i. Over And Around

On that eve, the Kingdom of Lavu celebrated both the birth of the heir to the sixth position of the Windy Summit, and the new year. The Windy Summit made the executive decision to be rather lenient regarding the celebrations. They weren’t big baddies when everyone was looking, after all. The year 1300 was here. Despite the joy and euphoria that would take place on that day, the ever slow movement of the calendar year affected the lands overseas quite differently. Though technically part of the Earth, they were also different. In between the two lands, the land of the Royal Family and the Kingdom of Lavu, there was a large divide. The land of the Royal Family resided on the large island of Unkardia, while the Kingdom of Lavu, while being on what was referred to as the “Main Continent”, or Mist, was known as the Chaoslands overseas. In between the two continents was the ever blighted Putrid Sea, an ocean only the valiant and brave would ever traverse. The crossing also came with side effects, ones that were unknown to the men in Zeffon.

A small, chanting hum filled the air. There were Mandras in the forest. Roanin quickly hopped on Nightmare's back. Now was not the time for chatting. Luckily, there wasn't much to worry about. Mandras were harmless as long as their singing didn't affect you.

ii. Grinder

This strange rift would occasionally open up, revealing dimensional beasts of an absolutely terrifying nature. Though little more than slight clouds of haze, these beasts were known as the Dwellers. They appeared intelligent, since they rarely showed themselves, and only killed selectively. No one knew exactly where they were originally from or what purpose they had, but the legends persisted that if you met one within a few paces, you were already dead. Roanin was aware of this like other things, and decided it was time to exit the forest as quickly as possible. While riding, Roanin heard a strange howl, one that chilled his bones and made Nightmare uneasy.

"Nightmare..."

Nightmare began to lose his nerve. In a sudden move, Nightmare began a full-fledged gallop away from their destination, away from the moon.

"Nightmare! C-control yourself!"

There was no stopping him now.

iii. Conflict

Years pass in the realm east of the Putrid Sea, and another child is born to the Cathrops. Kerragan and his wife decide to name the child after her mother. Thus, the name Reve is bestowed upon the child. In the following days, Kerragan just could help but feel like he was in peril. His wife Reve took notice of this and did everything in her power to help him, but nothing that was done made Kerragan change noticeably. Reve decided to send a letter to the supreme leader of Lavu, and hope that her trivial matters would merit a response. The supreme leader was an expert on the history of Zeffon, so it was worth a shot. Something in Reve’s memory told her that mailing a letter to the leader was a dangerous move, but Reve ignored this instinctive conclusion, certain that the supreme leader, if unmoved, would just toss the letter out. Kerragan suddenly entered the room, looking very pale.

“Hello, Kerragan, are you feeling unwell?” Reve hid the letter she was writing to the Supreme Leader in the drawer to the dresser behind her. Kerragan didn’t have any response. He just simply stood there. Suddenly, he began to dash towards an open window.

“Kerragan! What are you doing?!”

Reve tackled her husband, throwing him onto the floor. Guards dashed into the room upon hearing the ruckus and quickly restrained him. Kerragan shouted and screamed, but the guards held him down firmly and tied him to a chair. It was clear to everyone that he had gone mad. During the next few days, Reve tried as hard as she could to make Kerragan snap out of it. The Windy Summit was already deliberating whether to put him to death.

Every beat of Nightmare's hooves just caused him to go faster. What was he running from?

"Nightmare!"

The couple were headed straight for a cliff.

"Nightmare!!"

