Chapter 7
"I don't want to exist like this anymore. I can't. Please."
Guinevere's voice stuck in Vesryn's memory as he sat on the outer wall of the city, his legs dangling over the side as he held a small ruby that had what looked like a wyvern engraved on its surface. The sun began to fall below the horizon as his eyes watched over the lifeless city and the smoldering castle in the distance, an odd sense of melancholy weighing on his shoulders. The portrait imprisoning Guinevere was destroyed, burned at her own request, leaving him to be the only living soul remaining in the ancient city. He looked down at the crimson gem in his hands, the 'key to Camelot' as he discovered it was called in a leather-bound diary he found in the pouch. Apparently it would guide him back to Camelot as long as he had it and without it, he would never be able to return to the city. Though as things were now, Vesryn could find no reason to stay, perhaps one day he might return but as things stood he felt no desire to make a home of a place with such a miserable history, at least not when every sight reminded of his own loss that was still fresh in his mind.
Vesryn put the book and gemstone back into the pouch that was now attached to a belt he found inside it, alongside various other items. Lancelot's longsword, Gwain's greatsword, a large roll of what he assumed was wyvern hide, several varieties of plants and herbs, almost two dozen silver ingots, five gold ingots, a large collection of gleaming, copper-like leaves and a variety of different pieces of jewelry that all seemed handmade and etched with unfinished runes. Standing up, he dusted himself off before stepping off the edge of the wall and descending to the ground below. Leaving the city of Camelot behind, Vesryn began to walk towards the forest as he set his sights on the world beyond.
Walking along an old overgrown trail, Vesryn took the chance to grab a couple of apples for the road as he listened to the sounds of nature around him. The chirping of birds slowly began to fill the air as he continued through the trees. The smell of smoke was replaced with the scent of various different flowers and trees. His ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves as he spotted a hare running and hopping along as the first rays of moonlight pierced through the leaves and branches above. As he continued to walk along the trail, a strange feeling suddenly washed over his body, like he had just stepped through an unseen curtain.
In the blink of an eye, his surroundings changed as he found himself standing in a clearing. On his left, he saw the same lake he woke up next to, as well as the town across the water. But behind him, he found that Camelot was nowhere to be seen, and in its place was a massive tree that towered over everything else nearby. As his eyes passed over the large tree, he noticed a familiar mark hidden beneath the moss at the foot of the tree, a wyvern, much like what was engraved on the ruby he had in his pouch.
He knelt down in front of the tree as he traced the mark with his thumb. Standing, Vesryn let out a sigh before he turned away and walked out of the clearing. Silence accompanied Vesryn as he made his way through the forest, his steps soft and quiet as he left no sign of his presence. Enjoying the gentle night breeze, he hoped that the rest of the night would be as peaceful as it was now. Unfortunately for him, however, it seemed the world had other plans in mind.
A swarm of birds scattered into the air as his ears caught the sound of small explosions echoing through the trees. Vesryn froze in his tracks, the corner of his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably as he turned to look in the direction that the sounds came from, his eyes narrowed as a look of annoyance decorated his features. Sparks of light flashed between the dense foliage, illuminating several robed figures as they ran between the trees. Three of them had hoods pulled over their heads and metallic masks on their face as they ran from the others that were pursuing them, waving their arms as streaks of differently colored lights flew towards the other two figures. Their pursuers ducked behind the nearby trees as sparks erupted from the bark, sending splinters into the air.
One of the pursuers, a tall, bald man with dark brown skin, stepped out of cover and fired a red streak of light from a thin instrument in his hands. His partner, a man that was just as tall but with gray hair, pale skin, and what looked like a wooden, clawed foot, ducked beneath an incoming green streak of light before standing back up and waving a similar instrument, which Vesryn now assumed was a wand. A translucent shield appeared in front of the man to catch a red streak that was poised to strike him before he waved his arm again, sending the same red streak flying back towards the hooded figures. The red light impacted against a tree, causing a sizable explosion that tore the tree in half and sent one of the hooded figures tumbling along the ground.
"Yeah. I'm not getting involved in this." Vesryn said as he turned and walked away from the ongoing chaos. Behind him, the two groups continued to attack each other as the distance between them was gradually getting shorter. With their pace now hindered by their injured companion, the hooded figures quickly made the decision to leave him behind as they threw him to the side. As their companion tumbled through the trees, the two remaining figures fired off two more streaks of light before one of them grabbed their cloak and turned on the spot.
