Phéia: Dawn

[Tokzic]

It was a day of the most beautiful sort in the world of Phéia; the sort of day that would coax the songbirds into chirping their most prized melodies, the sort of day where the sun seemed it would never set, and when it did, the world would mourn its passing. It was on this day that I, Tomyon Fisher, had my life changed for all of time by one single happening.

Morning was over by the time the day had started for me. I woke to the sun staring straight down at me from the very topmost point in the sky, and the dials read noon. I scolded myself silently for this horrible mistake, as I have always avoided sleeping in, even when I did not have duties to wake up to. I personally love the daytime the most, and it baffles me why others would rather be awake hours into the night, the time of rest, and be unconscious the following morning when they could be finishing chores.

With a wide stretch and a short yawn, I freed my body from the bedsheets and walked towards my dresser, taking out my softest azure robe and wrapping it around myself, slipping my feet into boots, and out of habit, taking out my sheathed katana and throwing it over one shoulder. My stomach then put in its word for sleeping in, a lurching murmur. I scolded myself a second time; there would be no time for a meal, as I had to get to the children in the meadow.

With a swift motion, I threw open the door and took a deep breath that filled my lungs; whatever remnants of fatigue there were in my body were purged by the gust of fresh, warm air. Feeling revitalized, I sprinted the distance to the valley, my weapon giving a clink with every step. Though my poor belly was still angry at me for oversleeping, the sun was much more forgiving, and bathed me with warmth as acceptance of my unsaid apology.

Minutes passed, and I arrived at the valley. Emerald grasses and ruby flowers greeted me. Children played amongst the ancient oak that centered the valley, and their sisters or brothers watched them like gold in a shifty marketplace. It was a true wonder, and I subconsciously mused how lucky we were to live in such a breathtaking place.

Before my mother passed on, she had always told me about how the world used to be. Centuries ago, it used to be a place of technology and science. When I heard, I thought it amazing that there were devices that would allow anyone to travel faster then even the quickest horses. This view quickly changed when I learned what price it came with, though. I couldn’t comprehend why people would continue using such technology that would corrupt their water, kill their animals, and poison their air. Supposedly, however, when the world had reached its limit, there was a flash of blinding light, and all the technology was gone; instead, there were luscious forests and glistening lakes. All of those that had lived by their technology disappeared with it, and only those who were independent of it could continue.

I stomped down the steep slope into the valley, watching my footing carefully as not to slip on the wet grasses and have an impromptu meeting with the ground. I wasn’t watching carefully enough. Friction and gravity watched and laughed as they tugged my left foot out of balance, splitting my legs, and as if that wasn’t enough pain, dragging me down the damp hill. This caused me yet more physical harm and soaked my clothing in dew, and furthermore, the tremor had given me a headache.

Groaning, I righted myself as I clutched my shoulder, which was throbbing slightly worse than the rest of my body. It wasn’t the pain so much as the fall itself that bothered me. Swordsmen such as myself were supposed to be agile and swift on their feet, not uncoordinated and prone to tripping over themselves. I may have gotten up, but my dignity was out cold.

I brushed myself off for all it was worth, and heard laughter in my direction. It seemed my antics were not acknowledged by all in the valley, but one group of girls - who were actually quite good-looking, a miracle for the plain village - had seen the entire thing. I frowned and looked down at the ground as my dignity was being kicked and stomped upon.

Did I mention charm was another aspect typical of swordsmen? If I failed to, it was probably because I didn’t want to sound like a complete failure at the whole ordeal. I had about the same skills of talking with the opposite sex as a deaf mute, let alone being interesting to them. Not that I am bad looking by any account. My hair is styled so that my bangs sweeps down over my face like a shadow, except it is a medium amber hue that shines purest gold in sunlight and not an ominous black. I am gifted with shining sapphire optics that work as beautifully as they look and I have a skin tone so dark and tanned that it practically matches my hair. However, if I had to pick one, my best asset would be my smile, which can brighten the darkest moments - whether they are mine or others’. Formally, I am Tomyon Fisher, Blade Manipulator of seventeen turns of the sun and born in the season of New Glory.

