It was several more minutes before Syntinnial arrived in the square. His clothes were a bit scuffed, but he was otherwise completely unharmed. His face, however, wore an expression of worry and concern. As he looked around, first at the square, and then at Cypher, his expression only grew more grim.
“By the Gods! How did this happen?” he asked. “Is… Is that Gaizeal Borealis?”
Cypher smiled and replied, “You bet it is. That said, if you want to know how things went down, I’ll tell you in a little while. First though,” Cypher began, wobbling in his seat. “Are all the citizens safe?”
“Unfortunately there were a few casualties. Most of the buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged by the Order acolytes. Lots of poor souls got trapped inside and needed help getting out. However, for the most part, everyone has made it to safety. It looks like we managed to salvage this city just in time,” replied Syntinnial.
Cypher smiled and could finally relax. “That’s great,” he said, exhaling and finally letting his guard drop. At that moment, though, his entire body flared up in pain, and he fell to the ground. What little mental energy he had managed to restore in his short break vanished, along with all of his Zight, and physical energy.
He writhed on the ground in torment for a moment, before his eyes went blank and he passed out. At that point, Cypher was barely able to keep his own heart beating, and Syntinnial rushed over to him to restore some of his physical energy. Syntinnial only supplied enough to stabilize Cypher. It was too dangerous to do more than that.
Looking around, Syntinnial had pieced together what must have happened. He didn’t know the full details, but he knew enough to see that Cypher had only just barely survived the encounter with the Order Captain. Now that the danger had passed, Cypher had allowed his body to relax fully, and when that happened, the price of using the Ark Cradle revealed itself.
His body had been pushed beyond its limits by the armor for far too long, and as a result, several muscles were torn. His Orrium and Zight Stanza were also heavily damaged, and even his mental space suffered from a few cracks in the foundation. Syntinnial grimaced as he examined Cypher with his own mental energy.
He contemplated taking Cypher’s Ark Cradle away for safekeeping, but he opted against it. Cypher had been forced to use its power for so long to survive. Syntinnial blamed himself for Cypher’s condition. If he had only arrived sooner, this might not have happened.
Cypher wasn’t in danger of dying, not after the infusion of energy. However, if Syntinnial hadn’t arrived when he did, Cypher would have passed into the void. There was only one thing he could do now, and that was to make sure that Cypher got the rest he needed after such a harrowing battle.
He picked the young man up and slung him over his shoulder before leaving the square and heading to a safer location.
.
.
.
Darkness engulfed him, and he couldn’t even make out his own limbs. A slight fog lined the rim of his vision, and he could hear voices coming from the distance. He slowly made his way down the pitch-black corridor and found himself at the entrance to a barren circular room made of stone. The darkness was more a product of a lack of awareness rather than the actual lighting in the area, and this strange disconnect confused Cypher greatly.
He could almost see and feel the area he was in, but it was as if he was looking through a thick blanket. The feeling was quite bizarre. He focused and soon, muffled voices became clearer. He listened intently and held his breath as he did so.
“So, you have located the target and you claim he is in Farnor at the moment. Furthermore, you also say that Gaizeal and his entire Chaos Cell have been defeated? That is quite the claim indeed,” said Nuadha to someone just out of sight. Horror filled every inch of Cypher’s being as he heard that voice, but he knew that he had to be dreaming.
None of this could be real, could it? He paused as he remembered his mother’s strange ability to see into the future. However, he wondered then why he was seeing this. It had nothing to do with his immediate future, did it? Perhaps in a few weeks? He was utterly confused.
Why would he be in the Order’s hideout and why was he able to see this right now? He discarded his thoughts and focused on the conversation at hand. Perhaps he could glean some information that could help him figure this out.
“Gaizeal was a perfect example of a powerful fool. He was too focused on his brawn rather than his brains, even when given a chance to suitably train both. For a berserker, he was among the best. Quite the fitting end though, if you ask me,” said a high-pitched, child-like voice Cypher knew belonged to Aylynah.
“Yes, but no one asked you now did they Aylynah?” responded a sophisticated voice from the left that Cypher didn’t know. Aylynah sneered at him but said nothing as the man continued. “I’m to assume it was the target who defeated him, correct? That seems quite impossible.”
“Indeed it does, but according to what Scarborough said in his report, the boy has shown signs of increased skill and power. It would seem that he is advancing about as fast as we anticipated,” said a third voice that sounded hoarse and scratchy.
“And he was able to overcome Gaizeal in his Incarnation of Darkness form?” asked Nuadha.
“Yes, master,” replied the scratchy-voiced man. “According to Scarborough, it was quite a spectacular fight. Although, without the aid of that accursed Ark Cradle, the boy would have either died or been captured. Most likely the former given the report, Gaizeal lost himself in the heat of battle.”
Nuadha shifted upon his high-backed throne. “Tsk. What a shame Gaizeal turned out to be. Still, he served his purpose. Luckily for us, things are proceeding according to plan where the boy is concerned. However, our project at Finn’s Deep seems to have gone afoul.”
“I had hoped that the Minus that was summoned would be useful to our cause, but I have underestimated him. Who could have guessed that one of their Vicelords would be the one to heed the call of the Dark Sarcophagus? That is quite an interesting development. But back to the boy. It would appear as though that armor is becoming quite bothersome. I would suggest a course of action. However, it is a problem that will soon take care of itself. Rest easy, my friends.” Nuadha flashed a twisted smile as he finished speaking.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t help it along now, does it? Pretty please, Master Nuadha?” asked Aylynah in a manner that was far too cheery for the atmosphere of the room.
“By all means, my pet, feel free to do whatever you wish. However, do try not to kill him. We still have use of him, for a time anyway. He cannot be allowed to die just yet. He will have to pass through your regions at some point or another, and when he does, I expect him to be captured.”
“I will have our new Captain take over for Gaizeal in Farnor. He might be untested, but he is eager to prove himself. I believe he will be a great source of entertainment in the months to come. I will also remind you all to be careful. The Grand Nullification will be upon us soon.”
“It is unfortunate, but not something we have a measure of control over. Our powers will be dampened for a short time, but we will manage. For the time being, we will operate from the shadows and halt most of our endeavors. See that your tasks are completed, and spread the news to your subordinates. I will not tolerate failure, are we clear?” replied Nuadha.
The sound of clinking armor and weapons echoed throughout the chamber as they all rose, “Yes, Master!” replied the three voices. Cypher could only hover in the darkness of the room. How was he seeing this? More importantly, why? The last thing he could remember was sitting in the town square of Dungor and then…
His entire mind seemed to shudder as a wave of fatigue washed over him. Then, the scene dimmed and changed. He felt his mind being pulled away from the dark area and a new scene filled his vision. His eyes were unclouded, and his vision returned to normal.
He basked in the beauty of his new surroundings, and the previous conversation was all but forgotten. Bright sunlight illuminated a pleasant field covered in acres of shining, blue flowers, and Cypher fell into normal dreams once more.