"Oh no, you don't!" The gray haired man called out as he fired a red light in the hooded figure's direction, striking them as their figure was beginning to blur and morph as through they were being pulled into an invisible vortex. A loud, ear-piercing scream echoed through the air as the figure was sent flying through the air, impacting against a tree before falling silent at its roots. Groans of pain filled the air as their cloak fell to the side to reveal a leg that was twisted and mangled, with pieces of their flesh and bone missing. The hooded individual after seeing the physical state of their partner took off in a sprint through the trees.
"Kingsley! Go! I'll handle these two." The gray haired shouted as he waved his wand, causing vines to wrap around the two hooded figures on the figure and pull them together. His partner gave him a quick nod as he sprinted after their quarry.
With no interest in involving himself in the conflict, Vesryn continued along the trail, his arms raised with his hands clasped over the back of his head. Smiling, he closed his eyes as he hummed a slow tune, his mind wandered as he thought about where he should go from here. The natural surroundings reminded of what it was like when he first became an adventurer, the grass and dirt beneath his feet, the rustling of the leaves and even the sounds of bandits running up on him from behind. He froze in place as his eyes opened and his humming stopped, his arms falling to his side as he looked over his shoulder with a look of sheer annoyance.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Vesryn muttered as he looked at the masked, hooded figure that was running in his direction. His eyes narrowed as his pupils elongated vertically. He could see the magic gathering around the hooded female figure, flowing through their arm and towards the wand in her hands, as though she were preparing to cast a spell. Her body moving at half speed until her eyes locked onto his through the horizontal slits in her mask.
The hooded figure tensed as she looked into the now glowing violet eyes, her hair standing on end as though lightning was about to strike. Her arm paused mid-swing as she was attempting to attack the lone boy on the road, hoping to take him hostage to use as leverage for her escape. But in that brief moment that she made eye contact with the boy in front of her, she felt a sudden sense of dread washed over her body. Before she even realized what she was doing, her arm whipped out in front of her as a fiery orange bolt shot from her wand towards the boy's chest
Vesryn watched the woman fire the spell in his direction and registered the look of shock in the face of the man pursuing her. Stepping to the side and turning his body, he watched as the orange bolt soared past his chest before impacting against a tree beyond him. A fiery explosion erupted from the impact, destroying most of the trunk while sending burning bits of wood into the air. Turning back to look at his assailant, Vesryn tilted his head slightly as he stared at the woman with a blank expression.
"Really? I swear, every time I try to mind my own business this happens." Vesryn complained as he raised his arm, magic quickly gathering in the center of his palm. The woman slowly backed away from him, her arm trembling uncontrollably as her eyes remained locked on his. She was completely unaware of the small ball of fire that shot through the air from the Vesryn's hand up. Flames erupted from her chest as the small fireball impacted against her chest, lifting her off her feet and throwing her on her back. Her wand flew from her hand, her screams filling the air as the flames wrapped around her robes.
The dark skinned man rushed to the woman's side and waved his wand twice. The flames surrounding the woman turned into ropes that quickly tied her up as she fell unconscious. With the woman secured, the man looked up to see the violet eyes of the platinum haired boy staring back at him.
"Kingsley! Did you get 'er?" The pale man limped out of the forest, the two hooded men, bundled tightly together with vines, floating through the air behind him. The man dusted off a brown bowler hat before placing it on his head, slightly tilted to cover his left eye. The man froze briefly as he adjusted his hat, his head snapping in Vesryn's direction. Despite the lack of light and obstruction from the one named Kingsley, Vesryn could sense the man's gaze falling upon him.
"Who's the kid?" The man asked as he placed a hand inside his coat.
"I don't know, Moody. But he's the one that put her down. Wandless magic." Kingsley answered as he took a step towards Vesryn. The man's single visible eye widened in surprise as he looked at his partner before turning his gaze back towards the boy standing in front of them.
"Excuse me, young man, but who are you and what are you doing here?" Kingsley asked as he stood several paces away.
"I'm Ves-" Vesryn paused mid-introduction as his ear picked up on the nearly inaudible sound of rushing air. His head turned to the right as his eyes locked onto the bird that was flying through the air. His action caused the two men to quickly turn and looked in the same direction as a brown and gray owl flew into view. Vesryn noticed an pale yellow envelope clutched in the bird's beak as it continued in his direction. Raising an eyebrow, he watched as the bird landed on the ground in front of him before dropping the envelope at his feet and flying off the way it came. As the bird disappeared from view, Vesryn bent down and picked up the envelope. On the back was a red wax seal, bearing an odd coat of arms consisting of a large letter H surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake. Flipping it over he found his own name written in emerald-green ink.
Mr. V. Haerel, The Forest, North-West of The Lady's Lake, South-East Wales.