Recovered from my little spill and with the giggling girls finding someone else to taunt, I resumed my search for a specific child, ignoring the pain throbbing in my head. I didn’t have to look long; the valley was almost completely open. A high-pitched voice of male youth reached my ears, calling my name: “Tomy!”

A grin touched my face. “Hello, Philm!” I greeted, watching a short boy of eleven turns dashing towards me.

Philmreith Alinar was a young orphan boy that I had found on my wandering travels when I had been a fresh swordsman of fourteen turns. When I met him, he was living off the streets and was distrustful and corrupt. He stole to live, he had been fending for himself, and greed and hatred had forced him to become mature at an extremely young age. Phil hated me such as anyone else when I approached him, but when he realized that I’d trust him blindly just out of the good feeling in my heart, he decided that he would follow me to the end of the earth. But that’s a different story.

Inside, he had been damaged so much it would take more than a lifetime to repair, and in that respect, I feel sympathetic to him. However, he would not tolerate my talking down to him like I would anyone else his age; he is equally mature and responsible as me, if not more. He lacked good looks, but was nonetheless interesting to look at; with dull, flat brown hair that made his curious golden eyes stand out and a short, small frame. Among his other qualities are haughtiness, disregard for authority, insatiable hunger for adventure, and to complement, an amazing knack for getting himself and those he relates to in massive jams. Not that I minded. In fact, it made life rather interesting.

“Where have you been all morning?” he inquired, looking up at me quizzically.

“Oh,” I laughed, turning away. “I just slept a little more than I should have. Tough week getting back here and all.”

“Really? That’s not like you at all.”

“I got home at moondown.”

“Ooh, late return. Did you go to the Caverns? Kill anything cool?” he asked, eyes sparking with interest. He was very envious of my ability to wander freely according to my will, and he had a fascination with combat and weaponry, but only having a shortsword he stole once as a child and his imagination to work with.

“Actually,” I mused as I fingered through my robe, “I brought you something.” I revealed a makeshift necklace, composed of a dire wolven fang with a tendon in place of a chain. It was a memento of the beast I downed near the Infinite Caverns, his dream destination. He caught it when I tossed it to him.

“Whoa, looks like this thing put up one nice fight.” He touched the sharp edge of the tooth gingerly, pricking his finger before looping it around his neck. “You’ll have to tell me about it.”

“Have fun with Xandra?”

Philm murmured indistinguishably. Because of my tendencies to wander outside of my village and not return for weeks, he required a secondary guardian. Xandra, a girl slightly older than me volunteered, and I was happy to let her take the job as I thought she was caring and kind, and the fact that she was pretty did not hurt either. Naturally, since I liked her, Philm disliked her. Anyone who he thought was a menace to his one friend was not worthy of his manners, and the fact that she disapproved of all of his adventurous dreams did not improve their relationship.

Coincidentally, just as he had prepared a response, the one being spoken of peeked out from behind me and ran a finger across my neck, startling me. I whirled around, expecting my eyes to meet an assailant but meeting a freckled blonde instead. “Wha - Oh, hello Xandra.” I stole a quick glance at Philm, only to find that he was gone.

“Well, how was the trip back? Are you hurt?” she asked, inspecting me with a typical worried expression.

I smiled and rubbed the back of my head. “No, no worries. I had a relatively calm return trip.” Suddenly, the prickling pain in the back of my head began to feel like injections of fire. My vision blurred, however, blinking fixed it to some extent.

“Are you sure? You look sort of queasy. Did a scorpion get you?”

The pain worsened. “No, I... I don’t...” My head began to feel numb and fuzzy, like nothing I had felt before. I reached up and held where the ache was, and the pain returned tenfold like a jolt of electricity - not restricted to my head, but coursing through my whole body. I was compelled to curse, but then a second wave hit, worse than the first, and I cried out, losing balance and hitting my head hard against the ground. Everything became dark.

