Chapter Four - Rory’s Disposition

Rory’s Perspective:

What am I doing? I thought to myself as I watched the stillness in the forest. The nightmares have kept me awake every night over the past week since Eden left. Why am I even still here? My thought continued as I let out an aggravated sigh. I haven’t seen anyone from Shanaledge come here since that day. What is wrong with me?

Still feeling completely worthless, I tried to continue with a determination that I will find a way to reach Sarai.

“I need to find a way to get to her…” I finally said to myself aloud. But how?

I live in exile. I’m not allowed to ever return to Shanaledge. Because of this, I lost the ability to travel there. This also meant, because of Silas, if I did eventually find a way home, I would be killed on sight. No, that doesn’t matter, I don’t care if I am caught and killed... Not when it comes to protecting Sarai.

What matters to me is trying, no, successfully reaching Sarai and defeating Silas so this madness can finally end before it’s too late. I will also kill Asher for what he did to us! She put her faith in him and he completely deceived her! Sarai will not die this time! Not because of me, not because of Asher, and certainly not at the hands of Silas!

At that moment, I had an epiphany as I reflected on the problems before me. Thinking back to previous lives, I can faintly remember there being whispers through the years of a man who lives on the other side of the country, upon a mountain, who can send people to other realms. There are even some places throughout the country where people can jump from this one to Shanaledge.

Every realm has a back door. The words rang in my ears as I became filled with hope again.

But finding the right one will be tricky, so the best shot I have, and wouldn’t be so time-consuming, would be for me to find this man. If I could locate this man, then I would be able to return to Shanaledge and rescue Sarai. Unfortunately, this also showed some problems since I haven’t heard anything about this old man in a long time. I’m surprised I even recalled hearing of him from one of my past lives. I would have to go searching for others who have sought his services, which also proved to be another obstacle, but it was better than trying to locate all the back doors to different realms and not being able to find the right one in time. It also was better than sitting here, waiting for someone to collect the decaying soldiers.

The thought of being able to reach my soulmate, to finally be home in Shanaledge, even though I was a fugitive there, filled me with excitement. I finally stopped feeling pathetic and quit feeling sorry for myself as I tried to formulate a game plan to find this mysterious man. But first, I need to shower. I thought as I started collecting my things.

I would need to travel far and search a completely different forest and landscape on the opposite side of the country.

What if the man is only a story concocted by others? The thought occurred to me as I made my way south. No… I cannot think that way. I need to make it back to my home!

With that, I started my journey and trying to send word to Eden of my plans, so he could help.

I spent the better part of the week making my way south. Most of my time was spent camping, hunting, and searching alone. The loneliness was making the journey agonizing. Every night, I would try to speak to Sarai, hoping that she was trying to contact me too. Unfortunately, I was never able to communicate with her. This wasn’t unusual because I don’t recall her ever being able to do this, but it was still worth a shot. The night was particularly rough for me since I was still unable to sleep from the nightmares that remained a blink of an eye away.

Keeping Sarai in the forefront of my mind was what kept me going. As I searched and ventured the terrain, I strategize what I would do once I found the man living on the mountain, what I would do when I returned to Shanaledge, but nothing seemed to play out right in my mind. I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms by anyone, including Sarai. I fully understood that she was stuck there now and needed to play a part.

Since it had been a few days since I heard anything from Eden, I contacted him, wondering if he had any new developments.

“No. Still searching.” He replied shortly.

“Alright. Keep me posted.”

“I’ll let you know if I find anything,” Eden replied.

I knew when I found the man; I would demand him to assist me in returning to the realm. If he refused to help, I would force the man into bringing me. But if the man was only a legend, I would just be in the same place as I am right now. I would’ve lost all hope.

But I was getting ahead of myself. Before I can find the man who can help me, I would need to find someone who knows the person’s whereabouts. I pursued through extreme heat as summer was starting, through treacherous landscapes and wilderness, trying to stay away from very public areas, but keeping my mind open for any person who is from a different realm.

I spent days, weeks doing this. Every day became a routine. At nightfall, I would find a place to rest, even though I was never able to receive much sleep. By twilight, I was up, moving around, heading south to where the man was rumored to be.

After two extraordinarily long weeks, I finally heard something worthwhile. While I was walking through a poor town that was filled with old, abandoned steel buildings which were covered in graffiti, a man walked past me. The guy wore a dark hooded jacket and looked to be up to no good, but he was mostly caught in deep thought, not paying attention to his surroundings. As the nameless soul walked past me, I heard him thinking about the man he had seen a few days ago.

I can’t believe that old geezer wouldn’t help me get back to my realm!

Before I truly understood what I was doing, I grabbed the man, pushing him against one of the buildings and putting a knife to his throat. In retrospect, it was probably an act that was too aggressive for the situation, seeing as how this poor guy didn’t know why a random passerby just came at him intimidatingly, but I was done playing games. Too much time had already been wasted by me foolishly waiting for one of Silas’s scumbags to return and searching for anything which could help me find my way to Sarai.

“This old man, where is he?” I questioned through barred teeth.

“Dude, what the hell?” The guy screeched.

I slammed his body against the wall again. “Where is he?”

“Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!”

I pressed the knife into his neck, threateningly. “You know damn well who I am talking about. Where is he?” I demanded.

