The Regenerates (27 page)

“Ven, are you okay?” Elias was tugging on his sleeve.

Ven blinked.

“It looks like you didn’t die, after all,” Elias said with a grin.

“Are we here?” Ven looked around. They were in an open, lush, green field. Tall grass swayed side to side. What Ven found odd was the silence. Even though the blades of grass were clearly moving, there wasn’t even the sound of wind or a single rustle, only a ringing, eerie quiet.

“There’s something weird about this place…” said Elias, frowning. “It doesn’t look like it has more than two layers. This isn’t right.”

“So…the Keepers’ Realm is a grassy field?” Ven said, slightly disappointed.

“There’s a reason for each layer’s appearance, but only the ones who reside here know that reason.”

Ven was beginning to feel irritated at how deep this was all becoming. “If Kayn isn’t here, we have to keep going,”

“Kayn may not be here, but something else is.”

Elias pointed to something in the distance. Ven’s heart leaped. He gripped the Magistrate’s Dagger tightly. A cloudy, translucent figure was hovering above the grass. Ven narrowed his eyes, trying to make out its shape.

“Is that…it looks like a ghost from a children’s story,” he said, tilting his head.

Elias gasped. “You’re lucky he isn’t filled with negative Haze energy, or you’d probably be dead by now.”

“Is that actually what a Keeper looks like?” Ven had never seen something so unintimidating. He wondered if Argrave Heap had felt as disappointed as he did right now.

As if it had heard his thoughts, the Keeper’s head shot sharply in Ven’s direction. It began to twist out of shape, until it suddenly became an eagle. It flew up next to Ven so quickly that he almost fell to the ground. When it reached him, it morphed, rather disturbingly, into a horrible masked figure, then to a large, skeletal cat.

“What is that you carry?”

When the Keeper – or whatever it was, spoke, its voice was neither male nor female. The voice sent a ripple of numbness coursing through Ven’s blood. He suddenly felt reverence. A voice in his head was telling him to bow, to show this majestic entity respect. Ven’s breathing became heavy and his limbs moved on their own. Ven got to his knees and bent his head low in front of the strange creature. He didn’t even notice Elias beside him.

The Keeper morphed back into the form of the masked figure.

“What is that you carry?” it asked again. The Keeper reached down and took the Magistrate’s Dagger from Ven’s hand. He felt an electric shock flash through his arm as the Keeper’s fingers grazed his palm. The power was overwhelming.

“How did you come by this?”

“I…” Ven was having trouble putting together coherent sentences. “It belongs to someone I know.”

The Keeper changed shape once more, into a small girl. “This object contains powerful Haze energy. You should be dead where you stand, your lifeline severed, simply for touching it. Yet you are able to hold it.”

Ven said nothing.

“Who are you?” said the inhuman voice.

“I’m…my name is Ven.”

“Who are you?” the Keeper repeated. Ven looked hopelessly at Elias, who had his head bowed even lower than Ven’s.

“The Haze energy in this object is pure evil, yet it is also pure good. This is not possible.” The small girl’s gaze pierced into Ven like knives.

“I’m sorry,” Ven whimpered. “I don’t know what you mean.”

The Keeper handed Ven back the dagger. “If you dare to use this to become a threat to us, we will destroy you.”

“What?” Ven looked up suddenly. “Of course I won’t, I’m just trying to find–”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Keeper morphed from the small girl into the form of an old woman and vanished.

Ven shook. “What was that?”

“That was a Keeper,” said Elias.

“Are they supposed to change shape? I thought they just looked shadowy and hazy.”

“It’s like I said, this place is weird. There’s only one other level above this one and that’s it. Keepers usually shapeshift when their souls are on the cusp between the lowest realm and the gateway to the higher realms. The sudden change in Haze energy makes them go a little crazy. Normally there would be more of them, though, and the higher you are, the stronger the Keepers are.”

It was a horrifying thought. This one had been powerful enough. Ven had never experienced anything so surreal in his life. Whatever that was, its aura was immense.

“Let’s keep going,” said Ven. “If Kayn isn’t here, we need to go up a level.”

“I have no idea what we’re going to find on the next one, seeing as there’s nothing beyond it. Are you sure about this?”

“That Keeper said that this has the power to destroy them,” said Ven, holding up the Magistrate’s Dagger. “I think we’ll be okay.”

