Echoes From Beyond

The Beast of Hiraya knows who I am but how? His heavy breathing accompanied by the strange mist slowly but surely engulfing the entire space adds another leap of terror to the three of us who are present to witness this monstrosity. Masid, Portia, and I froze in place as if we forgot to use our limbs to flee somewhere safe. Dalakethnon's piercing gaze scans the room until they get fixated on our direction. This can't be good. I know it can't. As the myth goes, no one has the luxury to live after laying their eyes upon this beast. But, there could be firsts at everything, right?

          "Brace yourself, Vatic!" Masid doesn't dare to look away from the beast to closely monitor his behavior. If the monster is to move even a single muscle, we should be prepared for what card to play.

          "Portia, get behind us!" I scream, muscles tensing as I feel the pull of gravity become heavier by the second.

          Before we even know it, Dalakethnon has propelled himself atop of us by jumping from where he initially was, tearing a hole in the ceiling. He's surprisingly agile based on how his appearance is massive. It's as if he's as tall as the King of Trees back at the cave. That is not something to be awed from I know but still. This is the creature I only knew in the myths but is now in front of us and in the flesh. Very soon after, he'll get us crushed to death if we don't make our feet follow what our minds are commanding them to do. Run!

          We hear the beast muttering inaudible gibberish but it's evident that the same voices of what we believe were the residents of the island are being heard. There's no doubt about that. Haunting cries and wails echo almost throughout the entire Cathedral and what sends terrible strikes to my guts is the laughter he mimics. They sound as genuine as they can be. That could show how the townspeople have sounded if none of this happened. No plague, no beast, no curses, and even no witch.

          "Rierrab!" My arms outstretched, bracing myself for impact. I feel the hum from all around me translate to warmth that fuels me from manifesting my spell. I don't know for certain if I can deflect the entire weight of the beast as he's descending right at us like a burning meteor. I can only pray for a miracle.

          "Are you out of your mind?" Masid's tone was full of worry instead of anger. "You don't really believe your barrier can withstand that force, do you?" The panic in his every word is evident.

          "Stay close!" I pay him no mind. I have to concentrate. If there's even a sliver of hope I can do this, I must concentrate. Suddenly, I feel a different kind of warmth embracing my body.

          "You can do this, Vatic!" Her arms circled my torso, bracing for impact as well. "Our lives are in your hands."

          I turn around to look at Portia's face. The light from the moon and her recent breakdown almost made her features appear as soft as the clouds looming right above us. Her eyes are still puffy from tears but I know she realized by now that the missing treasure isn't our top priority. What we must do is survive this, find Aela, and escape. If all goes to plan, we'll surely come back and find the treasure so we can finally save Portia's companions back in the hands of their captors. We can't afford to fail right now.

          "Here he comes!" Masid exclaims.

          The full force of Dalakethnon's drop hit the barrier I conjured. The very air around us quakes, my strength threatens to break, and the ground trembles as if any moment now, a huge hole will crack open and swallow us whole allowing us to free fall to hell. My hearing is muffled by all the forces being disturbed by the clash of my magic and the beast's otherworldly strength. I can't stop myself from cracking up a smirk. I'm doing it. He can't penetrate the barrier. I am keeping us safe from him.

          "Uh, Vatic?" Panic is swelling in her voice. Something's happening. I hear the ground crumbling and it's coming in close.

          "Vatic!" Masid shrieks.

          The entire floor gave out. I almost lost control of the barrier but luckily I held it steadily. We're falling and we're falling fast alongside the beast. The usual ambiance of the abandoned Cathedral has been replaced with something familiar. I instinctively look to where we will crash and it's much too far away. I briefly scan the area even being hindered by the falling slabs of rocks that were once the floor of the room we were just in. As for Dalakethnon, he's nowhere to be found somehow. It looks like we're in some kind of a dungeon and what's most intriguing is the fact that it appears to be five stories tall. Has this dungeon been under the Cathedral all this time? Only the Gods may know, I guess. And Dalakethnon himself.

          "Vatic, are you alright?" Masid's weight is pinning on me as I lay almost unconscious on the dungeon's rocky floor next to a mountainous pile of rubble.

          "I'm good." I pat his head twice and attempt to stand up. "Where's Portia?"

          "I'm alive!" She jumps up from behind us, brushing off the dust from her clothes. I don't know how but the dungeon is still fairly well lit by the natural light of the night. This makes her look like an angel who just descended from the heavens.

          "You're hurt!" I panic, running right towards her. I gently grab her closer so I can see where the blood from her forehead is coming from.

          "What?" She brushes a hand along her blonde hair then she retrieves it bloody. Her knees gave out. "Blood!" She starts to tremble. "Am I going to die?" Her eyes are as wide as a doe.

          "No, Portia. You will not." I assure her. "Here. Try and take a seat. I'll tend to your wounds."

