Chapter 4

Vesryn sat on the edge of the dock where the stonework ended and the now rotted, wooden jetty began. On his right were the embers of a small campfire that he made from the dry branches he found just beyond the border of the city among a sizable grove of apple trees and surrounded by a ring of smaller stone bricks that had fallen from the nearby buildings. Next to the fire was his tunic that was left hanging to dry from a large branch that he managed to stab into the ground through one of the many cracks in the stone. Sitting on a flat rock that he managed to find at the bottom of the water was a yellowish-green apple covered with a red blush that he left to roast by the campfire.

His feet dangling in the water, Vesryn took a bite of the fire roasted fish in his right hand as he looked at the dancing flame in his left. After spending the last couple of hours catching fish in the lake, foraging for other foods and experimenting with magic, he made several observations. One, magical energy was everywhere, but it only became visible to him when it was densely gathered like in the area around the city center or as a response to his attempts to manipulate it. Two, magic flowed through his body constantly like blood or perhaps with his blood. Three, the magical energy that was inside him acted as a medium that helped him control the surrounding magical energy. By sharpening his focus and concentration on the magic, the more of his internal magic he used and the more he used, the faster the surrounding magical energy gathered to be manipulated. Four, magic was about intent, a strong mental image of what he wanted to happen would suffice however when he combined it with a verbal and or somatic component, like waving his hand, the magic became faster and easier to shape and manipulate. The final observation was that prolonged usage of magic left him with a feeling similar to physical exhaustion. Although the actual limit of his magical stamina was still unknown given how he has yet to reach it. Fortunately, he did learn that much like his physical stamina, he would recover after a short period of not using magic, shorter if the area was saturated with magical energy.

"Maybe I can train it like the rest of my body." Vesryn muttered as he finished off the last bits of the fish in his hands and tossed the bones into the water. Standing up, he closed his left hand to extinguish the fire and dusted off the dust from his pants before picking up the now nicely roasted apple from by the campfire. Taking a bite of one, he enjoyed the delicate and mellow flavor, the fire having helped to reduce the watery flavor he had from eating it raw and accentuating the hints of vanilla. Humming softly as he enjoyed the roasted fruit, he draped his tunic over his shoulder and walked back into the confines of the ruined city.

As he walked up the ancient street, he looked over to his left at the ancient ruined wall the marked the city's border. On the other side stood a handful of ruined houses separated by large groves of trees, one of which was where he took a short nap within the tree branches and found the apple that he was now finishing off. It was one of the few locations outside the city center that was dense was magical energy. Beyond the groves were wide open grasslands that wrapped around the large lake towards the town on the other side. With the sun shining down from its zenith, Vesryn set forth to explore the rest of the city, or at least as much as he could before nightfall.

As he made his way through the city, he began to see signs of an ancient battle. Rusted and shattered weapons, as well as clear claw marks that decorated the street and walls around him. The scars of battle grew in number as he got closer to the castle. His hand traced along the damaged walls as he attempted to visualize what happened here so long ago, but there were still pieces missing that kept him from doing so. Pieces that he believed still remained around or even in the castle itself. Vesryn continued down the street, his ears picking up on the sound of occasional shuffling in the buildings as he could spot the occasional pair of white cloudy eyes watching him from the shadows. With the threats hiding in the surrounding darkness, he pushed on through the city streets and into a large open plaza positioned in front of the ancient castle. Looking up, he examined the castle in detail.

Hidden beneath the moss and vines, Vesryn could see the smooth stone hidden beneath. Chunks of the castle were torn apart and destroyed, some of which appeared to have originated from within. Stepping into the center of the plaza, Vesryn turned his attention to the border of the open space and towards the 16 pedestals that surrounded him and the single pedestal situated atop the stone stairs leading to the castle doors. Upon each pedestal were the remains of what he recognized to be statues, some of which were damaged beyond recognition and others simply broken into large pieces. Walking to each pedestal, he brushed the dust and vines away from a stone plate that was positioned at the foot of every statue, or at least where the statue was supposed to be, and managed to make out a name carved into each plate.

"Sir Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, Geraint, Gareth, Gaheris, Bedivere, Ector, Kay, Bors de Ganis, Lamorak, Tristan, Percival, Agravain, Dagonet and Cadogan. They're all knights." Vesryn repeated the names to himself as he stood at the foot of the stairs, looking down at the top half of one of the statues. This particular statue captured the visage of an older man with a wide mustache wearing a helmet with the visor up and a full suit of armor. Vesryn stepped over the statue and walked up the stairs to the final pedestal. All that remained of the statue that belonged here were the boots connected to the pedestal, even the name on the stone plate was rendered illegible.

"Someone really didn't like you, did they?" Vesryn said as he stood up and looked past the broken doors and into the castle itself. His eyes piercing through the curtain of darkness as the interior revealed itself to his eyes. In that instant the pieces that were once missing and prevented him from understanding the events of the ancient battle were all laid bare. There beyond the ruined entrance of the castle was a large stone stairway leading to the upper levels of the castle. Pieces of broken armor lay scattered atop its steps with some pieces even nailed to the stonework by the remains of broken weapons. Skeletons lay motionless on the floor and stairs, each and every one appearing as though they were struck down in an attempt to get deeper into the castle.

The sounds of shuffling feet and metal pulled his attention deeper within as he spotted several familiar pale, thin figures step out from behind the stairs from the numerous halls and rooms beyond. As he laid eyes on the damaged and rusted armor that adorned their near skeletal forms as they dragged their ancient weapons along the stonework, he saw the full picture of this city's fate. He could visualize the fires rising from the city as a horde of undead flooded the streets. The sounds of clashing metal echoing in his mind as it conjured images of armored knights being pushed back. Falling one by one just to rise as a new member of the undead and continuing the push on their former brothers-in-arms.

Vesryn stood atop the stairs as he could imagine the sounds of people screaming as they pushed and shoved their way into the castle. Turning to walk down the stairs away from the castle, he felt a sense of melancholy wash over him as he thought about the final moments of this city. The fear and hopelessness they probably felt only serving to remind him of the end of his former world.

"I witnessed the end of my home and now I've become witness to yours." Vesryn said aloud as he looked back at the castle before turning away with his eyes shut. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes revealing his violet eyes that were now filled with solemn determination as he jumped onto a nearby building and began to make his way across the rooftops towards the outskirts.

Hours later as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the last rays of daylight fell on Vesryn's back as he sat atop the section of the city wall that was still intact. His eyes focused on the web of streets below that were beginning to fill up with the undead horde. His left leg dangled over the edge of the wall as his right rested on top with his knee tucked close to his chest. His right arm draped over his knee as he held his left hand out in front of him with his palm facing up. A ball of fire the size of his fist floated inches above his open hand as the heat distorted the air around it. Having dedicated the last few hours to practicing his control over fire magic, he now felt prepared to put everything to rest. For both this city and for himself.

Rising to his feet, the final rays of lights vanishing beyond the horizon and the cloak of night fell over the city. Vesryn closed his hand and extinguished the magical flame, leaving his form shrouded in darkness as only his piercing violet eyes remained, glowing with magical energy as they gazed at the castle ahead.

"My past and yours. I will lay it all to rest."