Memories

It was after midnight before the sun even rose when Dawn awoke to a strange sound.

He grunted while he sat up.

He could no longer hear the sound that awakened him.

He looked around and to his horror Erisha, the woman with the void like eyes was gone.

Dawn immidietly jolted up, his eyes darting around the area.

Cain was still sound asleep, snoring even.

He didn't bother waking him up since he would only get in the way.

Dawn then noticed the bubble of darkness had weakened around them.

He could even see through it a little.

Just then he heard the sound again.

It was as if something was cutting the air.

Dawn assumed the worst and dashed forward in the direction of the sound, snow crunching under his feet as he ran.

As he was getting closer he bagan hearing the sound of grunting and phanting.

This made him increase his speed even more as he ran in a straight line towards the sound dodging any obsticle that was in his way.

He ran until he reached a frozen lake.

The sight before him was breathtaking

The moons light was reflected by the ice making it seem as if stars were embedded in to the ice.

But the most beatiful thing he saw was the woman that stood on the lake.

She appeared to be practicing her swordmanship.

She walked on ice as if it was solid ground not slipping even once, infact ice began to bend around her with every step she took.

Her style was elegent and noble.

Dawn could see that every time she swung her sword a head was cut off and a heart was pierced.

Dawn stared at this fine display of swordmanship with his eyes widened.

He stared, but in his eyes was not awe, but shock.

That woman was Erisha Lynn

In Dawn's mind a faint memory lighted up and as he continued to watch Erisha.

The memory became clearer and clearer until the image of another woman overlapped with the elfs.

In the memory Dawn found himself in the training ground of the curch he was raised in.

Just like now he watched another woman preform her increadible swordmanship before his very eyes.

He was still a child back then with awe in his eyes as he watched his elder sister train.

The girl was older then him by only a few years yet it was as if they were worlds apart.

He was only an orphan with no abilities or talents while her a soon to be disclipe of a paladin with affinity for holy magic.

She had silk like blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes.

She was beatiful as if the gods personaly crafted her being.

And she was his friend.

His only friend.

At the time he wanted nothing more then support her and help her reach even the clouds.

And he did.

He helped her, supported her, he even put his life on the line to see her smile, until that godforsaken day when he lost her on the battlefield.

The dream like memory soon became a nightmare as Dawn found himself on that same battlefield.

He has long lost the will to fight, to survive.

They were abandoned, sacreficed by the very generals they worshipped as gods.

Yet even then she stood her ground and fought, protecting the weak Dawn of the past.

Her shoulders were so big back then.

It was like she could carry the entier world on them.

She looked back at him with one of her beatifule blue eyes missing.

She smiled and spoke her last words for him.

"Dawn, survive!"

Suddenly Dawn's heart rate spiked and he began to shake uncontrolabbly.

He fell to his knees as he tried to calm his body down, but to no avail.

The memory awakened something within him.

Something he locked away so it could never see the light of day again.

"God damn it why now!? Of all times!" He grunted

The evil bagan pounding the gates within Dawn's heart.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

With each strike the gates shook, the chains loosened and the locks cracked.

He bagan emmiting blood red smoke out of his body.

His eyes became bloodshot and he began gritting his theeth.

Soon Erisha felt the aura that emmited from him.

She halted and looked in his direction.

When she realised who he was she dashed towards him, but stopped at a safe distance because she didn't know what was happening to him.

The elf looked at Dawn who was now on his knees, struggeling to regain control over his body.

She wore a skeptical face, she was not sure what to do.

Nonetheless she approached him warily and knelt next to him and began reaching her hand towards him.

Dawn looked up from the corner of his eye and to his shock he saw his first and only love.

Dawn too reached out towards her calling her by name.

"Cassandra?"

However soon reality came back to him as he stared in to the void like eyes of Erisha.

The shock made him snap out of his struggle with the power within.

And with newfound resolve and rage he managed to calm the powers inside his body.

Recompsing himself Dawn stood up and locked eyes with her.

