NOVEL NEXT Landing on the Dark Island
Nine Months Since Summoning Day, Hailey, Age 18
The sound of grunts filled the sea air. Dante and I had been sparring every night since we left. For some reason, though, he's been going easy on me. I can tell. I don't even need to pull out my Drago Blaster. Since he's been around longer, I should be getting demolished at close range, but I'm sending him flying with every hit, "Quit holding back already! How am I supposed to get stronger if you don't push me?"
"Push you? You really haven't noticed, huh?" He asked with a weakened but still light-hearted chuckle. I tilted my head in confusion before a set of heavy steps drew our attention. Carlos stumbled onto the deck.
"Right, I didn't tell you, girl. Since you're ghoul now, you get certain uhh... benefits, you didn't get as a normal flesh sack. You're stronger, faster, and can take one hell of a beating," he explained, sipping on his bottle of booze as if it were the last bottle on earth. I freeze for a moment before turning to Dante.
"Wait, so you weren't..."
"Yeah, quite the opposite, actually. I nearly transformed a few times," he answered honestly, and a small smile crossed my face. If Ryan's gonna keep pushing himself, I've gotta do the same. That means getting strong enough to kick the crap out of him. With that bit of inspiration, I could finally ask what popped into my mind.
"So, what are you doing up here? The ship's doing just fine if you wanna get drunk."
"If there's any time to be sober, it's now," Carlos answered, pointing outward. Rushing to the edge of the ship, Dante and I saw it. In the distance was a mass of land, spikes of crystallized Darkness shooting out from the ground, the dark sky turning even darker, only illuminated by strangely colored lightning. I looked to Dante, whose face had turned dead serious. Just off that, I knew what needed to be done.
"Wild Ranger Roar"
"Worlds Combine, Heroes Unite"
With those words, we immediately transformed. According to Dante, the Dark Island has a barrier over it. Zeddral sees everything that happens within it. That's how the Wild Rangers were beaten. So we need to be on guard at all times. Neither of us said a word as Carlos docked the ship, "This is as far as I can go, little lady. I'll wait as long as I can, but if they find me, I'm heading back."
"That's okay. Thanks for your help."
"Well, don't thank me for helping you with your own suicide..." he mumbled as we walked.
Meanwhile, Ritto, Age 856
After the Bersercar incident, I felt tonight was a good time to just relax. The Hell Heroes seem to have gone out to eat with Prince Xandric, and while I don't like it, it is best to keep him close, I suppose. As I sit down, though, I can't help but feel anxious. I can't even look at that false wall. My father is out there, along with that damn hunk of armor and who knows how many others? Still, if I leave this lab to pursue them, Zeddral may figure it out.
"I doubt he'll do anything. Old fool has been presumed dead for years..." I mumble to myself before turning to a picture on my desk, that of a once happy family, a mother with pale blue skin, pointed ears that shoot out, a baby who was white as a sheet with amber eyes and tiny horns that pricked from his head, and an older man who looked the spitting image of an older version of the baby, though his face was scratched out. Such an image brought back memories, and despite my better judgment, I stood up, grabbing a long black hooded cloak to go on the search.
Hailey, Age 18
Despite what we initially expected, there was no attack. It was actually even more unsettling. Dante was clearly on edge, his eyes darting around through the visor of his helmet. There was a massive city in the distance, not far from where we dropped anchor. I take it that's like their version of Mao Zhua or any other capital city, "That's where we're going?" I ask, hoping to break Dante out of his nervous trance
"Yeah, but stay on guard. Zeddral knows we're here."
"Are you sure? He hasn't done anything yet..."
"Don't be fooled. That barrier around the island is one massive camera. He may not always be looking, but he will eventually," he spat out. Dante was normally a pretty chill guy. He'd laugh at just about every little thing. This though? This isn't the Dante I met in Dai Shi. Still, I follow his lead, being the more inexperienced of the two of us. Scaling the walls was easy. I was still getting the hang of wind magic, but I could at least send us over without any guards noticing.