“You’re not actually going to fight, are you?” Elias sounded doubtful.

“I might not have a choice.” Ven gripped the dagger tightly. “Now, how do we get out of here?”

Elias grabbed Ven’s arm. “I think I’m going to show you how to do this yourself, next time,” he said. There was a rush of sound, and a feeling of weightlessness. The silent, grassy field vanished, and the horrible tightness in Ven’s chest and skull returned. This time, it was twice as bad. Just when Ven thought he would pass out from the pain, it disappeared again.

They were in a forest. It appeared to be dusk. Moss and roots blanketed the floor, and just like before, there was complete silence even as the leaves from the tall trees swayed back and forth.

“Is this it?” said Ven.

“Yes.”

Ven scanned the area. “How do we find Kayn? He could be anywhere–”

An overwhelming nausea came over him. Ven collapsed to the ground just as Seer had, but didn’t throw up. He clutched his own stomach and doubled over.

Elias patted his back. “Are you alright?”

“What is this?” Ven could feel his head spinning.

“Hopefully it’ll go away in a minute,” said Elias. “You shouldn’t be feeling anything, though.”

Ven tried his best to get to his feet. Elias helped him and together, they headed deeper into the forest. Something about this place frightened Ven, beyond the pindrop silence and darkness. The woods were beautiful, and yet he could feel his chest growing tight. After walking for several minutes, Ven found that something else was out of place. There weren’t any living things in this forest. He hadn’t seen a single bird, squirrel or even an insect.

As they headed deeper into the woods, Ven could slowly make out shadows flickering about amongst the trees from the moonlight. He squinted his eyes. The shadows scurried around like rats and Ven couldn’t tell if they were people or animals. As he passed by some of them, he could feel an icy breeze pass through him.

“I think this might be it,” said Elias, a few minutes later.

He pointed straight ahead at a clearing. A towering, hulking figure was crouched, hovering above a dark shape on the forest floor. Sticking out from the center of the shape was a long blade.

Ven lunged.

“Ven, wait! That…that thing is–”

Ven ignored him and continued running, holding out the dagger in front of him. Before he could reach them, Russell Stafford appeared in front of him and seized him by the throat.

His eyes suddenly fell on the Magistrate’s Dagger. “I don’t think that belongs to you.”

When he spoke, his voice was more terrible than anything Ven had ever heard. It was a dead, decaying voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kayn, motionless, his head turned away. Ven struggled against Stafford’s vice-like grip. Elias rammed his small frame into Stafford’s side, attempting to throw him off balance. While Stafford was distracted, Ven lifted the Magistrate’s Dagger with all the strength he could muster, drove it into Stafford’s arm and pulled. Stafford let out a bellow and dropped Ven. Before he could attack again, Ven leaped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his throat, and ran as fast as he could towards Kayn. He could hear Elias calling out from behind him.

“Ven, stop! He’s going to kill you!”

When he had finally reached Kayn, he flipped him over and recoiled. Just like his father, Kayn’s face had become horribly disfigured and his skin was an ashy gray. Ven reached for his neck to check for a pulse, and his hand brushed something on the ground. Lying in the shadows by Kayn’s side was an arm.

Ven cried out and fell back onto his hands. A pool of blood lay by Kayn’s shoulder where his arm had once been. Ven gingerly felt Kayn’s neck and detected a faint pulse.

“Get up, Kayn. C’mon–”

“Look out!”

Elias was waving his arms around frantically, pointing to something behind Ven. Ven wheeled around. Kayn’s father grabbed Ven’s face between his palms and squeezed. Instantly, a searing, knife-like pain covered Ven’s skin. He screamed, trying to pry Stafford’s fingers off of him. Every muscle in his body twisted, trying to pull away. Ven could feel fire on his face…

Russell Stafford let out another thunderous yell and leaped back. This time, Elias was holding the dagger, and had driven it into his back. Elias pulled it out and threw it back to Ven.

“Elias, get over here!” said Ven, shaking as he tried to compose himself. He showed Elias Kayn’s disfigured form. A short distance away, Russell Stafford was still cowering in pain from the dagger.

“What do I do?” he said. “Is there any way to fix this? His arm…”

“If he gets out of here fast, he might still make it!” Elias said as he examined Kayn. “He hasn’t been here for very long, so we’ve got a chance.”

