2. The Keeper of Lost Causes

- Year 570

The woods on the fire expanded as the crackling echoed in the darkness of the night. Its light burned brightly within that small circle. A small two steps away from it rested a man adorned in black robes. He had his back on a large log as he silently aided the flames by tossing it several junks of dry wood.

The flame grew to be quite bright. It illuminated the surrounding area, and as the pale moonlight came through some small cracks between the trees, the forest became visible.

To the figure light grey eyes, the surrounding lay in a dark haze. The light from the fire kept his eyes from adjusting to the darkness. So, all that he saw its crackling and bright red flames.

He sat there in a trance, feeling the slithering hand of the nightly winds and the far echoes of the crackling flames. He looked then away from the flames and onto the nearby trees. They were large. Larger than any of the ordinary trees that he had seen before. They rose deep into the sky and were wider than his arms stretched out completely.

He laid there, hearing and feeling the windy dance of a gale that flowed from one branch to another. Soon that light dance turned strong. And the wind-tossed the numerous branches from one side to another. In their tossing, they released a dim howl. He found them relaxing and he closed his eyes and enjoyed nature's ostentatious silence.

Not long did the wind keep his attention though. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and turned his gaze back onto the fire. The longer his eyes peered into that dying flame, the surrounding howl from the wind grew dimmer.

The flames shone defiantly against the torrents of the nightly gale. It crackled wildly as if begging him to aid it by throwing it more branches to feast upon. To which he did.

He lied closely tugging his black cloak inward as he exhaled. The silence continued for some time as the fire held him.

The pale moonlight shone downwards onto him also. He was but a solitary soul, accompany in silence by nature.

He lied close to the fire. But still felt it necessary to hold his cloak tight. The night was cold, more so than he had first expected it to be. To the fire, he tossed then the last bits of wood and peered at its dying flames. Soon the wind began to pick up and attempted to kill the fire of its life.

The struggle continued for some time, all the while the crackling and brightness kept his gaze and ears. Soon the light broke, and darkness rolled over. Now all that stood against the darkness of the night was that pale moonlight.

He exhaled and a cloud of vapor rose from his lips. He now held the cloak even tighter. The silence was deafening, and it only strengthened the darkness' hold over him. The night was dark, and from he had found deep inside the forest, it would be a long one.

The man stood up and tossed some sand onto the circle of fire. Soon, he heard a branch break near him and quickly jumped back.

"Who goes there!" He shouted.

Quickly, another hooded figure appeared from between an opening in the trees and made his way towards him.

Before he could remove his sword from its scabbard, the man lowered his hood and made his face visible.

"Fay!" He shouted and removed his hand from his scabbard. He went forward in a hurry and clapped his friend's shoulders before giving him a hug.

"I told you to stop sneaking up on me, old friend!" He shouted while laughing.

"Yeah, enough about that Lan. Did you find it? The temple?"

Lan, then released his friend and went over to grab his bag.

He then looked at him and nodded. "Yes. It lies further in. But, unfortunately, it's guarded by a magical formation.

By a sheer stroke of luck, I have managed to discover a weak spot within it. We should be able to enter through that."

He then looked deep inside the forest and said.

"The entrance lies below us Fay. Not within some fractured dimension like we've come to believe."

Fay's face then beamed with a smile. He quickly ran up to his companion and embraced him.

"Finally, after three years of searching. We've finally found it." As he said this, Lan saw small driblets of tears form around his friend. Soon he himself, began to shed a few tears.

"Yeah." He wanted so to say more, but the tears of happiness quenched any words that attempted to escape his lips.

Soon, both Lan and Fay extricated themselves from one another and dried their tears.

"Well, let's go. Time isn't waiting for us, and neither is the curse that holds Amanella."

Fay nodded and readjusted his robes. They both then ventured further into the darkness of the forest. They walked slowly and meticulously.

Soon they reached a point, where the sea of trees became so dense, that the light emanating from the moon couldn't pierce through anymore.

Darkness had them now. But Lan knew where to go, and despite the near-complete darkness surrounding them, walked firmly and strongly.

Some time went by as they continued to venture deeper into the forest.

"Are we there yet?" Asked Fay sounding somewhat worried.

"We've been walking for quite some time now." He said.

Lan stopped and looked at his friend. "Not much longer, just follow me. And watch your footing, there's a lot of rocks that you could stumble and fall on."

