The Legend Of Black Eyes 231 Stranded In Time

A lot had happened since I escaped the Crucible. Not a day went by when I had the chance to actually catch my breath and think clearly. Granted, I had sometime in Merinsk, but not as much as I had in this vast, dark void. The wraiths were actually easier to deal with than I first antic.i.p.ated. 

It was mainly due to the sword Nag had gifted me, but I took that as a win anyway. Nag's sword was especially effective against Fairies and their close cousins. From all the friends I got killed, I regret dragging Nag through this mess the most. 

I spent most of my time wandering in the invisible tunnel. Trying to find a way out was close to impossible. After the first door I stumbled upon, I kept a close eye for any opening or crack I could see. There was no end to this invisible labyrinth. 

If I wanted to leave, it had to be through those doors, guarded by the wraiths. So I searched and searched until my bones hurt, until every ounce of energy I had evaporated. I had to sit, lay down and catch my breath.

All for naught...

The only excitement I had was when I heard a loud boom behind me. I turned around to see the same vastness I'd been looking at for hours. I lost track of time. I never felt hungry or thirsty in this realm, but I felt fatigue. I kept track of time by counting my sleep cycles. Every time I woke, I took that as a day pa.s.sing by.

Ninety days had gone by... Nothing but darkness in the horizon... The marbles below me kept circling around the ball of fire, as though that was their purpose. 

On my waking hours, I walked and recalled all the events that led me here today. A hundred days had gone by and I couldn't even find a single indication of a way out. So I mused about my earlier experiences. 

My life had taken a wrong turn when I killed a man, and a n.o.ble at that. Against Sam's strong arguments, I still decided to track down the man who insulted my sister's pride. 

Pride... p.i.s.s on pride! 

We were a lowly family, and father had made sure to remind us of that every day. As I walked, it struck me as odd that I didn't know anything of my father at all. In fact, all I remembered was a drunk, a sorry excuse for a man. What I heard from everyone in the Three Headed Dragon however...

They all spoke about him as though he was the mightiest hero that ever existed. He killed the mightiest beast, they'd say. He saved the master's life. What about our lives? His little heroic act ruined his life and ours. 

It was then that I saw it, a tiny sliver of light escaping through a thin crack in the invisible walls. I ran to it before all hope disappeared. I've seen those before, but never managed to reach them on time. They'd always extinguish after I made two steps toward them. This time, the light was close. I reached the door before I could vanish then pushed it open. 

Hot wind hit my face and caused my eye to water. Before me, the Kozagan Desert extended as far as the eye could see. Four men were crouching near a bleeding companion. He was grunting, holding his severed leg while another tied a cloth around it. 

"We gotta shut it tight, hang on Stalwart!" the man said then grunted. He tied a knot around the suffering man's leg and pulled it really hard. "Now we have to cauterize it, stay strong Thibault!" 

A man came into the picture, holding a blazing knife. "It's gonna hurt," he said before pressing the knife against the open wound. Thibault Stalwart howled at the sky until his voice broke, then pa.s.sed out. 

The biggest man in the group heaved my father on his shoulder. The others stood then followed the big hulk. They only made two steps before stopping and redirecting their gaze toward me. Even my unconscious father raised his head and looked at me with eyes filled with rage. 

I drew my sword and waited for the wraiths to come to me. "Bring it on, b.i.t.c.hes!" I hissed under my breath. 

The wraiths came rus.h.i.+ng at breakneck speed. I effortlessly stepped aside to let them into the tunnel. As soon as they crashed against its invisible walls, I got in through the door then shut it behind me. 

I was surprised I actually managed to pull it off. I didn't think the wraiths would be this dumb. After closing the door, the pa.s.sage to the tunnel completely vanished. The desert welcomed me, hot, dry and foreboding. No house loomed in the horizon. 

"Now what?" I looked around, trying to find some sign of life. 