“Tomy! What happened? Are you al...”

The image of Xandra’s face faded as did my consciousness.

* * *

It seemed seconds had past. My eyes slid open slowly, and I was looking up at Xandra just as I left her. I adjusted my hearing to accommodate the sounds of many children, but there were none - just silence. As a matter of fact, there was no sky behind her, nor grass under me, but I was enclosed in a bed and home I recognized as her own.

I did not stir, but observed Xandra. As was my guess, she was at work healing me - red-herbs were burning to stir my senses from my slumber and all of my scrapes and minor wounds had been tended to with purity magic, despite their complete irrelevance to the injury. Xandra was quite protective and motherlike to everyone, and though this could be a halogen to annoyance to others, I found it rather sweet of her.

“Oh, you’re awake!” she exclaimed as she noticed my eyelids were ajar. “I was worried about you, you’ve been out cold for far too long.”

That didn’t sound right. “How long have I been out, exactly? Feels like a minute at worst,” I said.

“Half a day. You shouldn’t have been - I mean, you should have...” She looked like she was going to fuss more for a moment, but after laying eyes upon my grin, she smiled herself. “You should have your internal clock checked, it might be broken.”

“It was quite a fall, could have been jarred.”

“Be more careful next time,” she said, giving me a feather-light smack, “So I don’t have to watch over you while you doze.”

Just as I was about to defend myself, her words made something occur to me. I glanced around the room and asked, “Hey, if I’m here and you’re here... where’s Philm?”

I didn’t like the look on her face. It seemed as though this was a topic she had hoped to briefly mention as late as could possibly be to avoid my response. When the silence became unbearable, I repeated myself. “Where’s Philm, Xandra?”

“I’m sorry, Tomy,” she said with overwhelming sadness, “But he ran off at the end of this morning. We’ve searched the entire village and we can’t find him. Don’t!” she yelped as I sprang onto my feet and searched the room for my weapon.

“I have to find him. He’s going to get himself killed.”

“Tomy, he... he probably already has.” Tears streamed down her face. “We gave up searching hours ago, he could have been anywhere and back by now.” She may have hassled him and tried to kill his adventurous spirit, but she had still felt he was the closest thing to a son, and loved him, maybe as much as I did.

My katana had been stashed in her drawers, and I slung it over my shoulder. “Probably. As long as there’s a shred of hope he’s out there, I will do everything in my power get him back.” With these words, I turned my back on her and strode to the door, but then I realized something.

“Xandra... why am I naked?”

She tossed me my robe, which was clean, dry, and grass stain-free. “You were dirty and you were wounded all over and I didn’t want grass or water in my bed and you needed to be healed or - just go!” she choked. She blushed and I chuckled, and for a moment I believed everything would be all right. I pushed the door open and was gone like a sweeping shadow, as was most of that false hope.

The village may have searched high and low for him and given up, but I knew that if he had run off he would not be found playing in the meadow. He would not be sleeping on a rooftop. There was no doubt in my mind that whatever argument had occurred with Xandra, he had let his frustration get the best of him and ran off to explore the Infinite Caverns.

The Infinite Caverns were named as such because those who had lived long enough to decide to turn back never reached the end. In fact, not one person could make such a claim, and not one person had ever been known to make it. Philm had always been fantasizing of him being the first to reach such an end, and return to tell the tale to all. It was always a dream of my own, but I did not believe I had the capability to make an attempt yet, and I was sure Philm did not. They looked the same as ever, a simple mouth that looked like it housed a cave that could at best house one creature, but in fact was thousands of channels deep and home to millions of scorpions. I drew my razor curve of murder and entered, hoping he was not too in too deep, quite literally, as of yet.

I expected immediate confrontation, but I found only corpses of the gargantuan scorpions I was wary of. Was it Philm’s doing? A shortsword seemed less than a match for the stingers as long as my arm, and he had no real experience with it as far as I knew.