"Yeah, but don't you feel something… off about all of this?" He asked as he let some of his worries escape him.

"What do you mean?" Lan asked as he walked began to walk slower than before.

"I mean, the taint in here is quite strong and I can't feel much of any essence in here. I know that you don't wield the ability to use them, but still. You must feel some… Something weird in here. Right?"

Lan then stopped and attempted to sense if anything was out of the ordinary. He stretched his senses wide, and took in the surrounding nature but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'm not sensing anything, Fay. But, if what you're saying is true, then it must be related to the temple. Though, I fear that I don't know why and how." Lan said and then began walking slowly once again.

"We are near the entrance Fay, we'll just grab the Chalice, and then bounce, okay?"

Lan simply attributed his companion's worries to the magic he wielded. He had heard from the people around him, that using the essence of the world was dangerous to one's mind.

He hadn't ever heard of it happening to anyone but had talked briefly with Fay about it at one point. He had simply waved his hand to mock the accusation, and Lan had taken that as the truth. But now, he wasn't so sure.

As his thoughts began to wander, and he let his body take him towards the temple entrance, he then felt a pulsating feeling emanating from Infront of him. He stopped and raised a clenched fist.

Fay then stopped. "What? Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. It's the formation. Give me a sec." He took his bag out and began rummaging through its contents. He soon retrieved a white piece of parchment paper and a small vial of black ink.

He opened the vial and poured its contents onto the paper. Smearing every part of the white with the black. Soon he held a completely black piece of parchment paper.

He then placed that parchment paper before himself and the formation wall. He opened himself and released small tendrils of his will onto it and forced it to stand still mid-air.

He then clasped his hands together and began chanting.

Fay, looking at all of this, found a rock to sit on, as he attempted to catch his breath. He wasn't used to this much walking, but since the situation demanded it, he had said nothing to his companion.

Soon Fay felt small undulations from Lan's body and suddenly a violet-colored wall appeared before them. It burrowed deep into the ground and rose high into the sky. He looked to his right and then to his left and was baffled at how far the barrier stretched.

He had really found it, he thought. For who else would use this much power to hide something.

His heart quickly began to beat faster. He was elated. And relieved.

Soon the wall opened, and a small gap appeared. It was just big enough for one person, and Fey knew that he had to go through it as soon as possible. His companion was using too much power to hold it.

He then ran and jumped through the small circular opening and opened himself up to the world.

He felt a lot of the taint enter him but ignored it as he forced the world's essence to aid him in keeping the opening up.

"Quick!" He yelled. And as the paper slowly began to drop, Lan jumped through the circular opening too.

Just as he did, Fay closed himself and sat down. He concentrated inward and began to release the miasma that now had begun to coagulate in his veins.

Lan also sat down and began to take deep breaths. He was fatigued and was worried. Would he be able to gather this much power when they had to venture outside once again?

But the thought came and went just as quickly.

He stood up a few moments later and waited for his companion to finish his cleansing.

It didn't take long.

"I still have some miasma in me, but I think I should be able to cleanse myself fully when we've escaped. Let's continue." Fay said as he rose up and removed the dirt from the ground on his robes.

"Yeah, lets." Said Lan.

Both parties then continued forward.

As they continued to venture forward, they have begun to realize that the number of trees in their sight was diminishing. Soon, the light of the moon once again began to penetrate through the small openings.

The further they went in, the fewer trees appeared and the light from the moon shone ever so brightly.

Lan walked faster then. He felt the lack of rocks on the floor and the softness of the ground. He maneuvered between the trees until he came to stand before a large rock.

They hadn't exited the forest. No, they had instead entered a small circular clearing, where a large rock was placed in the middle.

"We are here." He said.

Slowly, they moved over the rock and Lan placed his hands on it. It had some moss on it, and Lan felt its stickiness on his fingers.

The slimy moss-like substance covered a small opening inside the rock. Someone had carved out an entrance into it, but the green moss around the entrance made it blend nicely with its surroundings.

Lan then peered into the darkness of the cave as he removed the branches and moss that covered it.

At that moment he felt a rising auspicious feeling well inside him. Finally, he thought.

We'll be there soon Amanella. Just wait for me.

"Should we?"

"Let's."

"After you." He said while plastered with a coy smile.

"Alright." Said Fey with a smile and went inside.

At first, Fey was surprised to find the stairs when he went inside. Though he couldn't see anything, he still felt the meticulous care that went into creating them.

