The Sphere: The Phantom of the West Rim

  But suddenly their eyes caught a gleam of light from below. To their surprise they found they were bordering by a circle of fire and at once it erupted into blazing wall that protecting them from the swarm.

  Rey looked at the flame in amazement and grateful, wonder who cast this magic. The flame remembered him of the girl who saved him in the forest, but impossible for Eorin or Aska to be here or even another else, for this place was nowhere under the surface in a long time.

  The fire wall then splitting and stretching, create a path to somewhere unknown. Without a thought Scarlett runs along the fire lane followed by Rey behind. Few leeches are still on their way but she slashed them easily. And after meters of running eventually she found out where these fire wall leads to. Looked in their eyes something like a pavilion at the end of the road, made of metal it seemed as it glinting by the firelight. And underneath it a common house submerged in half with rough cement patched on the windows. The flame was blazing mad and leapt furiously around the area as if there’s a dome of fire protecting it. In weariness they climbed the house to the pavilion. And when they set their foot on it, they found a hole at the bottom. Nothing they could see, for only darkness lies there and waiting them.

  “Get in!” said mysterious voice echoed from the hole.

  With doubt and fears they jumped down. And once inside they found closed door with dim light inside. Suddenly above them turned dark and the dome of flame they see no more.

  “Step aside now!” said the mysterious voice again which sounds came from the closed door.

  They step back immediately. And suddenly the darkness above them turned bright, flooded the room with blue strong light. Somehow they felt their bodies got heavier and the air like singing in their ears. Then to their surprise a blue crystal grew rapidly from the hole above, it look solid and gleamed in faint blue.

  “What is this? Crystal?” said Rey as he tapped the crystal.

  “It is, it just I don’t know what kind it is and how it could be formed rapidly like Eorin’s ice.” said Scarlett as he touched the blue crystal. “Well, whatever it is, it will hold them to get in.”

  “Yes, but it also hold us inside.” said Rey.

  “Yeah, so we double trapped and buried alive. What could be worse than this?”

  “Come on in!” said the mysterious voice again.

  The voice was come from the wooden door on their left. The frame was illuminated by the dim light within, and strange odor and smoke trying to scramble out of it. Dizzy and nauseous they were just by inhaling it.

  Chapter 17

  Uncounted Years of Madness

  Aska slept with his head lay on the window, he trying to relax but he couldn’t. He sleeps and then wakened only to close his eyes again as if he was twisted by waking and dream. Sometimes he found himself in the bad dream but then he looked at the clear sky and mountains but even so the world seemed gloom for him and bedevil him to close his eyes again. While Marius rested himself by leaning on the seat with eyes closed, he looked calm as if nothing happened in the last hour.

  Only Eorin still opened her eyes, she drink continuously since the train went forward, wonder how much water she had drank but the table was damp by the dew of the cold glass. The girl toyed with ice cubes of her own magic and sometimes she glanced at Marius. There are many questions in her head about him, about who he is or about how he well-known by both friend and foes.

  “I know I'm attractive, but do you need to look at me like that?” said Marius with eyes closed.

  “Who’s looking at you?”

  “But you did, do you?” Marius smiled.

  “Actually, I'm more interested in what you’re hiding for. Besides it’s not difficult to remember someone in green uniform especially when there’s only one we met within few hours. I knew that you following us since the station but I don’t know what are you after. And I’ve seen that your eyes focused most to the enemies so I thought that our safety wasn’t your primary concern, yet it seemed that you need us alive to going forward. Why?”

  “Miss, I am a soldier of Kingdom of Ishtar and I was sworn to protect the people.” answered Marius casually.

  For a while Aska slightly opened his eyes when he heard Marius talked but immediately he fell asleep again, for a second…

  Suddenly a loud boom wakened him and with tremendous shock he sprang up, thinking that the enemy still chased them and attacking again. “What’s that?!”

  “Khatar, we’re arrive.” replied Marius.

