Rupture: Rise of the Demon King (8 page)

Was Seeko that son? “Did he go missing?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure something bad happened if he never wants to talk about it.”

Yoshino took his son away from him! That’s what happened.
“So who is the next heir to the Irenic throne? The empress?” he asked, hoping that Mori might talk about this subject that seemed off-limits.

“There is no empress. It would go to the lady of Layis, Lady Ludivina, I suppose.” With that, she went silent and turned away.

They ate in the wagon as the sun went down and Avaroda brightened. The caravan was going to move through the night, they told Seeko, so that they could arrive in Layis by morning. Mori moved closer to him as the temperature dropped, and soon they were actually touching. Before long, she was asleep, leaning on him. He could smell her again, the strong scent of roses.
Someone special, hmmm?
Did Mori have someone special? Thoughts about her drifted in his mind until sleep took him.

8: Prophet

28 Maer, 112 AV: Day 67

The soft rocking of the wagon was the first thing Seeko sensed when he woke up the next day. The second thing he sensed was the girl on his shoulder.
What the…?
Seeko shifted away from Mori, who fell to the wagon bottom with a thud. The action woke her, and soon she was groaning with a pain in her side. Seeko looked over to see a city approaching.
That must be Layis,
he thought while examining the wall surrounding the city. Mori sat up and confirmed his assumption. Farms littered the vast plains surrounding the town for as far as the eye could see.

“Layis … We’re only a couple minutes away,” Mori said, then yawned.

The gate into the city was open and the tall stone wall looked poorly preserved, crumbling in some parts. Seeko watched as other wagons poured in and out of the city. “Why is the city so populated?” he asked, looking at the worn-down houses within the walls.

“Layis holds the majority of the kingdom’s food,” Mori replied. “It’s a major trade hub. I’ve been here a few times with my dad. He’s a merchant, so I would go with him for trade negotiations.”

In no time, they were inside the city. Buildings were placed haphazardly, with no discernible pattern to their placement. In the center of Layis, past the scattered buildings, was the keep, smaller than the one in Asilis. The owners of the caravan came to a stop in front of a smaller building to unload the supplies.

Seeko and Mori hopped out of the wagon and thanked the two for their help. Then Mori motioned for him to follow her to the center of town. Unlike Asilis, this town was bustling with people.

“The people seem content. The war doesn’t seem to affect them,” Seeko said.

Mori looked back at him with a scowl. “Are you kidding? Caravans are ransacked all the time. It’s demons whenever it isn’t bandits. The war affects the city more that way than the threat of a conqueror does.”

“I didn’t know … sorry,” Seeko said. A second examination revealed that many people were down on their luck, wearing rags and begging for food.

Mori smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “It makes sense that you wouldn’t know.”

Seeko smiled back, strangely comforted. The duo made their way to the keep. There was no wall surrounding it, like in Asilis. Instead, there was a large park in front of the building. Beautiful trees and a garden of flowers led up to the entrance of the building. A bridge crossed a small pond populated with small, unrecognizable birds. Guards matching the ones in Asilis let the two into the keep.

“It’s you!” said a voice from down one of the hallways.

Seeko looked to see maybe an eighteen-year-old girl with silver eyes. Her clean green jacket and brown trousers looked better kept than Kismetian normal clothing. Her light brown hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail that left her eyes shrouded only by her bangs.
She must be wealthy,
Seeko thought. He concluded his survey of her and then stared into her strangely colored eyes. Was this girl blind?

“You know who I am?” he asked.

She walked closer to the two and said, “Yes. My name is Hannet—and I knew I would see you, and I know of your quest.” Her voice was high pitched and airy, and slightly annoying, giving her a continuously distant feel.

Seeko looked hard at her and then waved a hand in front of her face.

“What?” she said. “You don’t believe me?”

“Uh, no, that’s not it …” Seeko looked at Mori, and she shrugged. “Can you see me?” Seeko asked the girl.

Hannet frowned at him. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see you? I’m not blind.”

“I just assumed because your eyes …” Seeko looked to Mori again—and she just shrugged again and then looked at the girl.