They were wide and from what he could see, which wasn't much, they went far down.

But what worried him the most, was the sudden increase in the taint. The walls reeked of it, and the stairs were for some reason completely devoid of them. The deeper his breath got and the further down he went, the more taint he took in.

He then quickly shut himself of the world completely. Which provided a weird sensation. He hadn't done this since his master had first begun to teach him the secrets of the arts.

Why is there so much taint in here? He thought inquisitively. We are too far from the Badlands, there shouldn't be much of anything related to its taint here.

Something is very wrong with this place.

But he couldn't tell his companion of his worries, for he knew how important this was for him.

Who was he to tell him, that his beloved must die simply because this place reeked of a terrifying taint? I owe him too much to do that. He thought as he let out a sigh.

Lan seeing his friend slowly beginning to halt his descent opened his mouth.

"What's wrong Fey? You alright?"

Fey turned and with a smile said.

"Nothing. But it's weird that these steps and walls are still so spotless. Despite having had no visitors for centuries, you know?"

Lan nodded. "Yeah, that is weird. But it must be due to the formation barrier outside. I think it using this place as a conduit and the chalice must be the thing that's powering it."

Fey, wasn't sure that his assessment was accurate, but still acquiesced.

"Yeah. I hope your right."

Lan then laughed and jumped down several steps to stand beside his companion.

"Don't worry Fey, nothing is going to happen. Malkiel has been dead for centuries, and we are the first to enter this place since his passing. There's really nothing to be worrying about."

Fey nodded but said nothing back.

Soon they reached the end of the stairs and had entered a vast cavern. If they had previously marveled at the construction of the stairs and walls, they now stood awed at the massive temple that lies before them.

Within that cavern, it stood silently, while a hole in the wall let in some moonlight. They saw a small body of water near it, and the magnificent light of the moon mirrored in them.

"Heavens. It's beautiful."

"Yeah. But we don't have much time to stand here, let's go." Said Lan.

And they both quickly moved to the large temple gates. They were made of some wood, and as Lan touched it. Felt small tingles of power emanating from it.

"Yeah, this temple and its contents is definitely the conduit that is powering the barrier outside. It's beautiful and amazing."

Fey would disagree though. Yes, to his eyes it was beautiful, but to his senses, this place was rotten. Not with taint, but with its lack of essence. How was even this possible? He thought.

"Lan be careful. There's something very wrong about this place. Its… empty of essence. It's like a rotten corpse."

Lan turned and gave a frown to his companion.

"I don't feel anything. Let's just go inside and leave as quickly as possible then."

Apprehensively, Fey nodded.

Lan then pushed the two large wooden doors open and was surprised to not see a temple inside, but what looked like a mansion.

They went inside and before they stood a stairway into an upper corridor and to their right and left were doors.

The large room was supported by four pillars one each side. And atop the stairwell, laid several paintings. They couldn't get a good look at them but saw that someone had carved out their faces.

Creepy, they both thought.

"Can you sense the chalice Fey?" He asked his friend.

"No. I've closed myself off completely. There is just too much taint in here Lan. But I am getting the sense that we need to go down. Into the cellar, I believe. I feel an echo of something down there. Follow me."

Fey then quickly moved, he wished to be done with this place just as quickly as they arrived.

He moved to the right and entered a door, to a small dining hall. Inside that hall were additional paintings, and looking closer at them, none had any faces.

Someone had carved out their faces.

"Creepy," Lan said then out loud and Fey nodded.

He then moved to the end of the hall and found a small door. He opened it and another set of stairs, like the opening in the rock, laid there.

He went down and soon Lan followed. They didn't descend for too long. They soon reached another door, but this door. This door provided both Lan and Fey with a sense of dread that they both hadn't felt in a while.

The last time Lan felt this, was then Myria had attacked him.

Was the chalice really in here, he thought?

Fey stood still. This place was dangerous he thought. Maybe they should leave and find another way to release the curse from ….

"Lan," Fey uttered as he turned.

"Do we really need to do this? This doesn't feel right, we could still search for another method. There's still time."

Lan then frowned and anger began to swell inside of him.

"What do you mean another way? This is the only way Fey, I won't let this chance slip. The heavens have provided me this chance to finally succeed in releasing Amanella from her torment, and you want to let it go?"

"Lan, please." Fey then began to plead with him. This wasn't right he thought, we shouldn't go inside.