It was no use. Without hesitation, the black horse performed a huge leap off the side of the rock. It was impossible to see the bottom of the canyon below them. Not only did the fissure exhibit the absence of any light, Roanin could not bear to look.

iv. Windy Summit

“Kerragan…”

Kerragan woke up. Either he was mad or this was a dream. He was on a beach composed of grey sand. To his right, there was a group of trees with a small wooden house and to his left, there was ocean as far as the eye could see he was on an island of sorts that was small enough that there was very little to make note of. There no sign of anyone or anything. Thus Kerragan decided to enter the only feature of the island – the house. As he made his way towards the structure, Kerragan noticed that there were plenty of frogs on the path before him, leaping out of the way as he proceeded forward. The house itself was supported on four beams in the mushy ground, and a pool of water had accumulated beneath it. Kerragan followed the steps that led to the porch of the structure and opened the door. There was no one in here, but there was a table and a single shelf of books. In the corner to the right, there was a bucket of dark green paint, almost empty…

That was it. There was a slight disturbance here. Tereban put his foot down on the leaves. Someone had fallen asleep here - the leaves were smushed flat. And then, those hoof prints in the dry dirt. The evening breeze had not yet completely destroyed the tracks in the trampled terrain. It seemed that there was a horse on the loose. But was there a chance that this was the horse he had seen before? There was always that possibility.

v. Foreboding

There was a slight disturbance here. Tereban put his foot down on the leaves. Someone had fallen asleep here - the leaves were crushed flat, and there were those hoof prints in the dry dirt. The evening breeze had not yet completely destroyed the tracks in the trampled terrain. It seemed that there was a horse on the loose. But was there a chance that this was the horse he had seen before? There was always that possibility. A growl was heard, but was just as quickly followed by the sound of an arrow slicing through the air and nailing the creature in the head. Just a small wolf who had been ejected from its pack. Nothing significant here. As Tereban turned slightly, he heard a scream from deep within the night, causing the crickets and frogs to stop for the time being. There was something out there. Something that he had not seen since his childhood. Now was not the time to be loafing about for Tereban, since the Royal Family had promised him a handsome reward for the location of the long-haired man, the man known as Nightmare. It seemed rather trivial to Tereban, since there was the time rift in between the Chaoslands and Unkardia. Yes, the Royal Family must want Nightmare and Roanin to themselves. It would help them return to Cuja, and then from there, a general escape could be made.

A growl was heard, but was just as quickly followed by the sound of an arrow slicing through the air and nailing the creature in the head. Peh. Just a small wolf who had been ejected from its pack. Nothing significant here. As Tereban turned slightly, he heard a scream from deep within the night, causing the crickets and frogs to stop for the time being.

vi. Filter Snap

Another scream ripped through the night. The Dwellers were coming out of the rift in the Putrid Sea, as well as their trees and caves and beginning to wreak havoc on those who were not wise enough to leave the forest in time. Tereban was experienced, though. There was nothing to worry about for him. The same could possibly not be said for Nightmare. Though he had lived in the forest for a while, there was a chance that even he could not face one of the Dwellers alone. There was his life at stake here, but more importantly, there was the money involved. That too would be trivial compared to the opportunity to travel back to Cuja. Yes, there were a good amount of things to be had, and there shouldn’t be any sort of slip-up. Tereban quickly made his way through the trees. Although it was pitch black and the moon barely manifested itself through the dense trees, Tereban could see just fine. Being one of Cuja’s 64 had its perks. Tereban then stopped short. He could smell blood. Sure enough, there was a massive cliff that led to the western edge of Unkardia’s Crystal Forest. Upon looking over the edge, Tereban noticed a small figure laying down on small beach, surrounded by a ghastly amount of dried blood. That must be the boy that was accompanying Nightmare. Nightmare himself had gone missing.

