lie that you have created as your only source of trust.

- But they are real... I know - he says trembling - they have to be...

- And why are not they here?... if they're so worried about you talking about them.

- I don’t know... they should be here... they should help me... they are real... they really are.

- How pathetic - says Yovun - this guy is not worth it.

- Egios - says the cultist. - It's your last chance, do you agree to join us or choose death?

- I have never accepted any guardian... but before joining you... I prefer to invoke Dhasfalgor.

- Then it will be. - says the cultist - we will see if the guardian of death will claim you before we offer to our Lord.

The cultist makes a sign, and two more men enter the cell, they tie Egios' hands and feet to prevent him from attempting to attack his life, then they retire.

- Bad decision Egios - says Yovun - but you deserve it for fraternizing with the enemy.

Yovun retires and soon the room is left alone. Egios succumbs again to his fatigue and falls asleep.

The end is near, what has been of his life?, his regret is that he did not achieve his goals, it was all Kathrinna's fault, she took him out of his home and took him to those distant lands and then abandon him to his fate... but it was he who decided to go, could have refused but that box, that treasure, his curiosity to know what there would be there was ultimately what motivated him to undertake the trip and for what? He would never discover what contained that chest, He must have opened it when he had the key, maybe everything would have been different,... maybe. He knew what he was up against when he took the risk of carrying a box like that, but he didn’t really understand it. Was his life less valuable than that box? How many lives should be paid for that artifact? Egios listens to the sound of footsteps and when he opens his eyes he sees someone's shoes, turns his eyes to the grid that remains closed as always, his hands and feet still tied, he turns his gaze to the figure and discovers a well-dressed man, of great semblance, not very corpulent, with short hair and well-groomed beard, jet-black, the darkest he had ever seen and with an intense shine in the light of the moon, his eyes are a brilliant turquoise.

- Who are you? - Egios asks something scared - How did you enter here?

- You called me Egios. - says the man with a thick voice.

- Ardulan?... you are not Ardulan... is it a friend of him?

- I'm afraid not, Egios... come on, remember, I know you know, but you refuse to say it.

- Dha... Dhasfalgor.

- It's a pleasure to meet you.

- Really... you’re here... even with me...

- The truth is complicated, you are not common, but I did my best to come and visit you.

Egios's breathing is agitated, unable to remove the look from the face of that man, really the Guardian of Death was in front of him.

- Did you come for me?

- Egios... you know that I cannot claim your soul, not at this moment, even though you have invoked me.

- You know it.

- Usually, I like to make deals... you don’t know what people can do to save their skin, or the life of a loved one. But not today.

- What can you offer me?

- ...I'm not here to offer you a deal.

- Even if I want it?... you only make deals for your own benefit,... and you don’t see anything that I can offer you.

- No, no... all souls have something to offer Egios. In fact yours is of great interest to me, but... it's not the time yet.

The man smiles as he vanishes in the air.

- Wait! ... I still have questions! What is in the box?!

But his words do not find an answer, but he knows that the presence of Dhasfalgor must have some meaning, he turns to look at the small window that faces the outside world and then he can see them, again there are those penetrating blue eyes, that dark body, that messenger of terror that now brings hope.

- Fiona - says Egios - it's Fiona! ... Fiona!

As he can, he goes to the bars and starts calling the girl with the strength he has left, soon he feels an explosion and a chaos takes over the place, Egios clings to his life and keeps screaming loudly.

- They have come for me ... they have come - he says muttering and sobbing.

The noise of combat is heard closer and with it his hope. Finally the door opens and from it, Yovun enters.

- I will not let them take you - says Yovun as he prepares his sword.

Egios begins to move towards the back of the cell.

- Get away Yovun.

- I'm going to get revenge for Barleif, you damn traitor.

Yovun approaches but can not open the cell gate, tries to look for the key in a nearby place but is not there.

- Just get away! - Egios says.

- Oh no... I will not leave here without making you pay Egios.

- Egios! - another voice is heard.

He turns his gaze to the entrance of the place and there he sees Kathrinna holding her dagger, his emotion is enormous, but his body no longer resists and faints.