The Temple

Inside the forest, they were all confused. Insomnia, anger, and fatigue had completely disorganized them. Now, instead of one group, there were three separate individuals walking one behind the other.

Barhed was boiling with anger and stress. He pushed ahead with what strength he had left, often muttering something that resembled a curse as he struck the branches and plants in front of him to form a path through the trees.

Darma had his mind on the temple. Whatever was to be done, he thought, would be done now. His instincts were preparing him. There was nothing beyond the temple on the island that could have anything to do with Ian. Regret briefly entered his mind due to his contact with the heart in the tower, but he quickly pushed the feeling away and tried to focus on the task at hand.

When they got close to the temple, Darmakaya intervened.

"Barhed . From now on, carefully."

The building stood before them, its roof glistening with rainwater. Lightning struck mercilessly against the black sky above their heads. Barhed drew his sword, and Maynar, for the first time, brought his knives to his hands. He was too afraid, but the mood was too heavy, and there was no room for any more talk in Barhed's ears. Darma tightened his grip on his trident and went ahead.

The first thing they saw when they approached was the big double door. It was open, and a voice could be heard through the rain—someone was chanting.

"Ian!" Barhed shouted and ran inside.

"Barhed, no!" Maynar failed to stop him. The words traveling from inside the temple came to their ears; it was Ian's voice.

"And in my dreams, I heard a voice, more of a whisper than a voice. There was lust in her words, and I couldn't resist wanting to hear more. She called me and held my heart in her hands. How light I feel with my heart in her hands!"

The atmosphere inside the high-ceilinged temple was electric. On an elevated pedestal, young Ian stood upright, his clothes soaked with a river of blood, his eyes glowing red with magical energy, his hands raised, an expression of satisfaction on his face. In his chest, a huge hole where his heart had once been, but his body was still standing, and Ian was alive. The words he spoke came out in a dual voice—one his own and a female voice.

"By the gods of light," Barhed said, weeping, and fell to his knees. All his strength had just vanished. The sight was more than he could bear. He felt a tightness in his heart and gripped his chest. "Ian!" he cried out in tears and made to stand up. In front of him, the forest Wight armed with an axe turned his dead skull towards them, and Maynar backed away.

Darmakaya looked at the young man for a moment and immediately considered him a lost cause. There was no salvation here, only death. He pulled Maynar behind him, and the bard nearly fell to the ground. He locked the Wight in his gaze and arched his back. Though the creature had no pupils or a formed mouth, there was a look of arrogance in its expression. It was enjoying the challenge.

"Come on then, you fucker," Darma growled.

"Darma!" Maynar shouted, but to no avail.

"Shut up, bard. Don't tell a Gargoyle how to play his game."

The creature rushed forward and brought its axe down with a flourish. Darma deflected it by raising his trident, his knees buckling a little from the force. A second blow followed, and Darma pushed it aside, using the momentum to stab the creature in the sternum with the tips of the weapon and heard the bone crack. The creature caught the weapon in its hand, raised the axe diagonally, and slashed at Darma's ribs, forcing him to step back before retreating. The creature managed a quick blow to the wing, destroying much of the membrane. Darma's scream covered everything.

"I'm going to gouge your eyes out!" he shouted and lunged forward. The creature blocked one out of three blows, the others hitting it in the chest and skull alternately, the blows with such intensity that the thuds of bone could be heard. Barhed moved towards Ian slowly. He mustered all his strength, his son seemed to be in a state of hypnosis; he was out of touch with reality and did not recognize his father in front of him. Shadows moved behind him. Skeletons descended from the dark corners of the temple.

"The graves!" Maynar said.

Barhed raised his long knife and brought his full weight down on one skeleton. With two blows, he separated the head from the body; the head rolled to the floor, its mouth still moving. A rusty sword cut the old man in the shoulder, and his voice was muffled.

"Barhed!" Maynar raised his hand. He launched his knife straight into the creature's skull. The skull cracked, the knife lodged in it, and the creature fell motionless on the ground on its back.

Darma continued to gain ground. The creature, in an unexpected move, ducked to avoid a deep blow and used its shoulder to push Darma away. Its strength surprised him. Before he could recover, the creature raised its arm, tongues of ice forming on its forearm, and a shot of tremendous speed and brilliance struck the Gargoyle, creating an icy crust around his right arm and wing. He was immobilized in the ice, the creature moving menacingly, aiming the axe at Darma's skull. Darma couldn't defend himself. Maynar threw his second knife, aimed right at the creature's skull. For a moment, Maynar couldn't believe his eyes. With the broad side of the axe, the creature struck the knife and reversed its course. The weapon hit the wall and disappeared into the darkness.

Darma took some time and with all his strength, tried to break the ice. There was a distinctive cracking sound and, with force, he swung his limbs away from the crust, tearing his own flesh in the process. Ice and blood filled the ground, and Darma couldn't even feel his right arm. When the creature brought the axe down again, Darma didn't have the strength to ward it off. He said a word, pointed the trident tips at the creature, and the runes glowed golden in the darkness. A bolt of electricity shot out from the weapon and struck the creature in the sternum. The energy shattered it into a thousand pieces. Its axe fell to the ground, and the metal reverberated everywhere. Maynar covered his ears because of the thunder in the temple.

Barhed reached over to Ian and grabbed him by the shoulder. The young man grinned at him. Before him lay a yellowed page, Ian's blood dripping on it. Barhed instinctively made to reach for it, but Ian grabbed his hand. Darma ran to fight the remaining skeletons, giving Barhed time. Ian grabbed Barhed by the neck and began to lift him up with ease. Choked words struggled to come out of Barhed's mouth, but the terror in his eyes betrayed surrender. Barhed had no choice. He shoved his knife deep into his son's chest. The grip loosened, and Barhed fell.

"Got your courage up, old man?" There was the dual voice speaking through Ian's mouth.

"Who are you?" Barhed asked.

"You want to know my name too? I'm not crazy yet." Ian turned to the page, reached over, and with his other hand, pulled the handle of the knife. His face was filled with green veins. Barhed grabbed the axe that had fallen beside him and, in a moment of desperation, brought it down on his son's skull. The sound it made was wet and awful. Ian turned his head as he fell to the ground. The last look he gave his father was all his own. Barhed broke into sobs and fell over Ian's body. Before the others could react, two had died.

Darma launched the head of the last skeleton with a thud. The head traveled through the air, but suddenly, something strange happened. The skull began to slow down. Darma could clearly see it turning slowly as it flew in front of the altar. The place went dark, everything around it moved slowly, as if in honey. A silvery glow appeared over Ian and Barhed's bodies, and through it, a woman emerged. Darma felt her eyes pierce him like fire. She began to walk slowly through the room. She was beautiful, with long black hair and a revealing black dress, her curves striking, her stride sensual, her face seductive. She approached Darma barefoot, and he felt, for the first time, such great lust for a woman.

"I see you so clearly," she said in an equally seductive voice. "You look so beautiful through the gate of sin. Come and find me."

With those words, the woman disappeared, as if the earth opened up and swallowed her. In Darma's ears came the cries of Maynar.