Proceeding down the stone tunnel, I kept my eyes open for movement but found none, and instead of providing relief, it fed my paranoia. If Philm did it, how far would he go before he was in over his head? What if he had not even come here and was fighting for his life elsewhere? Maybe I made a wrong turn. Maybe I passed right by him. Maybe I had the wrong cave. Worries bombarded me, but could not stop my progress. Turning a corner, however, I found something that did.

It was a corpse. The lifeless body of an average looking child. I approached, a cold icy feeling settling in my heart, but found it was not Philm. Bowing my head in honor as I did so, I made use of a torch and tinderbox found near him and left him behind me.

The corridors seemed to have no end, and I had new respect for the name of the Infinite Caverns. Fresh bodies of dead scorpions were scattered everywhere, and as I made progress the sightings of humans long deceased became more and more frequent, until it became sickening just to scan a room quickly. The frequency of random defenders not killed by my former visitor also increased, but there were none that could match the swiftness of my blade, and I progressed through the rooms with speed that rivaled sound.

The darkness began to become so dense it could induce insanity, but armed with a torch I was able to keep moving. The walls and floor around me started to become damp, then wet, then dripping readily as I made my way further in. The only thing that had kept me from running off was determination, which few that had escaped seemed to have. I had a feeling I was about to reach the end of my journey, and yet I was surprised that it could be so simple. Only the reckless could have been downed thus far, yet there was many more this cave had claimed.

I rounded one final corner, and my strange feelings were all explained. Philm stood in front of me, completely still with his shortsword stained with the fluids that had flowed through his fallen enemies. In front of him was a behemoth of a scorpion. It had to be at least three times my height, and its claws looked roomy enough to live in. Its shell was as black as ebony, and it appeared to have the same hardness; most armor did not seem so impenetrable. What intimidated me most, however, was its sting. Its shape was not natural; it seemed like a blade of its own type, gnarled and gleaming with venom.

In my hasty entrance, it was seemed certain that I had revealed my presence to the creature, but it did not seem to react in any way. I was unsure whether to yell or whisper to Philm, and without thinking, his name slipped out of my lips at conversation volume. It was loud enough to be heard, but his back did not turn.

// Ah, so this must be the one the boy so admires, and so envies. //

I almost swayed in my stupor. The raspy voice I had heard came from the last place I would have expected it - it echoed in my mind. The grip I had on my blade’s hilt tightened instinctively, and I stared in disbelief. This ancient scorpion had the power of telepathy.

// From the view that this boy has of you, I was expecting a far greater being than yourself. You are not of an able body, nor of an extraordinary mind. I am disappointed. //

I couldn’t comprehend the situation at all. Philm still stood as though in a trance, and a monster was attempting to start a conversation with me. I needed to know what was going on, and I saw no other option.

“What’s going on? What happened to Philm?”

// Your friend is quite a being, you know. His mind is the most complex I have ever had in my presence, and yet it is so simple to manipulate. //

It observed my silence before elaborating. // You see, I am not only able to use other’s minds as a means of communication, but all memories and thought are clear, and, given the opportunity, I am also able to obtain limited control. A power I have gained through necessity, of course. As you may imagine, food is scarce this deep down, so with access to my prey’s ambitions and lusts, it is rather simple to lure a meal whenever one happens to pass by. //

As a general rule, when being confronted with a threat to my life, I avoid taking a moment out to enjoy the scenery. Here, however, I suddenly became sickeningly aware; the remains of countless were piled and scattered haphazardly all about the chamber.

“So,” I glowered, “If a poor beggar walks by, you lure him down with the promise of riches, and the soft-hearted would be brought in through pleading for rescue?”

// That is more or less correct. If they are of a more stubborn will, I can put them into a trance as I did with your ally and make them come. If I am in dire need of energy replenishment, I can reach to those extremely far away - your village, for example. It has been a month without passersby and I could wait no longer to feed. Your arrival was a welcome addition. //

“You say that like you weren’t expecting me, but you think I’ll let you eat me now that I’m here.”