His eyes were stone cold as if he knew nothing about kindness.

Erisha knew well what he was mad about.

It was the fact that she left them and ventured out in to the forest on her own.

"I wish to apolo-"

But before she could finish Dawn cut in.

"Shut the fuck up."

Hars words.

Words the elf never heard directly said to her.

"You and me are never going to talk about what happened here. I am willing to overlook your supidity of leaving on your own, however know that your life is not only yours. You have a little brother whom you need to protect and your vow to me. Do not forget that."

The elf could only nod her head.

She knew she shouldn't have left and thinking back she shouldn't have left.

However she didn't leave for no reason.

She was called.

But it looked like Dawn was not in the mood for a talk.

He turned and left for the camp, Erisha following behind him.

When they returned the bubble of darkness compleatly faded.

Cain was still sleeping

Still snoring.

Dawn slightly angered by this kicked him on the side.

Cain woke up instantly from the sharp pain.

His first action was to hold his right side where Dawn kicked him.

"Why did you do that you big oaf!?" Cain cried out loud.

"We are moving. Gather your things and be ready as soon as possible. While you are at it I will scout ahead." Said Dawn as he vanished from their sight.

The two elfs looked at the place Dawn dissapeared from.

Cain sighed

"How does he do that?" Cain asked

"I kinda see a blur. He seems to be just this fast." Said Erisha

Since they started their journey 5 days ago every time they rested Dawn went and scouted ahead.

At first they thought he was planning with someone to betray them. That he found a loophole in his vow. Thus one time they followed him using Erisha's darkness.

Turned out he wasen't lying. He truely did scout ahead, killed many creatures infact to minimaize the chance of a sneak attack.

Day by day they were beggining to trust him more and more.

While they didn't know much about him they learned that his mindset was set on being effective.

He has a goal and he does everything to achive it.

An enemy blocks their path?

Kill it.

There is something blocking the road?

Destroy it.

He had a simple mind and simpler methodes, but no one could deny they didn't get the job done.

"Why do you think he wants to come with us?" Asked Cain while covering the burnt fire place with snow.

"He already said it didn't he? Why do you ask?" Asked Erisha.

"Yes, I know but why is a guy with such strenght running to such an extent that he wants to go to a whole new world?" Said Cain

Hearing that Erisha stopped for a moment.

Cain asked a good question.

Dawn can fight with beasts one on one that Erisha and Cain could barely defeat.

Why was a man like him running? Or more precisly what was he running from?

Just then behind the trees came out walking the very man they were speaking about.

"I have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?" Asked Dawn

"How about the good one?" Answeared Cain.

"Very well. The good news is there will be no beasts attacking us for atleast 3 days."

"That is great!" Cain said in a joyful tone.

He was getting tired of dealing with the monsteres of this forest.

Erisha however was skeptical about these news.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because of the bad news."

The elfs looked at one another then back at Dawn.

"What is the bad news?" Asked Erisha

"Snow storm" Said Dawn

The elfs looked at Dawn with confused gazes.

"What is that?" Asked Cain curiously.

Dawn simply looked at him in the eyes and said.

"You will find out soon."

He was right.

Soon enough they encountered it.

Violent gushes of wind filled with snow and ice flew everywhere.

Cain and even Erisha could barely walk through the snow while covering their faces with their cowels and hands.

On the other hand Dawn seemed to be fine as he walked without struggle through the snow that was up until his calf.

"Dawn haah can't you slow down?!" Asked Cain as he struggeled to keep up with him and Erisha.

He was a child and his specialty was magic and long to mid ranged fighting.

His small body was pushed to the limit.

And soon enough in the midst of phanting, sweating and shaking he collapsed in to the freezing snow.

Erisha immidietly took notice of this and quickly and turned back.

Dawn hearing the two elfs footsteps going in another direction also looked back.

Erisha was checking Cain's body heat with her forehead while wearing a despretly concerned look on her face.

He was cold to say the least.

"He is freezing." Said Erisha with great concern.

