7

  “Why must I live in this eternal hell?”

  Omar rose up from the sand in which his body had been buried atop the infinite hill. His head turned to see the astral oasis rotating like a tornado across the sky. It was the only visible light that surrounded him. Its beauty captivated and hid the hellish torture of the Void. The sky seemed to reflect a perfect harmony of beautiful, majestic lights that bounced off Omar’s skin with a softening glow.

  The soft sands crumbled through Omar’s fingers, as he stood upon the infinite hill that rose to the skies. Sorrow spread across his face. The sands under his feet soon became black stone bricks that cackled beneath his boots. He lifted his head and stared at a newly formed bridge before him. Spread along the start of the bridge was different warrior equipment. Swords, axes, wands, staffs, shields, guns, and pieces of armor were all placed on different racks, labeled with familiar names. He found one marked “Omar” and threw his longsword and bag onto it.

  “Hey, Dark Pegasus. Welcome back to Halluburg.” A shadow wraith with a white flaming skull head waved towards him. He held a clipboard with what seemed to be a list of Diborn names. “All weapons and equipment shall be left at the entrance prior to entering.” The wraith marked what seemed like the thousandth tally next to Omar’s name on the checklist.

  “Thanks,” Omar coldly responded with a bitter tone. He marched passed the wraith onto the bridge leading to Halluburg. The bridge was long and narrow. Beneath the bridge led miles down into nothing but darkness. One foul step could easily lead to the Diborn’s demise.

  “Hey, Omar! Over here.” A ghostly memory passed over Omar on the bridge. It was a memory of him and his sister running through the garden playing tag as children.

  “That’s the Nirvana Walk for you,” Omar sighed. “Showing the good right before ripping you apart.” He shook his head. Ghostly memories haunted the bridge. Memories of his precious and joyous childhood continued to pass over him. Omar shut his eyes and covered his ears, trying to ignore all before him. The voices only grew louder as they echoed inside his head. Omar walked faster, but the bridge took hours in his voided subconscious. It was the first of many tortures the gods used to harm the Diborn, diabolical creatures of the blade.

  The air felt light and breezy, but all was tense around the bridge. Once he reached the end of the bridge, a deep white fog formed around him. He could make out a wandering path that seemed to be endless. For the first time, Omar realized he had been lost for a while now. He dropped to his knees, veins popping out of his forehead. The impending torture inside of him never left, and it always worsened when he crossed that bridge.

  “Stop! Just stop it. Let me die already…” he begged. He looked to the spiraling tornado in the sky. “Aether. God of Souls, I beg to you. Just end this misery. I have lived to honor the living, yet I continue to be tortured for things out of my control. Why?!” he demanded, watching the colorful sky twirl into a whirlwind.

  The god who ruled the Void didn’t respond. Time passed and Omar had yet to move. He slammed his fists on the bridge. “Dammit.”

  A hand softly gripped his left shoulder. Omar froze. “Quiet your struggles. Rise like the warriors we have been branded to be.” The voice belonged to a man with a thick accent. It was oddly calming to Omar.

  Omar turned around and noticed a familiar elf wandering with the shadows. “Shay?” Omar uttered in shock. The dark elf had skin of a lighter shade of obsidian, and it appeared to blend with the surrounding darkness. His eyes were pale but resembled a mirror reflection of Omar’s, holding a tint of onyx along the borders. He too was a Diborn.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Shay studied Omar with great intensity. The dark elf unveiled his hood, revealing long, pointy ears and silver strands of hair hanging down the left side of his face. The leather armor around him was fitted, which supported his slender frame honed by years of training.

  “I’m sorry about everything, friend.” Shay patted Omar’s shoulder. He pulled down the assassin mask that covered the lower half of his face. Shay’s features were very slim and precise, with his face being narrow and firm.