I tried to extend my senses but they would only go as far as my limbs could stretch. Losing two Fragments at once made me realize how powerful I had really grown. I took all the time manipulation and s.h.i.+elds for granted. I even decided to honor Eva's pride and not completely a.s.similate her Fragment... 

Pride... p.i.s.s on pride!

I couldn't stay out in the open. The sun was blazing above my head. I already felt thirsty, and heard my stomach growled. I looked around for shelter. It would be easier to move around the desert come nightfall. At least I landed in friendly territory...

"Hey you!" I heard someone call out to me. "Are you lost?" 

I turned around to see the man who was transporting my father. Thibault Stalwart was nowhere in sight. The man was coming from the direction of a gorge behind him. It was then that I finally recognized the place. I even recognized the man. His name was Garland, a new hunter father wouldn't stop talking about. 

"I was heading for Yanoku," I lied. "I was told that it was beyond these gorges." 

Garland looked at me as though he was speaking to a lunatic. "Are you mad?!" he screamed. "Everyone knows this is Great Zhion territory. You're lucky we just dealt with it, or you'd have been its dinner." 

Something clicked in my mind. 

'No! No-no-no-no!' 

I knew exactly what Garland was speaking of. This was exactly the day my father lost his leg and his will to live. This was the day our life had taken a wrong turn... Of all the times to land on, I decided to relive my worst nightmare...

I forced a smile. "I should rejoice then," I said with a fake upbeat voice. "Should I a.s.sume you're one of the brave hunters who took the beast down?" 

"I can't take credit for it," Garland said. "Come, we shouldn't linger here. Ulmir is bound to send us another beast, another test..." 

G.o.ds... p.i.s.s on the G.o.ds too! 

I nodded and followed the young hunter. My heart weighed heavily on my chest. I dreaded what was about to come. We soon reached a cave in which four other men sat around Thibault Stalwart. I recognized all of them. I used to deliver them food as a child after all. 

I recognized Viraldo, the master of the Three Headed Dragon, or rather, the future master of the hunter's guild. 

"You were right Viraldo," Garland said. "There was someone out there. I found this lost wanderer. He'd walked right through Great Zhion Territory." Garland scoffed. "To think people still don't know it's forbidden land..." 

"It's alright, Garland," Viraldo replied. He looked much younger than I remembered. His hair hadn't turned gray yet. He looked deeply sad however. "What's your name, young one?" he asked. "You don't look like you're from around here." 

I nodded. "I'm Zedd," I extended my hand toward Viraldo. "Zedd Darkstar." Oh how I loathed that name, but I had to come up with one on the spot. Myles Stalwart wouldn't do...

Garland snorted. "Funny name," he commented before Viraldo shot him a dark look. 

"What are you doing out here, Zedd?" Viraldo asked. 

"I came from Biarkh," I replied. "I was told that the Three Headed Dragon's looking for strong hunters." 

"Well, you're in luck," Viraldo said. He quickly glanced at the unconscious Thibault then turned toward me, his son. "I think we've just lost our strongest hunter." 

"Do you think he'll pull through?" one of the hunters asked. His name was Alistair, I remembered him. He was Viraldo's apprentice. He joined at the same time as Garland.

"There's no knowing for sure," Viraldo said. "He needs immediate attention. The city's still far. I fear he won't make it." 

My forehead creased. Viraldo never told us about this. He told us they'd gotten father to the city as fast as they could. He told me that they did everything in their power to save his life. What I was looking at now was Viraldo deliberately letting my father die. 

"Don't you have horses?" I asked.

"The beast ate them all before ambus.h.i.+ng us," Garland replied. "It was a nasty one I tell you. If it weren't for good old Thibault here..." he shook his head and heaved a heavy sigh. 

"How about big guy here and I take turns?" I suggested. "You look like you can run while holding the old man on your shoulders." 

Viraldo shot me a suspicious look. "Have I seen you before?" he asked. "You look eerily familiar." 