Looking around, I was surprised to see an actually functioning city. However, I noticed a clear divide the further up I looked. The lower areas of the city seemed rundown. Holograms that played the news would flicker on and off with altered versions of events. People walked around in ragged clothes and scavenged for gold and food. Looking a bit further towards the center, the markets were doing quite well, and everything looked the same, if not slightly worse than what I saw in the villages on the way here, then at the top was a massive castle. No... it was closer to a fortress. Massive turrets lined every wall and tower, Shadows patrolled every second of every day, and as if the massive dome surrounding this entire island wasn't bad enough, surveillance drones roamed the sky. Right as I see one, something hovers over us, and Dante quickly tackles us off the wall, saving us both from an explosion. Gritting my teeth, I focus mana out of my arms and legs, using the resulting wind as a cushion so we land safely. Great, so the drones aren't just for surveillance. I chuckle nervously before looking to Dante, "Thanks, but um... can you get off me?"
"Yeah, sorry..." He grumbled, looking up to where the drone was before sending a wave of slashes through the air, cutting it into three, "The tech here is primitive. Gen One at best. If we get seen like that again, we have three minutes to destroy them before they transmit what they saw."
"Gen One?"
"Just think of it like the difference between a landline and a smartphone. Now put this on and don't shift back," he warned, tossing me a ragged cloak. It covered most of my suit, so if I just keep the hood up, I should be fine. With both of us hidden as best we can, we begin to wander around aimlessly. While the drone didn't transmit what it saw, the explosion certainly drew the eye of the Shadows. Ducking and dodging through the alleyways, we managed to make it almost out of the slums before someone called out to us.
"Hey... Don't go..." A voice said in broken speech. Turning to the source, there was a massive, hulking green man with two fangs poking from his lower jaw.
"An Oni..." Dante growled, preparing to slash at him, but I stopped him and approached.
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"Leon... Wish...See you..."
"Leon?" I ask, gritting my teeth. Honestly, I'm still fuming about how he killed me. Still, we don't know anybody in this city, and it's better not to create a scene. I nod my head, and the Oni leads us to a small, rundown shack nestled in a corner of the wall. Even in this forgotten piece of this city, I doubt anyone would notice it. When we went inside, the Vampire girl who was always with him stood there, as if she were waiting for us.
"Feel free to ditch the suits. I had an inside source bring air purifiers. You should be fine," She insisted, and while hesitant, I shifted back to confirm that the air was perfectly breathable. Dante followed suit, though he maintained a constant glare.
"Well, we're here. Where's your buddy?" Dante asked, to which she stepped aside, revealing just a small shard of metal with an inscription on it. We both stare in confusion before it finally speaks.
"I'm glad you two made it. We need your help."
"What the heck happened to you? And how did you know we were here?"
"You were sailing here, and the drones opened fire on something. It wasn't hard to guess. As for what happened, that is why we need your help. As you can see, I am no longer fit for combat. So I beg you, destroy Arch Mage Ritto."
"Ritto?" I repeated, tilting my head to the side. I think I remember one of the others mentioning him, but he sounded like a lackey, just someone who made monsters, "I'm not against it, but why do you want him gone? I thought you guys were allies."
"He's no ally of mine. He is a traitor to both our king and our race!"
"He is correct..." Another voice weakly said as a skinny man with pale white skin shakily walked into the room, nearly falling before the Vampire caught him, "Thank you... Sonya.."
"You're still recovering. You should be in bed."
"No, it is time I confess. Everything my son is doing is because of me..."
"Your son? Wait, you're...!" Dante exclaimed, seeming to know who he was
"That's right... Vile Masterio... Former Arch Mage of the Demon People... It has been quite some time, old friend."
"It's been a long time, you old lug! How ya been?" Dante's face gleamed with an energy that had been missing since we first arrived, gently hugging the old man so as to not break his frail bones, "After what happened with the Sracs, I thought you were..."
"Dead? Demons don't die so easily..." he assured before breaking from the hug to sit down, "Sadly, it may have been better had I fallen. As I am responsible for the current state of things..."
"What do you mean? Please explain"
"I will, but for now, we must start from the beginning..."
Seven Hundred Forty-Eight Years Since Summoning Day, Vile, Age 951
"Ritto? