6. True Darkness

Crimwal stared at Raymond and Kalos as they ate away at the roasted rabbit they'd just caught.

"Are you done?" He asked as Raymond and his son licked their fingers.

"Yes!" Kalos said.

"That rabbit was quite delicious," Estella said with an unladylike burp. She giggled at herself, but manners were the least of Crimwal's concerns. He already knew that Raymond was a knight and that he could use magic, but he didn't know Kalos would learn how to use magic so soon. Crimwal suspected that it'd take maybe a few months or even years, yet there Kalos sat. With eyes that burnt blue.

Crimwal wondered if this had anything to do with what he saw the night before.

"Aunty, look!" Kalos formed a dagger in his hand in an instant which made Estella proudly clap her hands.

Eevana on the other hand tilted her head in confusion. Crimwal felt the same.

"Wait a minute! Isn't it supposed to be glowing or something?" Crimwal asked.

Kalos looked at his dad, who simply shrugged.

"Dad says he doesn't know exactly what my magic is or how it works, but he says I can use both light and dark magic," Kalos said rather casually.

"Uh-" Crimwal was so amazed, words couldn't leave his mouth.

"How big can you make it?" Estella asked.

"What? The dagger? Mmm… let's see." Kalos said as he got up. He moved slowly away from everyone and destroyed his dark grey dagger. he then focused all of his willpower into forming a bigger dagger and it happened.

A slightly larger dagger appeared in his hand.

"Mmm… can't you make it a little bigger?" Estella asked.

Kalos thought back to his dream. He remembered having a large glorious sword, so he focused on recreating that sword.

Particles of light and dark began gathering around his hand. More and more gathered as a larger concentration must have been needed for the creation of a large weapon.

Eventually, the particles condensed and formed what was possibly the best sword Raymond and the others had ever seen.

Kalos carried it so naturally, it was as though he was born to wield it. He walked over to a nearby tree and swung his blade diagonally.

Nothing happened.

Kalos turned around and saw that everyone wore amazed but confused expressions.

Then the tree fell, revealing a clean cut on its remaining bottom half.

Crimwal turned to Raymond.

"Umm… sir… please don't teach him swordsmanship." He begged. Raymond's eyes trembled as he looked back at Crimwal.

"Too late. I already did. I taught him how to hunt, basic fighting stances among other things." Raymond whispered as his son continued to cut down any nearby trees.

"I see…" Crimwal said as he turned to face the small fire they'd used to cook the rabbit.

"Ok, that's enough Kalos! That pond we saw earlier might mean that there's a nearby water source. Let's go look for it or am I the only one who wants to wash off the stench of Llendor?" Raymond asked as he got up.

"Ooh! That sounds amazing! Let's go!" Estella said rather excitedly.

Eevana looked rather excited as well and so she helped Estella get up and followed Raymond into the forest.

Kalos and Crimwal did the same.

The group made its way through the lush forest. The vast wilderness went on for what felt like forever, but they walked regardless.

Each of them placed a certain amount of faith in Raymond's navigational skills.

After almost thirty minutes of walking, Raymond suddenly stopped.

Everyone wondered why, but their questions were quickly answered after they walked up to where he was.

Beyond the trees was a vast lake, but that wasn't the problem. Right in front of them was a woman who looked like she had just come out of the lake.

Her wet black hair and soaking clothes, plus her pale skin made her seem like a ghost. As though she'd disappear at any moment.

The woman looked up, facing Kalos and the group.

"Help me." The woman whispered.

Kalos slwoly started walking closer to her, but just as he put his first foot forward, Raymond stopped him.

Kalos looked into his father's narrowed eyes.

"What happened?" Raymond asked.

The woman painfully coughed as she slowly crawls towards the group.

"They took my husband… dragged him into the lake deep… please… you must help me." The woman whispered, her voice hoarse.

Raymond snuck a glance at his son and saw that he was desperately wanted to help.

Raymond let out a slight sigh. He let his son go and slowly followed the boy.

Raymond remained calm as he and Kalos approached the soaked woman.

Kalos ran over to her and held her up, but then he noticed the strangest thing.

"Aunty, do women ever grow scales?" He asked nervously. Then the woman's body violently shook, her once pale skin was replaced by green scales and her perfect teeth were replaced by sharp needles.

Kalos instantly let the woman go, but she already had her arms tightly wrapped around him. He looked at his dad but saw that he had walked over to the lake and was undressing.

"Dad, help!" Kalos cried while the woman tried to bite him. She let out loud shrieks as she rapidly opened and closed her jaws, threatening to rip his neck apart.

"Umm… shouldn't we help him?" Estella asked as she got undressed.

"Nah, that's a Haera. A common dark being. They like hunting out in swamps and killing innocent people. Oh, and they are particularly dangerous when they go for too long without feeding. This will be good training for the boy." Raymond said as he neatly packed his clothes by a tree, before walking into the lake.