I shook my head. "I've never been to this land before," I said. "Have you ever been to Merinsk?" 

Viraldo looked at Thibault, then at me. "Strange..." he said. "Garland, what do you think of this man's idea? Can you do it?" 

"I owe my life to master Stalwart," Garland said. "I'll get him to the city even if kills me." 

Garland and I took turns then. We ran next to each other as one held Thibault while the other rested his shoulders. Before nightfall, we were at the city gates. I inhaled sharply before getting inside. The city filled me with dread, and today of all days...

I never thought I'd ever come back to the Kozagan Desert after my parents died.

I wondered if I did anything to change the course of time... would Minsec notice me again? h.e.l.l, I didn't even know if I'd finally managed to escape the wraiths. Then there was this Omega type. Minsec mentioned him but he never showed up. If he was the original owner of the time Fragment, how did I come upon it? 

"Oi, snap out of it!" Garland wrenched me out of my daydreams. "We're attracting too much attention here. Let's take him to Agatha. She'll know what to do." 

It was my turn to take father over my shoulders. The people we pa.s.sed by shot us disgusted looks. With the state my father was in, everybody avoided us. I headed through the familiar streets of the slums, my mind in shambles, in search of Agatha's apothecary. 

"If you're not from around here, how come you know exactly where you're heading?" Garland asked after a while of travelling through the maze like streets of the slums. 

My heart skipped a beat. 'I should've thought of that..'

"I was just following you," I said with a nervous smile. "You walked, and so I did." 

Garland's forehead creased, but before he could utter a word, we heard an excited squeal in the distance. "Garland!" an excited female voice called out. I immediately recognized it and my heart sank. "You're already back!" 

"Quick, hide behind that cart," Garland hissed. "She can't see her father in this state." 

I quickly hid behind a large cart filled with barrels. From their smell, I knew they were filled with ale. My father softly groaned as I gently placed him against a wall, in the gap behind the cart. 

"Is father with you?" Darya, my older sister, asked. 

"They sent me ahead to give word to the master," Garland replied. "They should be here later tonight." 

"So it went well then?" Darya asked, excited. "Will father become the guild's master?" 

A bad feeling churned inside me, creating a heavy knot in my stomach. "I can't discuss with you the details until I've reported to the actual master," Garland said. He sounded apologetic. "You know that Darya."

"Oh hus.h.!.+" she said in a tone that suggested she was on more than friendly terms with the hunter. "You and I don't hide anything from each other, do we?" 

I could see Garland's legs s.h.i.+fting in place. 

"It's an important mission you know," he awkwardly said. "I really need to get to the master now." He tried to move but I saw Darya bar his way. 

"What happened, Garland?" she asked. She sounded concerned now. "Did something happen to my father?" 

As if on cue, my father groaned. I tried to shush him, but as soon as he opened his eyes and saw me, he let out a hysteric scream. "Devil!" he wailed. "Get him offa me! Get him offa me!" 

Darya and Garland rushed to us. She saw my father, b.l.o.o.d.y and hysteric against the wall. Then she looked at me. Our eyes met for an instant. I saw her fl.u.s.tered cheeks and her twinkling eyes. I saw her breathe and walk this earth... alive. 

She, however, didn't share the same emotions I was experiencing. She shrieked. Her voice pierced the skies, attracting everyone's attention. My heart raced against my chest. I remembered this scream. 

I remembered this day, only I was younger, much younger. Two big men carried my father across the slums and got into Agatha's apothecary. Darya followed after them, sobbing and wailing. 

Two big men walked the slums that day while others whispered and pointed. Sam told me the hunters were back, and we rushed to see them. I saw them take father in. The man carrying him had looked at me that day. He was a stranger, and had but one eye. He looked shocked and surprised when our eyes met....

My mind went blank. How was this even possible? Was I here before? If I was, then I don't remember any of it. What the h.e.l.l did I just do?