DELTA.
THE DULAAL FOREST.

"So father, do you have any particular animal in mind or you'll just kill anything that comes in sight?" Faldrey asked following closely behind his father, swinging his hunting sword and clearing bushes and branches away from his path.

"Stop nagging me, Faldrey." His father replied with a vague tone, concentrating more on the sound around him and not the sound of his blabbermouth son.

"No seriously, I mean there's going to be lots of animals. Your hungry stomach will have to make a choice." He said in between heavy breaths.

"I told you to stop nagging me."

"If I stop talking this will be one very boring hunt, and don't even say I'll scare the animals away, I'm being quiet, I'm as stealthy as ever. I'm sure the other hunters can't even hear me, you're the only one who can and praise be to Zaal who-"

"Stop talking." Lancelot commanded, halting his steps.

Faldrey stopped abruptly in order not to bump into his father's back.

"What is it? Did you see a big bear? Oh tell me it's not a bear." He took a stance, his dominant left hand right over his boomerang.

"No, seriously. Stop talking." Lancelot warned again, sounding more stern this time.

The air had suddenly changed; the thick, pungent odour of burning coal filled the air. The sprites tensed up and retreated into their heart trees spastically, that wasn't a good sign. A colony of water Stoichi sprites retreating into their heart trees and animals in the day time was never a good sign. Then came the all too familiar sound of doom. The blare of the Westian floating metal crafts.

The sound of the blaring machines filled the air, sending a dart of fear across with this. The only exception was this wasn't a brief period of fear, this was the infamous sound of the arrival of the Westian raiders and the army of Flame Breathers.

"No, not today, not today." Lancelot muttered in utter terror, his voice was shaky and so were his limbs. He'd began to tremble in fear.

Faldrey noticed the change in his father's aura, with that he knew something big was coming even before he remembered what the blaring horns meant.

"Father is that..." the words stuck in his throat.

He was so terrified a huge lump had formed, blocking his windpipe. He could barely breathe. Taking a few steps backwards, he stumbled on a branch and fell back on his buttocks.

"Father," he whispered with a teary voice. He'd already started to shed tears. "Father is that-"

Lancelot speedily turned in his son's direction, squatting down to grab him by the arms.

"That my son," he paused, taking his hands from his son's arms and proceeded to remove the tiny ceramic cube he always hung around his neck, "is the apocalypse."

"No! no, no no no no no no no." Faldrey had began bawl, covering his face with his hands he mumbled agonising screams into them.

"Ssh," Lancelot tried to calm his son, reaching out again to hold his arms firmly. "This is not the time for that, you've been training to be a warrior, haven't you?" Faldrey continued crying into his hands but Lancelot pulled them away from his face and held them down. "Look at me!"

Faldrey couldn't control himself, he couldn't collect his emotions. This was all too soon and it was happening so quickly. He shook his head vigorously from side to side, trying to wake himself up from this dark nightmare in daylight.

"Look at me!" Lancelot cupped Faldrey's face, holding his son's face in place.

"This is a dream, this has to be a dream." Faldrey muttered to himself repeatedly.

"No, it's not. This is not a dream! Get yourself together Faldrey! Your mother needs you, your sisters need you and I need you," he took his chin in between his fingers, tipping his face up so he could look straight into his eyes, "I need you to do something very important for me. So it's up to you now to be a warrior and save your family, you have been training to be one haven't you?"

Faldrey sobbed, wiping the tears away from his face he nodded.

"Good, now listen carefully; drink this," he turned the cap of the ceramic cube, opening it. Faldrey never thought it could open, he thought it was just some ceramic ornament his father hung around his muscular neck. "It contains a potion," he continued, "it's a very old Crescent Moon practice which amplifies our Stoichi and makes us invisible. It takes a very long time to make and contains very rare ingredients, I've a few more bottles in a metal box hidden in an opening in the roof of my chamber, just above the penguin ice sculpture. Retrieve it and administer it to your mother and your sister Daeli, Veera does not have water Stoichi so sadly the potion won't work on her, but you need to make sure your mother and Daeli take it. You can hide Veera underground and hope to Zaal." Lancelot instructed.

It came all at once but due to the adrenaline rush, Faldrey picked it all up, not missing a single word.

"Here now take it." He held the tiny shape against Faldrey's mouth and urged him to drink all of its contents.

The acrid taste of the potion made its way from the tip of his tongue all the way to the back of his throat, causing him to scrunch his face up in disgust. He drank the last of its contents, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat.

"Attaboy, now rush back." Lancelot said, standing up and pulling Faldrey up with him.