  Aska looked out the window. There, in the distance, he saw a shadow on the vast green, a dark moving spot, marching orderly like black squares over the green field. Dozens of flags and banners were on the plains with tents that look like a row of white cones. And near the fringe of the forest a row of wheeled-shaft sequentially sparks a flame and with that there’s a sound like a growl of thunder, loud enough even at the distance till wakened Aska in surprise.

  Far there in the sky they saw flying shadows with the wings like a giant bat. For a moment they stared it with fear and worry, for still fresh in their memories the winged terror from the sky that split their train with the white flare and almost kill them all. But those Wyvern just passed by and they saw the rider was clad in red armor, a Dragon Rider of Ishtar. They fly above the green field with many scarecrows set up on it. Then with swift movement they stoop to burn all the scarecrows below it.

  “Combat practice?!” said Aska with awe.

  “This city never cools the heat.” said Marius.

  The train now passed the suburb area, a little part of the town outside the walls separated by wide canals. The little town looks green and beautiful, tall buildings were rarely seen but they had many gardens and green space with monuments. The town itself more look like lovely residence or the place the tourist wants to visit for rather than staging point for war campaign. Tall trees were hedged along the canals and mostly they grew to bend down into the waters. On the canals there’s only canoes and little boats, some peoples even fishing on it. Bridges connected the little town to each sides of octagonal wall. On the intercardinal sides the bridges were small, only pedestrians and cart looked there but on the four cardinals the bridge were bigger and solid with railroad on it. And as the train crossed on it the city walls loomed up like stone hill to their amazement.

  “Amazing isn’t it? How the war has shaped this city?”

  For a second or two they passed the tunnel under the wall. And then under the sunlight they saw a vast town stretching protected by the great wall, but the wall in the northeast was half-crumbled. And far there they saw it, stood menacing and dark at the center of the city a great tower, strongly built and thick like unshaken, and all like built by steel. It had four big shafts, three of them pointing up to the sky while one has down to the north. A canon it was, the biggest one they ever knew, so great it was that it seemed could make a hollow to the mountain on the north.

  “The Gun Tower, built by Nebolessar the Third in the year 4932, after the wall on the west side had finished. Once I was here, when I was child. All canons pointing to the four, mighty and proud, like nothing could stand against them. And I was there when it shot, the bang like thunder above your head and the town trembled like there’s sudden earthquake. Then I was like saw a dawn far there, red and bright stretching in the west while the night above us still black and filled with stars.” said Marius with a bit anxiety on his face.

  Later the train stopped in the north station. The station wasn’t as big as the one Lucretia had, and it served routes to the north only and arrival from the east. It was afternoon and the sun began to run into the west but from where they stood they see the sun eclipsed by crumbled wall, a scar of war to remind the peoples of Khatar of their sorrowful times.

  “Where’d you go now? As you heard from Scarlett the West Rim were in fears and panic, it isn’t safe out there now.”

  “Thanks for your advice, Marius. But we had some place to go.” said Eorin.

&
nbsp; “All right then. If it is your decision I can’t hold you. But if I could give you advice, better take the road through the forest even it will take you further, for now the clear sky haunted you more.”

  “Thanks for the advice.” said Eorin. “Good bye Marius.”

  “Good bye miss,” Marius gave salute to Eorin with manly posture and strapping, but smooth. “And good luck.”

  Marius walking away without looking back at them and in the blink of eyes he vanished among the crowd. For a while they stood looking for him, many of green-armored they had seen but none of them was him. They later continued their journey into the city.

  The city of Khatar was quite interesting and lively, as if the battle was never wounded this city. Soldiers wandering around like common people just distinct by fashion and armor. No fears or tense between them, some of them do social work to repaired a wrecked roof, they said some foolish Dragon Rider did this when nightfall, few of them took their part time job by standing in front of building with plenty of florin inside. While a soldier look arguing with someone in the street, cards scattered around them, it seems that someone had cheating on the games. The inns and hotel seemed only vacant by tourist or peoples who hold no sword and shops lined up as far as their eyes could see, especially those who provide weapons and Spheres. Certainly she will be glanced to a unique-carved scepter with purple jewel on its tip if only her mind wasn’t focused on their missing fellows.