“Okay, okay! He’s maybe a three-day hike north from here in Blue Forest, high in the mountain.” The man relented.

“Blue Forest?” I questioned him with skepticism.

“It’s not a part of this realm… You… You just stumble across it. It’s like a bubble universe he created.”

Without another word, I dropped the man and went on my way.

“Dude, seriously? No ‘thank you!’” The guy screamed at me from behind.

Before I could start my journey, I contacted Eden. He would meet me at Blue Forest.

Sarai’s Perspective:

It has been roughly three weeks since I first arrived in Shanaledge. Silas has requested my company almost every night to have dinner and walk around the castle with him. Unfortunately, he would not discuss much with me about what he has been planning or what he expects from me. Even though this was disappointing, I was just thrilled I was given time to gain his trust over extravagant meals in candlelight, even though I had no idea what was on my plate, as my appetite finally came back. To be honest, I was more excited to be outside of that room. I had also experienced great conversations with Silas over the past few days. It shocked me that we were able to discuss books, being from different realms, but Silas had access to books from my realm somehow. While the conversations seemed too short, especially when it came to topics about our childhoods, (even though Silas pretty much knew all about mine), they were important enough to leave me feeling more compassion for the man.

Silas talked to me about the garden I wanted to visit someday. He just gave me a knowing smile.

“What is that smile about?” I asked curiously, trying to ignore Asher in the background. Most of the time when Silas asked me to dinner, Asher would be standing somewhere close to Silas, seeming disinterested, but watching the progress I was making with him.

“I know you do.” He replied. “You will be able to visit it soon. There are a few things I need to have done to it before you can see it.”

During this time, Silas had ordered workers to start restoring the castle. You could hear the sounds of the workers using their tools throughout the castle. The dining hall even received new floors and minor repairs to the walls. The windows in the entire castle were cleaned. The floor runners in the halls were replaced by ones that were even more extravagant. Silas even had the servants deep clean all the rooms including the halls. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on anything in the entire castle.

Even though I started to relax a little and started to enjoy Silas’s company, most likely because I had no one else to speak to, I still lay awake at night playing with the amulet in hopes of being able to speak to Rory. Not only did I want to hear his voice, but I also had so much I wanted to tell him. So much that I needed to discuss with him. But all I could still hear were whispers in my head, nothing more.

While I was lying in bed holding the amulet in my hand, the guards burst into the room suddenly, startling me. Eleanor walked in behind them carrying an even more magnificent dress than the last ones.

“How are you this evening?” Eleanor greeted after the guards walked out, closing the door behind them.

“What’s all of this?” I asked astonished.

“Lord Silas has invited a bunch of the townspeople to come to eat, drink, and dance, including those from other towns. He has requested you wear this darling dress.”

The ball gown was a deep purple color that contained silver-colored sequins around the neckline. It had spaghetti straps which were the same silver hue as the sequins. The purple dress was very lightweight. Once I was in the gown, I twirled around in front of Eleanor. The skirt rested just above my knees, but when I spun, the skirt raised to show most of my thighs.

“Oh wow!” I chuckled. “I love the dress, but I’m not sure I want people seeing my privates!

“It will be fine,” Eleanor reassured her. “Even if you were to dance, I am sure it would be slow dancing.” The servant began braiding my hair to put up in a fancy hairstyle as I waited for her to put on my makeup since I still have no mirror.

“I don’t know why, but I am excited by the thought of dancing. Maybe it’s because it’s something different from what I am used to here in Shanaledge.”

Eleanor agreed. “Lord Silas has never allowed the townspeople into his castle before. Whatever he has planned, he is certainly trying to impress and win everyone’s favor.”

“Yeah…” I started thinking, as knots started to form in my stomach. Here I am trying to enjoy myself, yet Eleanor seemed slightly bitter. She placed that little bit of doubt in my head that this was all just an act. I knew it was. I knew the servant had every right to be upset about the occasion because she probably wouldn’t be able to join in on the festivities.

When Eleanor was finished with my hair and makeup, Eleanor took a long, hard stare at me. “You look absolutely stunning!” She exclaimed with excitement.

I returned a half-hearted smiled as I thought of Rory. I wished that he was the one I was going to see. I wanted him to be the one who saw me dressed in these exquisite outfits.

Soon, I was escorted down to the dining hall by the guards.

The dining hall was brightly lit and held almost everyone who lived in the town just outside the castle, along with those who lived in the neighboring towns. Crowds of people were scattered about the room, all gathered around having fun. Tables were holding a buffet of food and drink. Silas made sure they had all types of food to serve. A band was playing slow, rhythmic music for those who wished to dance. In which some of the people were dancing while the others got tipsy. Everyone was fully enjoying each other’s company.

It was hard to believe these people were miserable under Silas’s rule. I knew they all were. I knew all of this was some sort of elaborate act that Silas had concocted. But at this moment they seemed to be so jovial... No one looked to be wearing rags, nor did any of them look dirty or desperate. The townspeople weren’t wearing clothes that were as immaculate as the dress she was wearing, but they were still very nice clothes for the occasion. It took me by surprise as I was led to believe these people had absolutely nothing left. I was led to believe these people were near a third-world country status.

I took a moment to stand behind the guard taking in everything in anxiety by what I was seeing.

What is going on? I wondered to myself, hiding in the tall guard’s shadow.