“I get that a lot. My eyes are silver because I am touched by the gods.” Hannet took a deep breath and frowned. “I am a seer. I can see the future, or at least parts of it.” She smiled faintly.

“Really? Can you tell me what I need do to succeed in my quest?” Seeko asked, suddenly intrigued.

Hannet took a step back and held up her hands. “I can help, but I don’t know everything, so don’t rely on my gift too much. Besides, my visions are sometimes incorrect.” She looked away. “I can only see what might be, not what will be. But I can affect the future just by saying something here, doing something there. I can change what I see.”

“That’s great and all,” Mori said, “but Seeko has to be somewhere. Maybe afterward.” Mori pulled on Seeko’s arm, forcing him away.

“That’s fine, I’m heading there as well,” Hannet said, following them.

Mori continued to pull Seeko, trying to outpace Hannet behind them.

Hannet laughed. “There’s no need to rush. The future here is not going to change no matter what you do, Mori.”

Mori froze. “How do you know my name?” she said, twirling to face her.

“I know a lot of things. For example … Seeko’s feelings for you.”

Mori blushed and looked away. Seeko nearly did the same. Feelings? There were no
feelings
. Seeko looked at Hannet. This girl was dangerous. This girl probably always got what she wanted. After all, she knew in advance what she was getting.

Mori left at Seeko’s silence. Seeko stayed put, staring at Hannet.

“I’m sorry,” Hannet said, “but Mori is used to getting what she wants. She is a spoiled brat.”

What a hypocrite,
Seeko thought. But what did Hannet want?

Hannet strode past him, following Mori. “Well, we better not keep them waiting.”

Seeko chased after her. “Keep who waiting? Where are we going?”

She looked back, smiling. “Just follow us; you’ll see.”

Before long, Seeko found himself in a small room with maps strewn all over the walls and tables. A tall woman stood at the largest table, examining one of the maps. She wore a black dress, cut low to show off her body, and long black gloves that passed her elbows. She peered up when Seeko and Hannet entered right after Mori, and Seeko saw the woman’s lovely green eyes peer past the long black hair that framed her face. Pretty was the word that crossed the dumfounded Seeko’s mind.

“Lady Ludivina,” Hannet said, “I have found him. I present to you Seeko Dris, the Hero of Endetia.”

Hannet bowed as she said this, but Seeko just continued to stare at the lady, mouth agape. A thought finally crossed Seeko’s mind after an eternity:
I forgot to bow.

He flung himself down halfway, bending awkwardly before the woman. “Sorry!” he said.

The girls laughed and Seeko rose back up, ashamed. After they stopped, Lady Ludivina spoke up in a low, seductive voice: “If anything, we should bowing to you. You are our hero, after all.” She gave a little half smile.

Mori moved a little closer to Seeko. “My lady, we came here to meet someone … Is that someone you?”

Again the enchanting smile. “You have already met who you came to see.” She ignored Mori’s narrowing eyes and Hannet’s smirk. “Hannet? Have you already told them what you saw?”

“Not yet. It wasn’t quite the right moment …” Hannet moved next to Ludivina, so that she could clearly see both Seeko and Mori. “Seeko, have you heard the prophecy involving you?”

“I heard that I have to stop the demons by destroying the necklaces that bind their portals, or something.”

“That’s somewhat correct,” Hannet said. “Do you know who made that prophecy?”

Seeko pretended to think. “Hmmm, was it you?”

“No need to develop an attitude, Seeko,” Ludivina said.

“I want to tell you of my vision, Seeko.” Hannet closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they were dull, lifeless. “A boy falling, landing near Irris. He is … different … from the rest. I see … five portals that the demons protect. I see necklaces on the guardians of the portals. I see this boy standing in front of each portal, sharing our strife. The weight of the world is on his shoulders … I cannot see if he survives. Even if he does, this world extracts a terrible toll from him.

“He is the one that will bridge the gap between demon and man, to truly understand them … And he will separate them and us because of the truth. He will become one with them. This world will take everything from him.”

Her eyes returned to the normal silver.

Seeko looked around, skeptical of what was really happening. “What the hell does that mean?” Seeko said.