"We can't go on like this! We need to find a place to rest!"

Dawn sighed.

"There is no place to rest here. The only way we are going to survive is by going through this storm." Said Dawn.

His voice was distant and contained no sympathy for the young elf.

"Your vow compells you to help him!"

"I can't." Dawn answeared coldly

Erisha was baffled by his response, he truely did not know a place where they could rest.

If he did the vow would have already made him do it.

Hearing Dawn's cold answear Erisha began using her darkness from her eyes to try and shield Cain and her from the cold.

"What you are trying to do is pointless." Said Dawn

"You neglected your darkness until a couple of days ago. You do not have the mastery to build a barrier that can whitstand this storm."

But his words were not heed.

Erisha tried time after time to keep the barrier up, but couldn't.

In her desparation she called out for Dawn one last time.

"We need to help him!"

Dawn then replied, indefferant about the situation.

"How? I am no mage. I cannot change the weather with a single spell nor am I a spirit whisperer that could ask the snow elementals for help."

While Erisha knew those things were true she was desprate.

"You said you knew this forest like the back of your hand! There must to be a place we can rest at!"

"Because of the storm I can barely see. I do not have a way to navigate, but moving foward."

With that Dawn turned around, but before he could take a step foward he froze in place.

His eyes widened and his breathing stopped.

Not many things could shock him now, but he never could have imagined a sight like this.

A bloody soldier that stood infront of him.

He appeared to be a skinny boy with jet black hair.

He wore army equipment that was severly damaged and between the gaps blood and his guts were spilling out.

Other then his severe state the other unnatural thing about him was that he had no eyes only empty sockets where blood leaked from.

The blood was not affected by the cold nor the wind and continued to leak from the boys eye sockets dripping endlessly down on his pale white face.

Dawn knew who he was, but that couldn't be him.

He was something his mind conjured up either to torture him or the small kindness that was left in his heart urged him to find a way to help the young elf.

As Dawn was thinking why he appeared the soldier's expression changed from blank to that of dissapointment.

Dawn could feel what intention was behind his gaze.

And that only angered him.

He knew he was a figure of the mind otherwise Erisha would have already reacted.

Thus he only spoke in his mind.

"I know you are a projection of my mind and what your purpose is. I do not care if you try to appeal to my consunce, but know it will not work! I have already resolved myself to use the elfs and reach Eldmar NO MATTER WHAT!"

The soldier only stood in silance not reacting a single bit.

Then he smiled.

His smile showed his rotten bloody theeth.

This action sent a chill down Dawn's spine and his insticts kicked in readying himself for battle.

The soldier slowely raised his left arm then pointed to one of the trees on his left side.

Dawn followed his hand with his eyes and they widened when he saw what was on the tree.

It was a mark of a skull being pierced by a knife carved on to a nearby tree.

Unfortunatly for Dawn he now possessed information of a place they could rest while the storm passed, activating his vow.

Blue chains with blades at their end began surrounding him.

It was what kept him from breaking his vow.

In his anger Dawn quickly turned his head back ready to dash ahead and tear the soldiers throat out, but to his shock the soldier was gone.

Dawn looked around, confused about the situation.

He sighed.

Then he turned around facing Erisha once more.

"Consider yourselfs lucky. It seems even my hallucinations are on your side now." Said Dawn

This earned him a confused gaze from her.

He then began moving towards the tree with the skull mark on it.

When he was near it he raised his fist and punched at the ground.

His fist stopped just as it was about to make contact with the ground, making the snow under it blow away.

As the snow setteled down Erisha saw what Dawn meant.

Under his fist was a steel door with a lock on it.

Dawn crouched down and reached out for the lock.

Once in his hand it was crushed with immens force.

With the lock gone Dawn grabbed the iron handle and forced the door open.

Behind the door was a staircase that lead underground.

Dawn turned to look at the elfs once more with an annoyed face.

"Come" Said Dawn as he began walking down the stairs.

Snapping out of her shock Erisha followed behind him, carrying her little brother.