          I actually worry about my magic at this point. I've been casting enchantments from left to right almost nonstop and my confidence has slightly wavered in my next spell. But, I know I have to set my worries aside as I have to heal Portia. On top of that, the night is still young. A lot can still happen. Aela is still nowhere to be found as well as the threat from Dalakethnon. Can we really get out of here alive or do we succumb to the same fate of those who saw the beast before us? I am the son of the Witch of Hiraya. I should be able to do anything like Mother.

          "Leah reh dnuow." The hum in our surroundings reverberates, sending heat from my flesh to Portia's. In no time, wherever her wound is, it has been mended.

          "That's incredible, Vatic." She stands up, hugging me. "I know you told me you can heal injuries but this is the first time I witness it. Thank you." She kisses my cheek.

          Blushing, I struggle to construct my words. "Y-you're welcome, P-Portia. Don't mention it."

          All of a sudden, disturbing laughter of people echoes to seemingly all the nooks and crannies of the dungeon. He's here. Without any warning, his monstrous arm emerges from the rubble sending off debris to all directions. Masid was able to jump to safety. Before I can even push Portia aside, she's already out of Dalakethnon's reach. I forgot how fast swiftly she can move. With that miss calculation, I made a grave error to fail move myself to safety. I got caught. His grip strength, if becomes more unbearable, some of my bones will snap like a twig.

          "Vatic!" I hear Portia scream on the top of her lungs.

          "G-Go!" I beckon, mirroring the tension in her voice that's already at its peak. "Go find Aela! I'll handle this." I try to smile but failed. The pain surging throughout my body is immeasurable.

          "But, you nee–"

          "I don't need your help, Portia!" I cut her off, hoping that she'll finally heed my instruction. "Just go! I'll catch up to you."

          "You've gone mad if you truly believe I'll leave you here!"

          "Vatic, watch out!" Masid shrieks from the opposite direction.

          Dalakethnon finally decided to reveal himself from the cover of the rubble. His presence is with us for quite some time now but I can't help the shivers to course through every fiber of my being. He is the very picture of horror. With me in his grip, he arches his arm as far back as he can. He's going to throw me somewhere. If I don't do anything, this could be the end of me. I scan my surroundings to see if there's something I can use to prevent my trip to only he knows where and I assess my remaining energy as well to know if there's still left for even a final spell.

          "I don't need your help, Portia!" The beast mimics my words with the voice of the dead mob. "Just go! I'll catch up to you." Then, he keeps his massive mouth open and lets out harrowing laughter of children and the elderly that sends shivers to my bones.

          "Vatic!" Portia cries out.

          I feel the night's breeze hastening as it whips past my body. Here he goes. Once he releases me, it is the end. I shouldn't let that happen. Like what I'm telling myself since we entered this place, I will not die tonight. I owe that much to myself, Aela, Portia, and even Mother. No one will die under my watch. No one. But for that to happen, I must do something to save myself first, something quick, something effective. A barrier won't do. My energy hasn't recovered from my last barrier. A simple flame magic won't be enough as well.

          I am now airborne. The thick rock wall is quickly closing in. If I'm a second late to do whatever it is I should do, it'll be the end of the line for me. Then, it suddenly hit me. A spell where I have to utilize properties outside flame magic, outside my natural affinity. If I'm successful, I can cushion the impact if not me ditching the impact altogether. I just need to have the right timing, right amount of hum, and enough concentration. I mustn't overthink. The wall is almost at arms' reach. I must do it now.

          "Noitolpxe!" A surge of heat quickly envelopes my body. With the help of some air magic, the heat exploded violently towards all directions. This keeps me suspended airborne for a split second, preventing that lethal impact against the wall, and clearing some of the rubble nearby. The spectacle surprised everyone.

          "Vatic, you're safe! Thank the Gods!" Portia jumps for joy from the distance.

          "Vatic, are you alright?" Masid asks, tensing.

          "I'm good!" I raise a closed up fist to signify my resolve. "I'm fine!"

          "You're safe." An enigmatic voice of a man emits from Dalakethnon. "Thank the Gods." For some reason, this lone voice sends some calm to my core but the plethora of laughter soon follows making my split-second calm disappear.

          "Portia, you better go now!" I command. "Trust that I can handle this."

          "No, I ca–"

          "Portia, please!"

          I see the beast breaking his glare at me and now fixating to where Portia is. Is she really this stubborn? That stubbornness of her will be not just the death of her but the death of us all. I must take his attention back to me. "Llaberif!" I launched a fireball and hit his massive ugly head. "Llaberif!" I launched another hitting his temple. I finally caught his attention back to me.

          Portia shoots a concerned look at me then says, "Do not die on me, Vatic! If you die, I'll kill you myself." That doesn't make sense but if that's how she'll leave this place then so be it. "Panther, keep him company!" Then, she lets herself be swallowed by darkness.

          "Do not die on me, Vatic!" There's that enigmatic voice of the man again. If I didn't know any better, I would think that he, whoever this voice belongs to, knows me from somewhere. But, who? "I'll kill you myself."