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Chapter 5 - To Dream Of A Shade

Darkness. They say those first few dark moments, before you begin to dream, they’re supposed to be real. A room, a dungeon, of pure darkness. Where the mind must fight to show us the realities we want true. The realities we need to keep ourselves sane.

  ULTAMIA!!" The voice screamed. Fires burnt all around. A shadowy figure seen through the vigorous flames. Smashing the oversized sword forwards, Ultamia obliterates the flames in front of him, creating a straight path. The screams become louder and louder, every step he takes makes his legs heavier and heavier. Finally reaching the figure, the shadow goes limp, and a robe is left lying, and burning on the ground. A cackling laugh is heard behind him. Turning he is left face to face with nothing but the towering flames. They feel as if they are burning into his soul, his very life essence.

Dark. The room goes black again. Footsteps are heard, and he turns to face where the Cloth Robes once lay. In its place is a pair of shoes. Ultamia looks up, slowly. All that can be seen is a grinning mouth, and a pair of psychopathic white eyes, the face darkened out from the shadows of the long, white hair.
  "…Nexus…" Ultamia speaks softly, before the mass of pure shadows pushes down on him, pushes down on his mind. Feeling as if he can do nothing but sleep.
  "Ultamia…ULTAMIA! Snap out of it!" Ultamia awakes to find himself surrounded by the other party members, every one of them wearing concerned looks. Even Maegra was standing there, behind the group.
  "Phew…That was close…" Syrax sighed, a mixed look of fear and exhilaration on her face.
  "What? What happened?" Ultamia asked, gasping for air, like the shadows were still pushing down on him. After catching his breath, he told the others of the dream. And as he did, the thought of those mental eyes burned further and further into his mind. Drilling away at his every thought.

By the time he had finished explaining everything, dawn had broke. The party decided to gather their things, and head off. Only one thing concerned them. Where had Maegra wandered off to? Of course, they were used to this by now. And there wasn’t a beast on the continent that could stop Maegra. Thinking it best they rather not dwindle on this, they continued their travels. Next stop would be Eki-Tah; Village of Wind and the guards of the Wind Tower for over 3 centuries. As they continued forwards through the mountains and cliffs, Ultamia thought back. Back to the days when he had nothing.

  "Alright, listen up. This sword is now yours. You use it well, understand?" Asked Maegra, handing the young, scruffy-red haired boy an over-sized sword. Although the blade was lighter than he first expected, it was still far too heavy to swing, or carry around for that matter.
  "How am I supposed to carry this? It’s too heavy…" Ultamia asked, struggling to pick up the sword.
  "You have the power of the Projects in you. With enough training and concentration, this sword will be but a feather in your hands" Maegra implied, staring down at the young escapee.

Snapping back to reality, Ultamia noticed the group were almost at the village of Eki-Tah, and the Wind Tower not far behind it. At the last moment, Ultamia swore he noticed something. Like a blip off the radar, something small had landed on the Tower, just before the group walked behind some tall, carved rocks and out of sight. The group grew closer and closer to the village, and memories of their previous visit flooded back to Ultamia. Not long ago, he and these exact same people had ventured here to light this legendary tower. Unfortunately, not all these memories were of victory. A close companion of Ultamia had died saving this village from destruction. Her name was Diamond. And even though he had tried to push himself past all that, her face was etched into one of Ultamia’s thoughts. Continuing down their path, the four finally reached the quiet Eki-Tah. As they walked through town, the tower’s peak glinting in the background, it was getting towards Midday. Stopping at a tavern, the party decided to grab a bite to eat, and something to drink. And buy any other essentials they may needs from town. Elsewhere…

  "…The situation is critical. If Nexus really is out then we will have to act fast!" Exclaimed an old man in dark robes.
  "Indeed, he cannot be allowed to reach the barrier. If he does, may Ornen have mercy on us all…" Agreed another, rather sinister looking man. The Council of Darknez halls began echoing with the bickering and chatter of the 5 Elders. Not too long after, a young man, maybe 28, walked out of the shadows. He had short black hair, and resembled a young Maegra in some ways.
  "Oh, Pshaaw. Maegra will handle this…and if he doesn’t, let me have a crack at this Nexus fellow!" He exclaimed, swinging a pair of gloved-fists around. Walking in at that exact moment, Maegra placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder and spoke.
  "That’s ok, Isaac. I’ll take it from here." Maegra said, as he continued past him, and sat in a chair at the far end of the table. Isaac walked forwards and stood behind him.
  "Mind your manners, War Master. This is the Elder Chamber, you’re lucky to even be in here." Warned a man with long purple hair, sitting some 10 meters from them. Isaac merely folded his arms and began laughing. Maegra looked over at the 5 Elders, as well as the other 2 Grand Elders.
  "It has been confirmed. Nexus has freed himself. How, I am unsure of as to this point. Last night, when the group were sleeping, there was a disturbance. Ultamia had a dream…or more a Nightmare, after which he awoke in cold sweat. This may have been the means for Nexus’s escape." After this, he got up and began to walk out, Isaac following closely behind. Just before reaching the door, an Elder called out ‘Then what of it? Do you plan to contain him yourself?’ Maegra stopped for a few seconds. The room went silent. Isaac gazed up at Maegra, his face hidden from the near-total darkness of the room.
  "Yes…" And to this, he walked out, Isaac in tow.
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Project 1 is copyrighted by Maegra and of the Lost Waters.

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