Arlandra Knight travelled many days through the desert and found himself resting beneath a small and lonely tree. His destination – the temple bearing the Earth Stone – was only three hours away, but the assassin worked best under the cover of night, and so he waited. He did not think he would fall asleep but when he did he was troubled by terrible nightmares. Vivica had thrown him off. You are not in control, she had said. It reminded him of the day he killed Garn Pallerii. Ariana tried to teach him focus. You had forsaken your Order, you turned your back on them, so why did you keep killing? He was an assassin after all; death was all he knew. He could take a life and not think about it. So why was he afraid? The assassin tossed and turned, trying to evade the voice in his head. Kill, it whispered. Kill them all…
When Arlandra awoke he spent some time meditating – his dreams had agitated him and he thought he might find solace in the stars. A moth flew by, a great hairy thing fluttering about, and Arlandra attempted to catch it in his hands. If I can catch this moth… he thought. The moth avoided him, however, and floated up towards the moon. Damn it…
The way to the great temple was clear and Arlandra remembered it well – hidden away beneath the mighty mountain. Remnants of battle still lingered here; pieces of spears and swords, not to mention damage to the temple itself. The closer Arlandra came the worse it seemed to get, until at last he sensed something dark and suffocating from within. Josiah!
The advantage of approaching at night came from the assassin’s superior vision, coupled with his heightened senses obtained from the power of the anomaly. Josiah Avenberch had posted his henchmen outside the temple entrance, however to Arlandra this was no problem at all. The Assassin watched them from afar like hawk, his green eyes glowing in the darkness. I’m not going to kill you, nor will you try to kill me. He extended his arm and summoned his sword, and noticed that the feint purple steel was heavier than before. This ought to do it. He swung the blade, slicing through the air, and raised it towards the sky. The shockwave of energy he released was enough to kick the desert sand into the air and smother everything in sight, including the enemy’s torches. The men there wailed and cried in confusion, stumbling around in a chaos of sand and darkness. Arlandra smiled. You can’t attack what you can’t see.
Arlandra’s goggles and cotton mask allowed him to manoeuvre through the dark sandstorm and dash into the temple; once inside he was enveloped by an eerie quiet. Flames burned softly on pedestals, lighting the way to the inner sanctum. He saw the damaged shrine of the gods, a great statue on the furthest wall, and beyond a settled pile of rubble the path leading to the upper levels where he first met the Guardian Korasuun. He followed the fire and the overwhelming sensation of Josiah’s presence as he descended into this ancient place. He raised his eyes and could not find the ceiling, nor the walls to either side, such was the size of the inner sanctum. A dragon lives here, he mused, of course it huge!
Arlandra Knight followed the illuminated path for a very long time, beginning to think that it must be without end, until he heard a feint and distant clicking sound echoing through the great chamber. He quickened his pace, eventually finding the end of the chamber and deducing that the clicking sound was produced by metal striking rock. It seemed the end of the chamber had collapsed, remnants of a large door were hidden away behind a pile of fallen rocks, and Josiah had his men digging it out. This was the first time Arlandra had encountered Grey Skull’s infamous leader, and immediately he was imprisoned by those dark and sinister eyes, the expressionless glamour of that golden mask and the hazardous aurora that radiated from it. He was ashamed to say that he feared this opponent. “Josiah Avenberch,” he called.
The masked man turned and tried to act surprised. “Arlandra Knight. What an honour it is to meet you; you, the sole legacy of The Order of Eldaviir, humble servant of the goddess Aprillen, mother of death.”
“Not anymore, I’m afraid, it’s just Arlandra now, though I will accept ‘The Assassin of Taelliwey’.”
Josiah nodded. “Quite right. I’m surprised by you! No tricks? No tactics to lure me in for the killing blow? I’ve never heard of an assassin to announce himself in such a way.”
“Don’t play dumb, Avenberch, you’ve known about me since the moment I arrived outside. We can suppress the dark energy inside us but I’m sure an acute mind like yours can easily detects another anomaly’s presence.”