// I failed to acknowledge your presence. I have been sifting through Philm’s thoughts and I have been unobservant as to what has been happening in the tunnels. As for consuming you, I have been through your mind, and though I cannot seize hold of two at once, I can see that you will not leave without this child, and I will not allow you to take him. These two things cannot both occur, and as such, the time of words is at an end, and the time of actions is at hand.”

Like a mechanism, the segments of its tail suddenly went into motion, and the sting was launched at me. My reflexes did not fail me, however, and I rolled sideways, leaving a comfortable amount of room between my body and the blurred sting. With a crash, it met the wall of rock, and I was swept with dust and the horrible scent of toxins that would be flowing through my wounds had I not been quick enough to dodge. I crouched and readied myself for another attack, waiting for my chance.

During the brief time where words were shared between the two of us, I had not stood idly waiting for battle, but used the time analyzing the beast, looking for a place where my blade would sink deep. The thing was almost completely covered in its diamond-hard exoskeleton, but there was one key part that wasn’t - the head. Unfortunately, it was a wise animal, and I could already tell it was using its claws to defend its head while it would throw its sting at me until it managed to find its way into my body. The flaw lied in its range - if I was at the right distance from it, I would be too close for its sting, forcing it to use its claws for offense. If I could take advantage of this at the right moment and catch it off-guard, I could lay a killing blow and remain unscathed.

It came at me again with the sting as I had predicted, and I moved quickly backwards as the scorpion’s tail plummeted down in front of me. I lashed out and did little more than scratch its tail, giving the appearance that I had no plan. It drew back for another assault, and I knew it was time; the distance between us was so great that it could barely reach me, meaning I would have the most time possible for my attack. I had three seconds, four at best. I prayed that luck would be with me and my skills would serve me well. At last, it struck again, and it was my time to counterattack.

I leapt straight for the tail, running along it for a few steps before pushing off towards the creature’s head. I brought my blade arm above my head, and my off-arm to spin myself, giving enough momentum to cut clean through its neck without being stopped short by its plated defense. However, that moment did not occur. As I began to descend and began my attack, I realized that one of the gargantuan claws stood between my sword and its target, but it was too late. I brought my sword from a position of causing damage to one of preventing it, and a fraction of a second later, our weapons clashed.

My blade, in its lesser size and weight, could not do more than etch a scratch into the great claw before being blown out of my grip. Helpless, I plummeted through the pincers, and I heard the horrible sound of tearing flesh. The claw’s razor edge had cut through my blade arm. and from here, I was rushed by a variety of sensations.

First, there was the shortest and the longest - complete and utter disbelief. Over the course of a small moment, my arm had gone from a part of my being, something that was nothing but a small section of my self as a whole, to an object laying on the ground, no different then a piece of parchment, a rock; it was a thing. The commands sent from my mind to my arm met with nothing, and I was, for a split second, stunned in the surreal void of my loss.

Next came the pain. My mind realized that something had gone terribly wrong, and was screaming at me to alert me. Hot blood spurted from the stub that was left, and cold air met it halfway. It seared like fire, burning into my mind forever. I realized that the blood loss that would follow would kill me within minutes, and I could do nothing to prevent it. I was done for; I had failed in protecting Philm.

Or so I would have, but finally, there was the anger.

This putrid thing could taunt me, tear me, even kill me, but it would not feed upon Philm. I would kill it, for Philm, and all those that had fallen as I was ready to. And so, in a rage completely ignorant of the growing faintness of blood loss and the paralyzing pain, I walked to my blade and picked it up. As opposed to the familiar, secure feeling it had given in my right hand, it felt strange and intimidating in my off-hand. But it did not matter, for I only asked of it one task.