"Wait, what do you mean, why aren't you drinking your own potion."

"Sadly, I had just that one." He announced.

"Why didn't you tell me! Why did you let me drink all of it!"

Faldrey felt his heart sink into his stomach.

"So the effect would last longer." Lancelot spoke composedly, trying his very best to control his emotions.

"No, that's not even reasonable! You should've thought about yourself! Why didn't you tell me you had just that one here with you!" Faldrey protested, tears welling up in his eyes and blurring his vision.

The westerners and the fire Dakyres had already landed on their island village. The part of the forest ahead was already up in flames, there was a continuous chorus of loud bangs, the sound the Westian weapons made, and the cries of Dakyre warriors, who dared resist or fight back, as they were pierced by the silver shards that shot out of their weapons.

"To avoid this argument. I knew you'd try to dissuade me if I told you I would stand and fight back."

"You've zero to no chance of winning against these people! If their silver shards don't kill you, you'll be burnt by an army of fire Dakyres, or you could be taken away. I'm sure even the forces of the Otherrealm don't know the terrors they inflict on those they take!"

"I know, I considered every possible outcome before making this decision. Maybe this time I can make a difference as a water Stoichi warrior." He pressed his forehead against Faldrey's which had started to fade and blend into nothingness. "You need to leave now, there's no time. Your family needs you."

"No father, I don't want to go!" He locked his father in an embrace, he hadn't even noticed that half of him had gained a wraithlike appearance.

Lancelot had no other choice, their was nothing else that could be done. Faldrey had a strong spirit.

He placed a hand on Faldrey's head and the other hand on his own, with that he started reciting an ancient coaxing poem. A very old practice of the Crescent Moon people.

Be one with the wind.
Flow like the waves.
Glide through the tiny cracks in reality,
Wind up at the place where you were birthed.
And may the gentle sprites of the realm between realms guide you.

He finished the coaxing poem, and for the first time in many, many years, a tear escaped the stern eyes of Lancelot.

Faldrey, oblivious to the shift in his Stoichi slowly began to waft backwards. He realised he was in motion when he got fully lifted up from the ground, hovering in the air like an actual sprite would.

"Papa? What did you do?" Faldrey called out, fear in his voice.

"I'm saving you, now save your mother and your sisters. Don't forget, the potion is in my chambers in the opening right above the penguin ice sculpture."

"No, no please stop this!"

"I love you, Faldrey Kieslaer." Lancelot sent the warmest smile he'd managed in years to his son, a stray tear wetting his lips.

"Father!"

Faldrey floated from the forest within a veil of waves and sea breeze, escaping the hell smoke and madness it had become. He reached out to pull his dad along with him but it was already too late.

"Father!" He called out again out of sadness, and also annoyance this time. Why did his father have to act the hero after taking him on a forced hunting trip.

Another loud bang was heard and this time his father's loud cry of agony chorused back, complementing the irritating loud noise of the Westian weapon which had likely shot his father.

The sound of other bangs had seemed to fade out, all he could hear and see within the veil that holstered him and the kaleidoscope that formed in front of him as he glided through reality was the writhing image of his father, bleeding into the soil, life seeping out of him with his blood.

"No! Father!"

Faldrey called out for the last time, his hands falling hopelessly to his side as verisimilitude hit him. It was all over for his father.

He soared through daylight. The forces that moved him he had reinforced, causing them to propel him even faster towards his destination. He had a clear image in his head; their wooden cottage at the far, quiet side of the island and that was where he was going.

Faldrey resolved to save the rest of his family; Daeli and his mother. He didn't know how, but he was going to find a way around to ensure Veera's safety as well. He made a sweeping gesture to his right and he was instantly in front of the entrance to their cottage.

The smell of burning fruits and trees still filled the air, banging sound of the Westian weapons could be heard in the distance but he could tell it was close. Really close. The entrance door was knocked down, lying broken into two halves on the floor.

And why was the chamber rooms on fire?!

Speeding into their cottage, he darted towards the kitchen, empty, then the main room and the storeroom, they were all empty as well.

It can not be.

He thought to himself as the only other place he hadn't checked was the chamber rooms. Jumping over knocked over items littered all over the floor, he feared the worst.

Unfortunately, the Westian soldiers and army of Flame Breathers had landed on every part of Delta at the same time. Covering the distance from the edges of the island and gradually closing in to the middle. This was done on every other islands village of the Blue Stoichi Tribe, because it was rumoured most of them dived into the water for safety, the raiders who came for the people of the Crescent Moon planned beforehand.