The mask stared at the assassin with hollow eyes and a disturbing silence. Arlandra could hardly read anything from this man; was he smiling or frowning? The man took a few slow paces forward and said, “Let me tell you a secret…” He extended his arm and a dark mist sprouted from his fingertips to manifest into the shape of his sword. Arlandra thought he was the only one who could perform such a feat, however before his eyes there was a sword in his opponent’s right hand. The weapon was a rapier of subtle design though one could not ignore the horrifying black blade that seethed with whatever power Josiah possessed. “I don’t enjoy fighting,” Josiah went on. “You may not be aware of this – your friend Ashley might not have told you – but when an anomaly’s power is awakened it takes a form most suited to their personality. Take my lieutenant Petra, for instance; her heart is cold and fierce, she fights without mercy, she is loyal though short-tempered. Her ability is not so different to yours, Arlandra, she demands control and has found a way to conjure electricity out of thin air. She is stronger than you, obviously, for one reason alone; he who doesn’t know what he’s aiming for will always miss the target. You’re here to kill me and obtain the Earth Stone from Korasuun, right? So why do I sense something else on your mind?
“Let me tell you about my sword; I call it Freyr. It was given to me by Vivica on the day I achieved my enlightenment, the day I understood my purpose in the world. I have found that for each anomaly there is a certain aspect of existence that is subject to their control – a demand to be made. I demand justice, and justice demands fear. How can I control that which does not fear me?”
Arlandra tightened his grip on his sword. “Enough rambling.” He stopped when he noticed a menacing aurora emitted from the blade of his enemy’s sword.
Josiah aimed the weapon at the assassin and said, “I told you a don’t like fighting. This sword will tear you to pieces and I won’t have to do a thing, such is the power of fear.”
Arlandra was beginning to understand. Such is the power of fear. He can take an opponent’s fears and use them against them. The assassin’s vision became blurry and the flames around him turned to a vibrant flicker of green. He felt as though he had swallowed poison. Meanwhile Josiah’s mask began to twitch and shimmer, and his eyes burned with hatred until they disappeared entirely. Arlandra staggered forward towards the shadow of a man, some ghostly apparition, a hollow being. Am I hallucinating? He wondered, and the creature before him drew a black sword. If that thing cuts me, will I bleed?
“Show me your strength,” whispered a distant and despairing voice. “What do you fear?”
The shadowy being approached Arlandra but its image seemed hardly material at all; it flickered and jumped, disappearing and reappearing in different locations. It seemed hardly complete. Arlandra recognised the green of its eyes as his own, and to his alarm it was as if he were staring into a mirror. “I was a gift to you,” the creature announced, “and yet all this time you’ve treated me like such a burden.” They clashed swords and Arlandra’s blade shattered like glass. In that moment the dark creature burst into mist and the assassin found himself in a burning room. This isn’t real so why is my skin burning?
There was a harrowing cry. Arlandra dashed through the flames to find Juliet bleeding upon the floor. “Get away from me!” she screamed. “Get away!” Arlandra was flooded with an overwhelming sensation of guilt and terror. He was led to believe for the briefest of moments that he was the one responsible for her suffering. I understand. Fear doesn’t need to cut me, it will tear me to pieces and Josiah won’t have to do a thing.
The flames engulfed Juliet and then disappeared. When Arlandra came to his senses he was back in the dark cavern, kneeling before Josiah. “This world has no place for you anymore,” the masked man said. “My power is absolute. All wise men feel fear, and those who don't are fools. Embrace him, Arlandra.” The assassin’s heart was beating so fast and the room began to spin; he was slipping into unconsciousness. Josiah voice became faded. “As a show of respect from one anomaly to another, I will spare your life.”
When Arlandra awoke he knew that Josiah and his underlings were gone, and he had failed in his task. He stood up slowly and rubbed the back of his head. “Not fair…” he moaned, and glanced around the dark cavern. “What happened?”
“Your body went into shock,” said a low and booming voice, undoubtedly belonging to the Guardian Korasuun. “That man’s mind tricks were too powerful; when he broke your mind your body soon followed.”
Arlandra could only see the great dragon’s head emerge from the infinite darkness that surrounded him. The beast’s eyes glowed and its breath was hot as it beared a thousand razor-like teeth. Arlandra lowered his eyes. “I see, so I was wrong after all. I’m not in control.” He kicked a rock in frustration. “And the stone?” he asked the beast.
“Your opponent was cunning. I did not think he would answer my riddle so quickly. I sympathise with you, Arlandra Knight, however I had to commend that masked man. I deemed him worthy to wield the Earth Stone. I pray that if you oppose him, you will do so righteously.”
Arlandra exited the ancient temple and uttered the words ‘embrace him’ over and over again. His defeat and angered him greatly and he was afraid that he would not be able to control his rage this time – if he were ever in control to begin with. I am alone in this world. Good. This way no one I love will be hurt because of what I’m about to do.
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