// You wish to continue in your state? It was foolish to devise a strategy based on surprise when your mind is an open book. I prefer my prey to be relatively intact when it is ready to be eaten, but a hunter is not in control of such things. Very well. //

It began again exactly like it did the first time. His words ended, and his sting continued where they left off. But I would not fall this time. I would not think. I would merely end this creature. My blade was raised, and the sting met it; however, it did not crash through it, but slid off of it. I did not pay attention to where it landed, nor to the hiss of surprise from the creature. With all of my power, I seized the adrenaline that rushed through me, and threw it into my blade - I dashed forward and with a single stab, seated the blade deep between the beast’s eyes, dark fluids seeping from the wound. I let it lie there as the scorpion writhed and struggled to escape the shadow of death that engulfed it. Unlike the monster, I let the shadow run through me like the blood that was flowing out once did. It felt almost relieving to leave the troubles and the pain I was facing behind, and for this feeling I felt guilty. Balance betrayed me, and I fell to the ground face-down. This was the place my body would rest.

“Tomy! NO!” Philm cried. He must have awakened when the scorpion had been felled; I hadn’t noticed, as my senses were failing me more every moment that passed by. I dimly felt a hand flip me over, and though I couldn’t see much, I saw Philm. I felt warm, and smiled. Tears mingled with blood. I tried to choke out some words.

“Philm...”

My lungs grabbed for more air. “Keep... fighting.”

I couldn’t hear his response. My senses gave a lurch, and suddenly everything was incomprehensible blurs and echoes. That was it - it was time to let go, time to embrace eternal rest. However, for some reason, I couldn’t.

* * *

It seemed like seconds had passed. I adjusted my hearing to accommodate for the sounds of something I had never heard before, but all that was heard was familiar silence. I summoned the courage to open my eyes, and a ceiling I had seen before came into focus above a figure bent over me.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Xandra exclaimed as she saw my open eyes. I wondered if I was not being forced to relive the night for some divine lesson, but I looked to my arm and saw a congealed stub. The dark haze that had clouded my mind in the threat of death dissipated, and I drew the only conclusion that I could possibly consider: I had lived.

“Happy to hear it,” I replied with a smile.

She returned it sheepishly, but it faded when her eyes wandered to my lack of an arm. “Oh, Tomy… if only I had come a moment sooner,” she whispered. Tears welled in her eyes.

It dawned on me that she must have followed me in her concern, but hadn’t joined the fight out of fear. Guilt was a cruel being. “You mustn’t believe this is your fault, it was my poor decision,” I assured.

“How can you be so calm about it?” she cried.

“Xandra, I was sure I was dead, and I was incredibly close to being right. If I had to pick between losing my arm or my life, I would gladly give up my arm.”

“But Tomy, to think! A Blade without his blade arm? Your entire way of life is lost!”

“I’ll retrain. I’ll work to get my skill back with my left arm, and my coordination back without my right.”

There was a moment of silence. She went to replace the herbs, and I found that I was clothed this time, despite the fact that the robe was a tricky obstacle to healing my wounds. She must have taken the first time to heart.

A moment later, Xandra returned with some deep blue liquid, which she tentatively put drops of on my arm. The hardened blood disappeared, and was replaced with new skin. Without looking up from her task, she broke the silence. “I can’t believe myself. I am a Healer, one who is supposed to fully appreciate the value of life, and here I am fretting over the loss of a limb when you are lucky to be alive.”

She finished with the liquid and looked up at me with a disheartened expression. “I must seem so foolish. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. After all, I’m a Blade without an arm.”

She smiled, and this time, guilt did not wash it away.

“So, do you think it’s safe for me to get out of bed?” I asked as I did so.

Xandra giggled. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter what I say, does it?”

“Well, I just figured that Philm would be interested in knowing that I’m not dying of blood loss.”

“If anyone should wake him up, it should be you,” she beamed.

I left Xandra’s house and took in the outdoors. The sounds and cold scent of night were still in the air, but the sun was beginning to blaze over the horizon. Morning would arrive in a while. The wind toyed with my empty sleeve, and on a whim, I ripped it off. A lot had changed, and a lot had remained the same. There was a lot of work to be done if I was to put my life back on track, and I would meet it head-on.

[Tokzic]

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