  “This is always the worst one for me,” Omar explained. “It just. It just… pisses me off.” Shay remained vigilant in case more Diborn were sneaking behind them. He paused, listening to Omar and searching for some hopeful words of encouragement.

  Shay offered no satisfaction. His voice dropped in tone, but his accent remained. “The dark elves from Gaia, even myself, could never be affected by this. We never had joyous memories as children. For we were sworn to protect the world’s secrets on our islands,” he muttered. “Any other human would fall victim to this torture like you are, friend.”

  Shay pointed in the direction that led of the Voided City. Omar walked towards it, as Shay followed behind. The bridge was too narrow to fit two men standing side by side. Omar led the way, seeing his memories pass by him overhead. None followed behind Shay, for his mind closed out all the slivers of happiness that could cross him.

  “I have never seen you so emotional,” Shay churned. “Calling for Aether with a white flag? Pathetic, even for you.”

  Omar smiled out of embarrassment. “We have been friends most of our lives, Shay. You know how pathetic I am.”

  “Ah, so something is troubling you,” Shay scoffed. He stopped walking for a moment and put his hands inside his pockets. “So, what is it?”

  Omar froze. He bit his lip and shook his head. He paused for a moment before he said, “You tell me, Kharon.”

  Shay laughed and walked deeper into the fog. “You blame me for what happened to Gamba? I grew up there, too, you know,” he snapped, following Omar closely. “You want to blame me for trying to stop Gurin?”

  Omar grunted. “Who said I blamed you? But I saw you snap the necks of innocent soldiers out there.” He pointed to Shay, who swallowed his anger and hid it just long enough to not spiral. “You could have just fought Gurin.”

  “And you didn’t have to unleash Pegasus if you trusted me.” Shay laughed. “Yet here we are.” Shay grabbed Omar’s shoulders and twisted him around, so they stood face to face. Pointing a finger at Omar, Shay shouted, “I asked you long ago, if you were you sure about this crusade. And you said to me, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ So, let’s not forget that I made a sacrifice to carry your crusade. There were things I had to do to make sure we were capable of fighting back.”

  The two fell silent as the fog around them faded into darkness, and the city was among them both. The bridge behind them dissipated into the air. There would be no chance of leaving the Void anytime soon.

  “Long ago, you said to me you wanted to defy the blade and destroy it,” Shay emphasized. “As your closest mate, I agreed to help you, only if you would aid me in finding the people who killed my clan.” Omar calmy listened to Shay before entering through the large gates to the city. His body tingled and froze with guilt. He took a heavy gulp.

  Shay continued waling with Omar, holding a sliver of uncertainty on his tongue. “But I cannot and will not lie to you. When I found out who killed my family, it filled me with torture and self-doubt,” he answered. “The crusade you started was for your father.”

  “Shay…” Omar turned away ashamed.

  “But,” he stopped Omar. “When I was undercover, I found out by the enemy who really killed my clan. I had no choice but to take action.”

  The two men stood firmly, staring at each other, neither of them daring to move. The air tensed up as another large Diborn passed by them. Omar waited for the stranger to pass before speaking.

  “What has happened these last three years has led us to the next step in our adventure. This will be our final crusade to make things right.” Omar offered a mending hand.

  Shay looked down at it and shook his head. He shoved the hand away and paced back and forth.

  “When I found out that it was your father who killed my clan, I was torn apart by the fact that I actually enjoyed being a Specter. I liked working for him… Why couldn’t you tell me? After everything you have done, after all your lies, after all we have been through…I don’t believe the Specters are truly the evil ones you claim them to be.” Shay eyed Omar up and down and walked away into the city, leaving the soulless wanderer behind.

  “We will always be allies, brother,” Shay muttered as he marched past Omar. “But we walk two different paths now. And I cannot help that I wish it had been me who stained my blade with his blood.” Omar watched Shay disappear into the crowd swarming in the main center of Halluburg as he took a deep sigh. “And that is what makes Diborn such lonely beings.”