Estella followed suit and walked into the cool waters of the lake with Eevana's assistance.

Crimwal was confused by everyone's behaviour

Firstly, Kalos had accepted that no one was going to help him and so he violently wrestled the woman creature on his own.

"Uh- Kalos… do you want some help?" Crimwal asked as he withdrew his dagger.

"No! I'll be fine. Dad said it's a common dark being right? That means it's not that dangerous, so go on. I'll be fine." Kalos said while punching the life out of the poor creature which had decided to fight Kalos in close-quarter combat.

Crimwal sighed and turned to Eevana. She too was undressing, this revealed serval scars and bruises which Crimwal decided should be best left undiscussed.

"Ugh." Crimwal sighed before joining everyone else in the lake.

Meanwhile, Kalos manifested a dagger to aid him in his battle.

The creature writhed in pain every time Kalos slashed away at its scaly flesh. Kalosýni's dagger was extremely sharp, so it cleanly carved its way through scale, muscle and bone.

The creature then let go of Kalos, before quickly crawling away from the boy and towards the lake. Its scales and other fish like structures suggested it would be a pain to deal with in the water.

Kalos stood up, his breath heavy, but his mind calm.

A thick smell hung over him and he was drenched in the creature's blood, but he was unfazed.

Kalos dashed to where the creature had crawled to and mounted it, preparing to kill it in one more strike, but then the creature transformed back into a woman.

Kalosýni's face twisted in confusion.

"Dad, it turned back into a lady again!" Kalos cried. Unsure whether he could kill the creature in its human form.

Kalos then heard the sounds of laughter, coupled with the splashing of water.

Kalos sighed. He then closed his heart to any and all emotions. His eyes burnt brightly, so much so that the creature writhed as it met Kalosýni's gaze.

Kalos placed his dagger on the creature's neck. His heartbeat slowed to a crawl and his mind number.

He slid the blade across the creature's neck, but due to the blades extreme sharpness, Kalos ended up decapitating the creature. His heart reminded calm, his breaths even and his mind clear.

Kalos then stood up, undressed and joined the others in the lake.

Raymond saw his son's eyes and caught a glimpse of something dark.

He hummed internally. He had decided that Kalos learn about the real world through real-world interactions, but that approach seemingly had a negative effect.

Kalosýni's eyes burnt their brightest and his face was devoid of emotion.

"Are you alright, son?" Raymond asked, this seemingly put out the fire in Kalosýni's eyes.

"Oh… oh, I'm ok. Just had a little trouble with that thing." Kalos said as he dipped his legs into the cool waters of the lake.

"Really? If you had trouble with a Haera then there's no way you're going to last in a fight against…" Raymond paused as he sunk his body lower into the water.

"The Pulae," Raymond said dramatically.

Kalosýni's eyes widened.

"What are pulae?" Kalos asked. Everyone also turned their attention to Raymond, who wore a suspicious smile.

"They are the bane of mankind. They are extremely dangerous and-"

"Aren't they just myths the order of Eirini uses to scare young knights?" Crimwal asked, his long black hair messily hanging from his head.

"Mmm… who's to say. Either way, Haera are pretty weak. So take what you've learnt today and who knows, it might come handy when you face off against tougher enemies." Raymond said with his son responding with a quick nod.

The group then spent the next thirty or so minutes washing off the dirt their bodies had accumulated during their journey. Although a large portion of those minutes was spent playfully splashing around in the water.

The group also washed their clothes, leaving them mostly naked as they waited for their clothes to dry.

They then hung their clothes to dry on several trees.

Raymond walked up to the trees. Everyone sitting by the newly made campfire watched closely as he extended his hand towards the clothes. He waved his open hand towards the clothes as particles gathered around the clothes. Raymond gradually closed his hand and steam began rising from the clothes.

Not a minute passed before all the clothes dried leaving Kalos and the others shocked and awed.

Kalos got up first, grabbed his clothes and slipped into them.

"Wow, they're so warm!" He exclaimed.

"How did you do that?" Kalos asked as everyone else got dressed.

"Well, I manipulated the light around the clothes and drew it closer to them. There it condensed, forming a cluster of energy that gradually heated the water within the clothes, which eventually evaporated, leaving the clothes dry." Raymond said as he slipped into his clothes.

"I don't think Kalos understood any of that," Crimwal said as he got dressed.

"No, I got it. But what happens if we take away light from something?" Kalos asked, surprising both Crimwal and Raymond.

"Well, if you take away light from an object or area, all that remains is darkness and cold," Raymond explained bathed in the heat of the campfire.

They'd need all the rest they could get because they didn't know when they'd get their next break.

Raymond looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was setting gradually.

"We set off first thing in the morning, so get some rest," Raymond said as laid down to sleep.

Kalos and the others followed suit, but Kalos spent the next hour or so creating and destroying all manner of shapes, tools and weapons. He had always been fascinated by magic but was under the impression that only knights could use magic.