The Dwellers. They were coming out of their trees and caves and beginning to wreak havoc on those who were not wise enough to leave the forest in time. Tereban was experienced, though. There was nothing to worry about.

vii. Resolve

Roanin was brought to Castle Norfell by Tereban later that night. He was in a terrible state, being battered and bruised, his clothes torn to shreds, and he was covered in blood. There were few people in the castle that rainy night, as most of Castle Norfell was in disrepair, and it was used more as a hideout than an official government building. In truth, a lot of Unkardia was virtually lawless, with the Royal Family often sitting back in the shadows and allowing the Dwellers to rip apart the travelers caught in between towns, with just the walled cities of Rasoe and Ocsania to fend for themselves. Inside Castle Norfell lived a family of nine, much like the Windy Summit, but all being related by blood. The father, Norfell, had been destroyed by a type of assailant known as an Arc-Demai. The Arc-Demai were three different individual creatures that were created by an entity known as the Unknown Beast. The Unknown Beast itself lived up to its name, with no one knowing its purpose or its location. The only thing known about it is that it existed in the past. Tales of the battles of Eresymcaion and Muagarah, the two living components of the Unknown Beast plagued ancient manuscripts, to an extent that no one could not be fascinated by its prominence. In any case, the Arc-Demai known as Jackanapes decided to destroy Norfell due to his so-called “alliance” with the Greater Power, a god that watched over The Beginning, the place that Conan came from. Tereban was one of the infamous members of Cuja, and thus was allowed to enter Castle Norfell. Dragging the boy Roanin around had become tedious and rather difficult, so Tereban made his way to see his soldiers in the room close to what would be the throne room. Tereban, as a suitable commander of the Terror, ordered his men to gather. Putting the unconscious boy Roanin on the ground, Tereban’s men began to intently sniff and probe the body, as to get an idea of their target. With a wave of his hand, his men quickly ran outside of the castle and into the night with the speed of the wind.

"Ugh... My head..."

Roanin woke up to the sound and feeling of rain coming down through a misty dawn. He got up slowly and looked around. Nightmare was nowhere to be seen.

"That crazy horse! He's going to get a piece of my mind when I find him..."

Looking for tracks, Roanin only found those of a man. That man must have taken Nightmare! Wait... That would mean there would have to by horse tracks next to his own footprints. Strangely, there was nothing to be found. Even so, Roanin would have to get back to Sanders, the small village. His mother would be worried about him. Roanin looked briefly at the rising sun, and then headed west from it. Though there was probably nothing to worry about, Roanin had a bad feeling about what awaited him in the village.

viii. Zeffon

Turning around, Tereban saw Emeroch. The young man was the spawn of Norfell and Mathilda, which disturbed Tereban greatly. He wasn’t sure of any of the members of Cuja other than him and survived or not, but after Norfell and Mathilda had had seven children, the likelihood of a gathering was highly improbable. Yes, Tereban would have to continue on alone. Yet, it seemed as though he was not completely without members of Cuja, since the Ivory Music Box had not broken. Tereban quickly ran up the tower where the Ivory Music Box was kept. It was still on the pedestal. This device was the only thing that the goddess Sarah had left behind to keep the members of Cuja alive. If the music box still played its melody, then there were members of the clan still in existence. The issue that Tereban faced was that the members of Cuja were being constantly annihilated by the Arc-Demai, leading him to believe that was one of the few that was left. After the goddess Sarah died, she left the music box to her daughter Gretchen. Gretchen however, disappeared without a trace, leaving no heirs to the throne of Cuja. Thus, the remaining 62 members collectively became the next Queen. Among them were Norfell and Mathilda, as well as Tereban.

“Remembering your past…?”

Tereban whirled around. Emeroch was there, looking slightly timid as usual. Tereban simply pushed past the young man, and exited the chamber, silently walking down the stone stairs. Emeroch never meant to anger Tereban, but he hardly knew how to take his Cujaise blood “seriously”, or however Tereban tried to refer to has lack of interest in his ancestry. Despite his various attempts, Emeroch could never understand the goals that his father and mother had tried to leave his mentor to teach him. Was he just a failure, or was someone else destined to follow in his father’s footsteps? He just didn’t know.

The run was a long one. Without Nightmare, the sheer distance to Sanders was incredible. Luckily, with an hour, Roanin had made it back to the top of the cliff. Now to head home. Hopefully everyone will be fine despite my short absence.