Their cottage being at the far west end of the island, very close to the sea, was probably one of the first Dakyre homes to be raided.

Still cloaked in the waves and calming sea breeze, Faldrey rushed into his father's chambers for two reasons; to retrieve the potion, and secondly, that was where the flames were most intense.

Like being pierced through the heart with a spear, Faldrey almost collapsed at the sight before him. His mother was in the very middle of the flames and two fire Dakyres were standing over her, laughing.

He quickly rushed over to his mother. Being invisible made the flames have no effect on him at all. He placed her head on his laps and immediately began to soothe her with healing strokes of his palm, drawing and tracing on her face while fondling her hair.

"Mother," he whispered into her ear, "please be alive, not you too." He'd been crying nonstop since he saw the vision of his father's death, but the almost lifeless body of his mother sank him into a deeper state of melancholia.

She cumbersomely lifted a hand and placed it over her son's, squeezing gently.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine." She turned to look at her son but all she could see was his cloaked, wraithlike figure. "I see your father gave you the potion, he always carried it around, hanging the damn thing on his neck" she forced a chuckle. "You should leave, centre yourself and dive into the water. You should last for about thirty minutes underwater and the dolphins will help you if you ask nicely."

"No," he sobbed quietly, placing his head on hers, "I can't leave you."

"Who is she talking to?" The first Flame Breather asked the second when he heard her muttering to herself.

"No one obviously, the crone bitch is just having death hallucinations." The second Flame Breather joked causing the both of them to laugh.

Faldrey snapped and unsheathed his boomerang, throwing it straight at the second Flame Breather. Missing his eyes just by an eyelash.

"Where did that come from?" They both asked, darting their heads around, perplexed and wary.

"Do you think maybe she threw it?"

"She didn't even move." The first Flame Breather examined Zaneri, poking her with his legs.

"Calm yourself Faldrey, don't do things like that. Don't drag attention to yourself," Zaneri warned.

"But they said mean things about you." He sobbed.

"Only weak people say mean things about others, it's our job to ignore because we know we're stronger than they are." Zaneri gave Faldrey's hand another gentle squeeze.

"You know the fire Dakyres don't look so terrifying, they don't have bright yellow manes of fire or fiery red eyes like the stories say. They just look like idiots." Faldrey spat out of annoyance, tears still rolled down his face.

"Indeed, they do not." She managed a chuckle.

"Should we finish her off or do you think she'll die either way." The second Flame Breather asked the first.

"I think she's going to die, we've taken her daughters away and she can barely walk in her current condition. She'll burn with the rest of the cottage." He concluded.

Faldrey was beyond enraged now. Blinded by his temper, he unknowingly called water to do his bidding. The air in the room rising, creating a loud whistling sound. The furniture clattering against the walls and against each other. Two humongous, glowing icicles formed from the water surrounding their far side of the island, spearing through all the obstacles in their way, piercing through the air at a speed faster than the eyes could keep up with, and into the room, then straight into the heads of the Flame Breathers. Both at the same time, puncturing from the back of their heads and coming right out through their foreheads.

They immediately collapsed to the floor, blood and brain matter seeping out of their cracked open heads.

Faldrey's anger subsided the second he realised what he'd done, turning into fear and regret.

"What have you done?" Zaneri asked horrified, slowly sitting up on the floor.

"I don't know, I don't know. It j-just, I-I-" Faldrey stuttered, his hands trembling.

"It's fine."

"Something j-just came over me, I let my anger c-control me. I-I didn't intend to I p-pr-promise." Faldrey trembled even more, the ghastly dead bodies of the Flame Breathers notifying him of what he'd just done.

He'd just murdered two Flame Breathers. He hadn't even killed an animal before but now he'd just killed a Dakyre. Not just one but two, at the same time.

"It's fine," Zaneri assured him again, "we've to get out of here, this place is going to come crashing down any second from now. We'll both burn if we stay here."

Faldrey inhaled and exhaled deeply, his breath trembling. Clenching and unclenching his fists he finally brought himself to stand up.

"You can't walk, I'll carry you." He offered.

Lifting his mother up in one swoop, surprising her and even himself. He wondered where the sudden strength came from as he raced out of the house, jumping over and dodging falling debris. Finally making it out to the cottage ground, their home crumbled right before their eyes. Faldrey's home, the only home he had ever know, burning up in spiteful yellow flames of the fire Dakyres.

If he did not hate the fire Dakyres before, he sure did now. He detested them, every single one of them.