“A fitting fate for our noble hero,” Ludivina stated.

Seeko looked to her. “Hmmm.” He stared through the table. This was what it meant to be a hero? Losing everything? He felt like he
had
already lost everything.

“I can’t see exactly what will happen to you. Your journey will reveal all the details. All I know is that it will affect everyone around you,” Hannet said.

Seeko looked away. “And there is no way to avoid it?”

“All of my vision-branches show you before the portals. There was not a single branch that didn’t eventually lead you to a portal. The choices you make will either speed up or slow down the process. Or lead to death.”

He took a deep breath. “I am to save everyone else at the cost of myself, then.” His choice had been made the moment he’d walked into that portal. He would accept his fate, if it would answer the burning questions in his mind. Was he ready for this? He had to be. But what about Mori?

He looked over to Mori and asked quietly, “You sure you want to come along? This doesn’t sound like it will be fun.” Mori peered back at him and his gaze drifted to Ludivina. He didn’t want to look helpless to the lady, so he raised his voice: “I will do it, then. If everyone’s fate lies in one man’s hands, and …” He faltered, taking a moment to regain his confidence. “… and that person is me, then I should at least try.” He had no choice, anyway, according to Hannet.

Hannet looked down. “I know it’s hard to accept the fact that something is going to happen, no matter what you do. I understand you probably have doubts about me as well. This is the sibyl’s curse, but it is also our blessing. If this knowledge can help our people, if this can save us from the demons, then I will use my gift to help shape the future for the better.”

Mori smiled at Seeko. “I don’t care about the consequences,” Mori said. “I’m going with you.”

“Thanks for believing in me.”

Mori moved closer to him and grabbed his arm.

Hannet shattered their brief moment by saying, “Most of the locations of the necklaces are still unknown, but one is atop Mount Pharos. I will be searching for the other necklaces. My visions should provide some insight about them.”

“Mount Pharos?” Seeko asked as he studied a map on the table. This was the first time he had looked at a map of Endetia. The continent was roughly trapezoidal, with the base to the south. The eastern coastline was shaped like a C, and an island was displaced from this C. Above this coastline was Asilis and to the northwest was Layis. Mount Pharos sat in the middle of a forest on the other end of the continent, far southwest of Layis. “How far is that?” He then saw Irris in the center of the continent. The mountain was northwest of Irris. “Wow. It took me three weeks to walk from Irris to Asilis. This is going to take like two months.” He groaned.

“I know it seems far, but you will be meeting up with the army in Irris afterward,” Hannet said. “Cherish the journey, since afterward, Yosh—”

Ludivina gave Hannet a dark stare, cutting her off. “Since afterward,” the lady said, “there will be another portal to close.”

Yoshino?
Seeko raised an eyebrow. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow would be best,” Mori said, to Seeko’s surprise.

“Uh … Yeah, I guess tomorrow, then,” Seeko said, shrugging.

Ludivina went to the doorway and waved for someone. Soon a man stood before her. “Take these two to their room,” she said before leaving.

Seeko watched her stride out of the room before following the man and Mori. They stayed in a nice room preserved for royal guests. The only problem with the room was the single bed. Mori didn’t seem to think twice about it, but Seeko didn’t know what to do.

“Uh, who gets the bed?” he asked her.

Mori looked toward him and said, “Both of us. Why would only one of us get it?”

He tried to say something, but couldn’t focus when Mori started undressing inside the room. “What … What are you doing?” He turned his head to keep himself from looking at her.

“I’m getting ready for bed. Don’t you change your clothes? You’ve been in them for two days straight,” she asked as if nothing was wrong.

Seeko walked to the door. “I don’t change with other people, remember?”

“Oh … yeah, weird. I mean, you do in the bathhouse. Isn’t that the same type of thing?”

He could hear her still changing behind him. “No, I’m cleaning myself,” he said.

“But you’re complaining about revealing yourself?”

“Yes, but it’s with other guys doing the same thing.” He heard her stop for a moment.

“So you would rather be with another man doing the same thing than with a woman who is also doing the same thing?”

“Ye—” He caught himself. Mori laughed and he shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”