Nitha couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was something out of her wildest dream or nightmare. For most of her life, she served under the banner of House Baligant as a knight sworn to defend the Kingdom of Lombard and be the hand of Lord Lyon. Disgrace would not change that.
She had dealt with monsters such as trolls, orcans, and ghouls in the field of battle at age thirteen, where one would be considered an adult by many. As an Emanator, she had a duty to uphold with the Order of Lances to protect the realm of threats beyond nature. Even when one has already lost their beginnings, it does not mean that they should abandon it.
But this? This crimson sky that held two dark crescent moons, the shadowy land that mimicked land that they were familiar with, and the monsters out of darkness that they could not easily harm.
These Sevalens were getting really persistent. She carried Ponila on her back as she followed Halbin's lead right behind him. They seemed to have a weakness in the chest area, particularly the heart. It made her heart beat out of dread. She felt that one misstep could make her fall into the darkness. It would be easy to just…
Kill everything.
No! She would not listen to those whispers. She felt an encroaching darkness starting to overwhelm her as she ran.
Just then, she heard a familiar melody. One that had a soft tune passed through her ears and her mind like clean water. It was relaxing.
Nitha looked behind her and smiled as Ponila played them a tune. She saw that some of the Sevalens were still trying to attack them. But she merely dodged their slow attacks.
"Thank you, ser Ponila." She said quietly to him in a gentle tone.
Ponila nodded in embarrassment but that was just how the young lad was.
"Nitha!" Halbin yelled as he looked back. "We can't let up. We need to find a way to get to the 'heart'!"
"What do you think the 'heart' is?" She had to ask.
"It's most likely something that—?!" Halbin was cut off as he sliced through the body of another Sevalens and pierced the heart with his sword.
"Damned shadows…" Halbin cursed out. He looked around and saw that the Sevalens had stopped attacking them.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Halbin joked but she was quite fed up with it. Despite her feelings on the matter, she held her tongue to reprimand him. "The 'heart' is something dear to the person. That's what Bach said."
Nitha blinked once. She blinked twice. "When did he say that, ser Halbin?"
Halbin cocked his head to the side slightly, then made a sudden face of realization. He scrambled behind him and he gave her a piece of paper with writings all over it.
"Bach gave me these, remember? Since there's no Sevalens in the area attacking us, you should take a look at what he said." Halbin said, his eyes patrolling the area quietly.
Nitha looked down with Ponila looking over her shoulder.
'Let despair guide you three. The more intense the voices you hear, the closer you are.'
'Sevalens are a reflection of the owner of the Inverse Side. Back when I was younger, under the Lord that Bleeds, we encountered an Inverse Side, or what we call now as the Hallow Ground. My lord and I were the only survivors. Be careful to not let the voices win, young ones.'
'The heart of the Inverse Side is what the owner holds dear. Be cautious. The closer you get, the more dangerous the Sevalens that protect their master.'
'Do not forget to utter its True Name. It will materialize what the heart is and destroy it.'
'The terrain changes based on the owner. Be thankful it is not inside a whale! You kids would never have survived such a Hallow Ground.'
'Please be safe. I pray to the Lord that Bleeds that you return with life still in your flesh.'
Bach's strokes on the page and words gave her much more hope than anyone realized. Relief washed over her yet it was replaced by the aching of her heart.
The Sevalens they had been fighting were that of a small boy. To envision such a world through Chaos. What must go through the boy's mind during his final moments.
Halbin placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "We'll save the kid or what's left of him at least."
"I hope so…we must bury this quickly. For everyone's sake and his." She said as young Ponila slid off her back.
"That's the spirit!" Halbin said as he patted her shoulder twice before removing it. This time, she appreciated his optimism.
Nitha's thoughts were cut off by a deafening roar. The ground they were standing on was shaking furiously as the scream of such a creature reached them even outside what was supposed to be a castle wall.
It felt like her ears were about to burst out blood. She tried to cover it with her hands but instead she placed her hands on Ponila instead.
Even when protecting her ears with Augmentation did not help. It continued on and on as the bloodcurdling roar slowly got quieter, until it finally left their ears.
Nitha could feel Ponila trembles not just from the sound that shook him and the ground, but the fear of where it even came from.
Halbin cursed under his breath. "Damn! Was that a Sevalen? That sounded like a dragon!"
If it was a Sevalen then perhaps it could be because it was attacking someone…
"…You don't think it's trying to kill Allendis and Chelsea, do you?" Nitha asked. Her voice uttered those words with the shakiness that she only ever experienced when she was shy away from being twelve.
Halbin's eyes were widened. A breath or two came from his lips before he bolted to the direction where the roar came from.
"We gotta save those two!"
His words were all she needed for her to sprint past him.