  And apparently not only them who confused and worried over someone because not far from where they stood, at the hall, peoples huddled in the crowd only to look on a notice board. They all look worried and panic looked or fingered each name on the list, some of them even get angry to the officer in tears.

  “It’s far worse than we thought.” said Aska.

  “Then let’s do something to change those faces shall we.” said Aska.

  ***

  Eerie feeling and curiosity fell upon her as she grabbed the old knob, the same thing also felt by Rey, even more. The light of the door frame obscured by moving shadow inside and they heard nothing but faint sound of the metal, wonder who was behind the old door. Under the land the great worm slumbered for decades, it’s very impossible if there was someone living inside. ‘Or the voice wasn’t from human? Ah no used to think about it. Human or another else I will face it,’ said Scarlett in her thought.

  She opened the door and some smelly thick white smoke blow out of it. Bad odor stung their nose, but rather than smell they more concern about the one inside, the black shadow that stood among white smoke which covered him. Both of them walked slowly into the mysterious figure. But suddenly the winds blowing behind them, all smoke moving like living ghost, gathered in the man’s hand and at once condensed into small pebble to throw.

  The mysterious figure doesn’t show his face and gave only his back to welcome them, but his shadow stretched into their back as if watching them from behind. The clothes he wore were dirty and soiled, almost like a relic than old cloth. His hair was brown, tarnished and grayish by ages. His hands were thin, like bone wrapped by dilapidated old skin. So many scars looked on him from arms to the neck, like something spiked him hundreds times. Remind them about slithering horror outside, wonder how he could survive all this time.

  The figure then turned and looks at them, and as if the nightmare of childhood comes true, the persona of evil wizard now stood before them. His face like a mask carved from dying wood, look so old and weathered. Crooked nose and long dull hair add a creepy image of his face. Good or evil they didn’t know, but they like saw a bit of hope glowing behind his dimmed pale eyes.

  “Welcome!”

  One word of greeting followed by few seconds of silence makes everything more horrifying for them. And suddenly he laughed grimly and showing his brownish dirty teeth.

  “Please sit down!” said the old man, chuckled with a hoarse voice.

  Hesitantly they both sat down on the greasy chairs. Eyes and brows become their speech in that silence, for they do not know what they should do or what to speak of.

  “Please join for the meal!” said the old man, as he put old cracked plate with smoky brownish fried-food served on it. They both wondered what kind of food is that to cause bad odor like this but the longer they looking at it the more they realize what it was, for nothing could be cooked down here except the swarm outside. “You don’t want to eat?”

  “No, I'm on a diet.” replied Scarlett, as she trying to hold her queasiness at the fried-leech.

  “Women.” said the old man with black look on her. Then he turned to Rey and gives sharp glances. ”And you?”

  “Thank you for your hospitality but I’ve already had grilled fish on my last menu.”

  “Really, what’s the sauce?” asked the old man.

  “Well, I don’t know what it called but it was sweet and bit spicy.”

  “Really?” said Morran, for a moment he looks excited but in short moment he turned gloom again. “It doesn’t important now, down here this is the only food we have. Not as good as the last food you had but after 3 week you will get used to it. At the end your hunger beat your tongue.” said the old man, as he ate the fried leech.

  When they saw the old teeth bite that oily fried leech, somehow they felt there’s something in their stomach trying to rushing out till a bit of sourness tasted in their throat.

  “May I know your name sir?” asked Rey. However the old man didn’t respond a word. Then he tried to ask once again “Sir ...”

  “Before you asked someone’s name you should introduce yourself first.” The old man continued his meal without glancing at them.

  “Forgive us sir! My name is Rey and she is Scarlett, we came from Lucretia, the capital of Ishtar. May we know your name sir …?”

  “Just call me Morran of Runeglade.”