Kalos fell asleep with a smile on his face, ready to face the next day with burning enthusiasm.

.

..

Kalos was the first to rise as the morning suns rays bathed the little campsite. He did some light stretches and shook his father awake.

"Mmm? It's morning already? Ok, let's go." Raymond said as he got up.

The two then packed their things. The noises they made woke up everyone else and in the following moments, everyone had gotten up and packed their things.

They then set off for Carimae, which was several hundreds of kilometres away. Everyone's high morale and refreshed bodies gave their steps an added bounce.

A couple of hours passed as they walked at a steady pace. Estella had been thinking about Kalosýni's powers for some time. She wondered if he could craft things other than weapons or tools.

"Umm, Kalos. Can you craft me a necklace?" She asked.

Kalos, Raymond and Crimwal looked back at her in confusion.

"Why would you want that?" Raymond asked.

Estella's face became flushed and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

"I- uh- I just-"

"She just wants to look prettier." Eevana said with the slightest hints of jealousy.

"What? Aunty is already super pretty though." Kalos said with his head tilted in confusion.

This made Estella's face redden even more.

Kalos held out both his hands and imagined a beautiful thin chain. He wanted it to shine so he imagined that the necklace he'd create would have the same properties as the pendent he kept.

Particles of light and dark gathered within Kalosýni's hands, the condensed particles then formed a link of chain that glimmered in the sunlight.

Everyone let out hushed gasps as Kalos headed the necklace to Estella, who wore it with the most pride. Its bright silver shine contrasted well with Estella's pitch black hair and her bronze skin.

Raymond's eyes then widened.

"Kalos, the necklace hasn't disappeared." He pointed out.

"Wow, you're right!" Kalos exclaimed.

"Could he not before?" Crimwal asked.

"Yeah, the knucklehead couldn't focus on maintaining the forms of the stuff he created. See the things is when I make stuff using light, that takes a certain amount of focus depending on the object. Kalos here creates solid objects. I'm pretty sure that's illegal in terms of magic, but what I do know, is that it takes quite a lot of focus and maybe even emotional investment for Kalos to create certain objects." Raymond said with a sigh.

"So it's because Kalos likes Estella that the necklace hasn't disappeared?" Crimwal asked while looking back at Estella who was showing it off to Eevana.

"Yeah, we can assume that as long as Kalos likes Estella, the necklace will not disappear. I'd like to explore what else that could mean." Raymond said as they continued their journey.

The sun gradually fell as the group. Then Raymond stopped. It was late in the evening so his body cast a long shadow on the path.

"It's getting late. We should find somewhere to set up camp." He said as he turned to the east.

The group followed him into the forest but noticed that he was occasionally jerking his head from side to side as though he was looking for something.

Then the group heard what could only be a heartbeat. It was deep and echoed throughout the forest.

"I'm not the only one hearing-"

"Shh!" Raymond cut Crimwal off as he slowly walked into the forest deep. The heartbeat grew louder and louder as they walked, so much so that it started paining their ears.

Raymond then broke into a jog.

"Kalos, with me! Crimwal, follow closely behind with those two." Raymond barked catching everyone off guard.

Raymond and Kalos shot off into the woods.

Raymond weaved past through several bushes as Kalos followed closely behind.

When did dad get so fast? I'm pretty sure all he does is eat, drink and groan. Kalos wondered.

The two eventually found a cave and the heartbeat had grown to an ear-ringing level.

Raymond stopped by the cave's mouth. Kalos then noticed streaks of what looked like black smoke.

Kalos let out a loud gasp, thinking that his father was on fire, but he couldn't see any fire anywhere.

Raymond's eyes narrowed and his face stiffened. He then took a deep breath and let out a sound that was far too low for a human to make.

Kalosýni's heart skipped a beat as he was subjected to a darkness that made his consciousness retreat to the fastest, safest reaches of his mind.

Raymond saw the dark look in his son's eyes and smiled.

"You still there, boyo?" He asked, shaking Kalos out of his fear-induced trance.

"Oh- yes! What was that?" Kalos asked rather loudly.

The sun had already set and the forest had gone quiet so his voice echoed loudly across the night.

"I just called whatever lives in there," Raymond said while pointing deep into the cave.

"I'm pretty sure you can do the same, just imagine your body as a kettle. You have magic inside you. Light and dark. Release the darkness the same way a kettle would release steam. It's pretty cathartic actually-"

Kalos did as his father said and then suddenly the entire forest was cast into darkness. It was as though the entire world had sunken into the pits of Nar' Agrun. Raymond could feel his body temperature drop and even the leaves stopped rustling.

A scream came from behind them, along with a shriek from inside the cave.

Raymond deduced that the first scream was either Crimwal, Estella or Eevana. Meaning the last noise must have been-

Suddenly, a large creature burst out of the cave and into Raymond's line of sight.

Its large frame trembled in the darkness and its black eyes stared into his.

"What the-" Raymond gasped.