"Get out of the way Fey. I'm done talking." Lan then pushed Fey aside and opened the door.

Both parties were then struck with a strong gale and nearly fell. Lan looked at all the small rooms held was a painting. It was a portrait of a man sitting while holding a glass of wine. He had red eyes and two horns protruding from his temples. He wore some robes dyed in splatters of blood. Fey felt an eerie feeling from this painting.

But as he saw his friend run inside, he opened his mouth to stop him.

"Wait!" He yelled as Lan rushed inside.

Lan looked everywhere hastily and found nothing but the painting hanging at the far end of the room.

This painting, unlike the others inside the mansion, still had its face.

But Lan ignored it and just kept looking for the chalice.

"It's not here Fey! I can't see it! Damn it." He yelled out in frustration.

Lan then fell to his knees and began to tear up.

"Damn it!" He yelled, as he then began hitting the concrete floor with his hands until they turned bloody. Fey ran up to him and stopped him before he could hurt himself any further.

" Lan, please stop it." He said as he held his friend within his arms.

" Even if it isn't here well find another way. I'll help you with it, don't worry."

But Lan didn't hear anything, nor did he wish to at that moment.

He pushed Fey back and with tears in his eyes, looked accusingly at him.

"You didn't even want to come here. You don't care, leave Fey. I don't want to see you right now."

Fey looked at him and knew that he didn't mean it, but that couldn't curb the hurt he still felt at the accusation.

And before Fey could respond, he felt small tendrils of taint beginning to emanate from the painting.

He then quickly looked up at it and saw a visible change in the portrait. The man who previously had his head tilted to the side and held a cup of wine while sitting on a chair. Was standing and smiling. The figure then began moving and stretchered its arm out of the painting.

"Lan! Get back!" He yelled and quickly jumped back. But before Lan could react, he had been grabbed by the tendrils released by the painting and now stood motionless in the air.

"What's going! Fey! Help!" He yelled. And before Fey could aid him, the thing. No, the spirit Fey corrected, had escaped from the painting.

Its blood-colored garments and the nauseating stench of taint filled both of Fey's eyes and nose.

It stretched out its wings and hastily flew towards Lan.

"What is that thing!" Lan yelled, and before he could do anything, the spirit had entered his body.

"Lan!" Fey yelled and opened himself up to the world. He didn't care then of how much taint he took in, he just had to save his friend.

"Release him spirit!" He yelled as he attempted to release all the will contained within him. But none came out.

The spirit that now resided within Lan, slowly fell down onto the floor and now with blood-colored eyes, looked at him.

"Can you not recognize me, my child. Look upon the visage of glory and see my representation made flesh once again."

Fey's fear was now palpating throughout his body. He steeled himself and attempted to burrow his fear deep down. He needed to help his friend. But what could he do? The taint was too strong.

"Release my companion, spirit! You possess no dominion over us, the plane of the living is not a place from which your kind can encroach upon lightly!"

Fey attempted to open himself to the world and let its force power his threat. But the undulations released from the spirit possessed Lan reeked too much the taint. So much in fact that it blocked Fey's pathways.

He feared also that if he opened himself, the taint would enter him and let the spirit do so as well.

The spirit then began emanating a red glow. The room shook and he opened his mouth once again.

"The mortal coils and immortal springs are an illusion of the mind and a prison of the soul. The mind walks freely, while the soul is shackled by the heavens. I am here to aid, not to hinder. The missive given by the first mother is a gift young wolf, not a curse. I am gifting you a truth bathed in the most splendid of lights."

The spirit then began walking towards Fey.

His head couldn't take in anymore and as the spirit stopped just before him, he could smell the taint from its breath. For the first time in his life, Fey knew then what pure terror looked like. It was horned and reeked of taint. knew the,

The spirit exhaled and released a taint that attempted to burrow itself unto Fey. He felt the thin tendrils of ash and the quiet vibrations of power hammer his walls.

The spirit looked him right in the eyes and forced him still with its will.

"A lie too long kept, is a truth mired by imperfections. The passage of time renders all things once truthful as malleable. The foolhardy sons and daughters of heavens once discovered this imperfection, but instead of correcting it, they worshipped it. In return they became immortals. But they did so at a price, young wolf. And they continue to do so. Why don't I show you this truth? And then you can aid me in eradicating their kind from this plane."

The spirit raised its hand and before Fey could react, the world turned to black.