  “Runeglade?! It couldn’t be.”

  “What? Why?” asked Rey curious.

  “Could you tell me how you get in here?” asked Scarlett.

  Morran didn’t say a word instead he was grimaced at the question. At once Scarlett holds the sword behind her back to be wary of something unexpected. There was a silence again for a while, but all of sudden he was laughing again.

  “Haha, finally someone I could tell my story on. Finally I had friend to share everything here, ha ha ha ha!”

  Although he displayed a fearsome of dirty teeth and old lips, but they felt something different on his laughter now, it has sounds cheerful but the light on his pallid eyes glowing sad as if he tried to laugh at his own sorrow. Looking at that, Scarlett loosened her grip on the sword.

  “Where should I start? Well at the time … I was walking up on the hill, a place outskirts of the Runeglade. At the time … I was there in the pursuit of tranquility and take a delight in the miraculous view of Runeglade from hilltop. Such refreshing was needed by a man in productive age like me, plus at the time … my office and activities was drained my sanity a lot.” said Morran, he act like yelling loud but no sound came of him.

  “No doubt about it. That’s why I put myself on action not calculation.”

  “Then I got there, at the hilltop. I see Runeglade from there, so beautiful so charming like it was center of civilization. And the Beacon of Wisdom was so amazing, the light ascended to the sky as if it was pillar holding the heaven. I was like saw the center of this planet.” Morran paused, remembering his hometown. “But suddenly my eyes caught a gleam behind. Then I turned around, and there in the valley I saw something like a magical symbol.”

  “Magical symbol?!” said Rey wondered.

  “Yes, magical symbol, of summoning. And very large, the largest symbol I’ve ever seen, as if a giant mountain stroke the valley behind with mighty pen and ink of lava. I don’t know what kind of sentient would be summoned with a giant symbol like that till …”

  Morran paused for a moment to eat fried leech on his dish. He felt cold and trembled through his body, and yet it wasn’t fear of something but fea
rs by the bitter memories of the first day he was belong to everlasting darkness. His hand shivered as he put the food into his mouth. Although they considered it wasn’t something delicate on their fresh tongue but that old man ate it very heartily a minutes ago, voracious like a gourmand of leeches. But now he seemed loss his appetite, wonder what on his mind to make him so. Even Rey and Scarlett was carried away by horror on his face, they felt horrified as if they could see for themselves what horror in his mind and memories, for a moment … until the fried leech squeezed by his dark teeth and the fat of it pouring from his old mouth to made them want to vomit once again.

  “What, happened then?” asked Scarlett with a bit feeling of queasiness.

  “I ran down the hill to see what was happening. And what I saw later was made my heart skipped a seat.”

  “You mean ‘skipped a beat’?” asked Rey.

  “No, skipped a seat, I spoke it right. How your heart was when your seat on Sneakers match lost by fat man, you shocked, angry but too dreadful to close to tell that it was your seat.”

  “I understand.”

  “I’m telling a story here, so don’t cut it with your ‘unuseful’ question.”

  “I understand, sorry sir.”

  “For now I hope you learned the word ‘silence is gold’.” Scarlett whispered.

  “What are you talking about behind my back?”

  “But sir, we talked in front of you.” said Rey.

  “Oh, right.”

  They both stared each other, to think that they found themselves in awkward situation but bit funny.

  “Would you continue sir? Please.”

  “At the time … this giant worm … I don’t know how to explain.”

  “What happened?”

  “The whole gigantic body was sunk in the ground. Only his maw wide open with circular rows of sharp teeth, yes … sharp little teeth at the distance but when you see it closer ...” Morran pressed his teeth and for a moment he frozen on creeps as if that face was really a wooden mask. Rey get himself closer to that face but Morran suddenly surprised him till he screamed. Morran laughed loudly while banging the table as if this is was the funniest moment in his life but then he crying, either by sadness or maybe he just feel how it was laughing with someone after a long time. Then with a deep sigh the old face turned expressionless and still, until Scarlett continue to ask.