“Why does he look like that?” Ven cricked his neck as he continuously checked behind them for Stafford.

“I don’t know. I think it has to do with that sword. Try pulling it out.”

Ven grabbed the hilt, still keeping a tight grip on the dagger, and slowly pulled it out of Kayn’s chest.

Russell Stafford was on his feet once more. He slowly advanced on Ven and Elias. Ven positioned himself directly in front of Kayn and kept his feet rooted firmly to the ground as Stafford lunged.

“
Die
,” Stafford snarled.

As Kayn’s father got closer and closer, Ven tried to remember the few combat techniques he had learned so many days ago.
Maybe I should aim for his eyes…I need to distract him…

Stafford was now inches from them.

With one hand, Ven madly swung the larger blade. Stafford dodged, and when his head was ducked, Ven slashed at his eyes with the Magistrate’s Dagger and drew blood.

Stafford screamed in pain, throwing his hands over his face. “That dagger…is
Cor’s
weapon…
my
weapon…”

“Whatever monstrosity you are, you have
nothing
to do with Cor. This isn’t yours, it’s your son’s.”

Without warning, Stafford seized the blade from Ven’s hand and brought it down on an invisible space by Ven’s feet. The silvery-white life cord appeared by his ankle. Stafford leered, lifted up his blade and sliced it.

Ven’s heart stuttered in his chest, and he braced himself as he collapsed to the ground.

Nothing happened.

“What?” Stafford looked back at Ven, who quickly turned to Elias.

“I told you,” he smiled. “it isn’t easy to break.”

Before Ven could leap triumphantly back to his feet, Russell Stafford seized Ven’s arm and twisted it back sharply. Ven screamed as he heard a pop and felt his left shoulder dislocate. The Magistrate’s Dagger fell from his hands.

“Ven!”

Elias rushed forwards but Kayn’s father kicked him and sent him flying, and he crumpled onto the forest floor.

Ven clutched whatever was left of his arm, got to his feet and slowly backed away, closer to Kayn, who was beginning to stir.

Russell Stafford reached out, grabbed Ven’s maimed arm and pulled, grinning. The pain was immense, blinding. Elias was saying something in the background but Ven couldn’t hear…

Ven fell back, eyes watering, as Stafford closed in on him. Ven scanned the ground for the dagger. Kayn’s father bent down, as though to lift something up off the ground. Before he could do so, Kayn grasped the Magistrate’s Dagger in his remaining hand and limped towards Ven. His eyes were hideously narrowed and his teeth blackened like his father’s.

“No, Father,” Kayn whispered. “This is actually mine
.
”

Ven fought to ignore the pain in his arm, cold sweat running down his face. From behind him, Elias whispered something in his ear.

“Drive the dagger into his skull,” Elias said softly, clutching at his chest. “Whoever he is, he’s being controlled by something. Haze reacts to certain parts of the body, and control comes from the mind, the brain.”

Ven nodded and repeated this information to Kayn, who handed him the dagger, panting heavily.

Keeping his left arm limp at his side, he used every ounce of strength to ignore the pain and kept a tight grip on the Magistrate’s Dagger in his right hand. “Come on, then, Lord Magistrate, if you can still call yourself that.”

Stafford raised his eyebrows. “Lord Magistrate? I haven’t been called that in a while. I quite like the sound of it.”

“Do you? Do you even know where you are?”

Stafford stopped.

“How did you die, Lord Magistrate?” said Ven.

“It was from an illness,” said Kayn, who had reached Ven’s side. “Mother cried for days. She wouldn’t be happy to see you like this, Father.”

Ven stepped closer and closer as Kayn kept his father distracted.

“Did you know she left Cor a few days after your death? She couldn’t bear it anymore. She didn’t want me to become Grand Magistrate, because she believed it was the job that had killed you, and that it would kill me, too. She’s living somewhere by the ocean, under a different identity. She loves you more than anything, Father. And I know you feel the same.”

Stafford said nothing. His face was inscrutable. Ven was worried that he hadn’t registered a single thing Kayn had said. He was only a few inches from Ven now…

Without wasting another moment, Ven leaped into action and drove the dagger into Stafford’s heart. Stafford cried out and fell to his knees. This time, Ven lifted his hand and aimed at his skull. A petrifying scream reverberated through the otherwise silent space. Russell Stafford’s graying face shattered into a million pieces, followed by the rest of him.