Deciding against standing around and watching his home burn to ashes, he turned to make his way to the edge of the island, where the sea met the land. If he could just get to the water and wait out this burning nightmare.

"I wonder who could've created such powerful Stoichi disturbance."

A few metres ahead of him stood a Mage in a long red dress with intricate flower embroidery. She had bright auburn hair which got all the way to her waist. Her robe started around her shoulders, baring her smooth, slender neck.

"It couldn't have been the woman who can barely walk," she glided around like she surfed tendrils of darkness, she wasn't walking. Her legs were completely covered by the flay of her dress but it was very obvious wasn't taking steps.

Faldrey froze where he stood, not saying a word, he even held his breath. He feared that if he breathed too loudly she would sense him. His lungs were already crying out from all the running but he didn't care, he cut off the passage of air into them.

Just hold on a little longer, in a few more minutes we will be safe in the soothing waves of the sea.

He thought to himself. Breathing could wait.

The Mage glided around a floating Zaneri, circling her.

"So now the question is, what forces might be the cause of the disturbance I felt from miles away." She spoke, her voice a rhythmic melody of soprano, "and what forces might be keeping this woman afloat." Despite sounding like a question, she wasn't putting it as one. She was ready to find out for herself.

There was bright flash of light and in the next instant the iridescent appearance of the Mage was right in front of Faldrey's cloaked figure and his mother, examining. Faldrey thought he was holding his breath before, but now he forsook breathing completely. His fear muffling the loud cries of his lungs for air.

Breathing can wait, breathing can wait, breathing can wait.

He chorused in his head while saying prayers to Zaal, his ancestors, and every other god he could summon into mind.

"Ut eam ut pluribus aperire secreta, quae est occultatum inter regna petas." She closed her eyes and casted a spell. Slowly opening her eyes with a content smile on her face, her iris had turned to a pale, smoke white and her sclera a deep black, like the aphotic depths of the ocean.

Tilting her head slowly to the side, her smile grew even wider and turned more maleficent.

"Reveal," she whispered. Her melodic voice had gained a little bit of hoarseness.

Faldrey felt a handful of Stoichi leave him, rendering him empty and powerless. The strength that once filled him dissipating along with the effect of the potion. He dropped his mother a bit too quickly, making her wounds hurt even more as she came in contact with the cold ground. The shroud which hid his physical figure was slowly tearing away, baring him and revealing his presence to the eyes of those in the physical realm.

"No, no, no" Faldrey roughly ran his hands around his body, feeling the effect of the potion wear off even faster every second.

Looking up from his almost completely visible self and meeting the heinous eyes of the Mage standing in front of him, he finally let himself take short raspy breaths that in no way filled his lungs.

"That's new," the Mage commented.

He then realised that she spoke their language, she had to be speaking Dakyrian. That was the only explanation to why he understood her.

Do all the Mages speak and understand Dakyrian?

He thought but quickly brushed it aside, and fell to his knees to hold his mother.

"Mother, we've to go!" Faldrey called out but there was no response from Zaneri, she just laid there... lifeless. "No! no, no, no!" Faldrey began to bawl, grieving into his mother's cloak. Misery taking over him like a blizzard.

"You'll have to teach me that one, young Dakyre." The Mage spoke after a while of gaining perverted satisfaction from the wailing child.

He then took notice of his current situation once again.

I've to run, I've to make it to the sea. I'll be fine.

He chorused his mother's words in his head. Shooting up from the ground, he started sprinting towards the edge of the island.

I'll be fine, I'll be fine, he chorused.

"Oh, not so fast young water Dakyre. Sleep now, child," the Mage ordered.

Faldrey felt tendrils of whatever force the Mage controlled attack every joint in his body, shooting pain straight to his brain and blurring his vision. He didn't stop though, he moved despite the excruciating pain.

"Sleep little one," she repeated. In a split second the Mage was beside Faldrey, smoothening his hair. "Sleep my child you've been through so much already. Sleep for you shall wake up in a beautiful place."

The pain was unbearable, it was compared to none other pain he had ever felt. Giving in to the pain the Mage, who was by far more powerful, inflicted on him, he fell to the ground with his face. The pain he should've felt when his face came thudding on the ground, mixed with the pain he already felt all over his body. All he could feel were the tendrils tying and knotting every joint in his body, and eventually slowing his heartbeat.

Faldrey's sight went from blurry to dark and gradually he lost consciousness, falling into a tenebrous abysmal void.

The raid on the Tribes ended just as quickly as it started, with half of the Dakyrian population with affinity taken away, and the warriors killed.

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