Chương 57: The Misty Path Ahead

As we traveled closer and closer to Alderwatch, it became clear that there was a certain tension in the air. Travelers, merchants, and adventurers all spoke of the same thing: a mysterious mist blocking the roads south. Apparently, those who tried to brave the mist failed. None had reportedly died, but many came back looking as though they'd seen a ghost. Even the road seemed quieter than before. Wagons moved in tighter groups, and travelers rarely lingered once the sun dipped toward the horizon.

Sable shook her head.

"That's her way. She is not one to simply kill folks. She shows them what they most want, distorts it, and then lets them carry on less than what they were before." It was clear to all of us that Ysra was dangerous. Vaelith, Darwin, and I hunted for monsters during our travels, but alas, Alderwatch's strong population of adventurers kept the roads relatively clear.

The surrounding woods were thick with wildlife, but anything dangerous enough to become an ingredient seemed to know better than to wander near the heavily traveled paths. All in all, there were only a few recipes I could make if things went badly. Eventually, we met an old woman picking herbs along the roadside. With a crooked finger, she pointed us down a narrow path branching from the main thoroughfare. She whispered of a mist that stood like a tower's wall, guarding something beyond.

A short trip later, we saw what she meant. Towering at least five stories high, a solid wall of dark mist cut the path in half. Its edges curved away through the surrounding forest in a massive circle, disappearing between the trees. The fog churned slowly but never drifted beyond some invisible boundary. Even the sunlight seemed unwilling to penetrate it. Sable sighed.

"This is it."

"And what exactly is it?" I asked.

"It's different for each person. I couldn't say exactly what it would show you. But I can tell you this—sweet promises are poison. The craven road is worth taking."" Tsk, tsk, tsk— Come on now, Sable, don't spoil the fun." We all spun, searching for where the voice had come from. Nearby, a crow sat perched on a branch, staring down at us. Its claws wrapped tightly around the bark, black feathers shifting slightly in the breeze.

"Really… a crow?" I asked.

"Isn't that a little played out?" The crow's eyes suddenly burned purple.

"What? It was the closest animal nearby. Did you want me to speak from the mouth of a squirrel instead?"

"I… guess not?" Sable stepped forward.

"Ysra, do we really need to play this game? Can you just let us speak to you?"

"And what would we talk about, hmm? Your curse? That is an old story—but not nearly as old as you. The Lord and our deal? Oh, now that would be quite the conversation. Or perhaps the fate of Fenna and Marnie?"

"All of the above," Sable replied.

"Then play my game, and you shall have your answers. I do so hope you all make it through. Watching your little Party has brought me great joy. You've no idea how bored I can get. Lonely too." Sable turned away from the crow.

"Let's just get on with it. She won't budge."

"Sorry, my sweet Sable. It is just my nature." Sable's features shifted. She looked angry. No. Downright pissed off.

"Wait," I said.

"Maybe we should head to Alderwatch first. Stock up on supplies. Talk to others who have entered the mist."

"I think not," Ysra replied.

"You are here, and I am tired of waiting."

"It's not like you can make us." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ysra chuckled through the crow's beak.

"Oh, can't I?" The crow burst from the branch, black wings beating through the leaves. When I turned, the mist had begun to move. It rolled toward us in a thick wall, spilling between tree trunks and across the dirt path. I reached out a hand to grab my Party members, but the fog swallowed me before I could. I blinked as everything went dark… and then, in a moment, everything was different.

Darwin Master gone. Bard gone. Demon gone. Cow gone. Is Darwin… die? Glimpses of something else. Something new… something old. Like shards of broken glass. I reached down… hands. I have hands. Human hands. Darwin? No… that is not my name. Fishy? No. That's worse. Th… o. The-o. Theo. Yes. Theo. I'd been called that before. I picked up a single shard of glass. Inside it, I saw fragments of a memory. Something long forgotten. Another time. Another life. A family. A mother. A father. Loved ones… a wife. Children. All…

gone. I reached for another memory. And another. And another. Too much. It was just too much.

"Dar…win…" A voice called out through the darkness. Master? Master! It had to be Master. I abandoned the glass shards and ran forward. Tall. Human legs. No wings. Damn. Already lost the wings.

"Dar…win…" The voice was getting farther away. Colder. Trees barred my path. Dark trunks rose from the ground so tightly together that there was no space between them. I slammed into them. I scratched at their bark. I could not pass. I was stuck with fragments of memories that were not me…

Vaelith I stared down at the board. My brother Vaelor's favorite little game. Sovereign was the name. Various pieces on the board possessed different capabilities—but there was only one Sovereign. To capture a Sovereign was to win the game. The point was to sacrifice the other pieces in order to gain victory. But I always found it rather crass. It was said to emulate the real world… but in what world was a little wooden board piece the same as a person? People had lives. Dignity.

People who would care when they were gone. The game was supposed to teach the ruthlessness required of being a sovereign. A leader. Yet I… I would not play the way the game intended. I would not sacrifice for victory… And I had never won.

"You cannot win this way, my dear sister," Vaelor would say in his irritating way. Two sovereigns born to one demon house. What were the odds? Some called it a blessing. I knew it to be a curse. Only one of us would ascend, and it was clear that my brother was the favorite. And so… \what happened to the weaker of two Sovereigns? Nobody seemed to know the answer to that question. I made my move, blocking a particularly nasty unit on the board. The wooden piece clicked softly against the polished surface.

Vaelor smiled.

"How will you ever reach your full potential," he said, moving a piece forward in a clearly sacrificial manner, baiting me to take it, "if you never learn to accept sacrifice?"

Sable I reached up and grabbed a loaf of bread. The counter was tall, at least a full head above me, and my little arms could barely reach. The kind shopkeeper pushed the bread toward me.

"Here, little one," he said. I grabbed it, not saying anything in return. The tray was heavy in my small hands, but the warm smell of freshly baked bread filled my nose and made my stomach ache with hunger. The shop was cozy, filled with the scent of flour and wood-smoke from the ovens behind the counter. Outside the shop, I heard a familiar voice call me over. I set the tray on the table and sat opposite my friend Ysra. She was young, like me. Barely nine years old.

I cut a piece for each of us, slathered them in butter, and handed one to her. The butter softened immediately against the hot bread.

"So," I said.

"Do we really need to play these games, Ysra? Do you really think you can still trick me?"

Rook I peered forward. I was home. Back in Bramblewick. Butterflies fluttered above patches of purple flowers, and vibrant green stretched as far as I could see. Wheat swayed gently in the nearby fields, and warm sunlight spilled across the familiar dirt road. The air smelled of grass and tilled earth. Behind me, seated at a hand-carved wooden table, Ebbin sipped tea. In a rocking chair nearby sat his wife. Elira… Yes. That was her name. Good old Elira. I knew so much about her. She was always so… nice?

"Rook," Ebbin called in his jovial tone.

"Join us. Elira just poured some fresh tea. We were talking about the harvest this year. I know we've had tough times, but those look to be over now. We will want for nothing. Won't you join us?" Steam curled from the cups on the table. The porch boards creaked with a familiarity beneath Ebbin's chair, and somewhere beyond the house, farm animals made their presence known. It was exactly as I remembered it… strange. What a strange thought to have.

"Yeah," I said, smiling and wiping a tear from my eye. Must be allergies.

"I think I will."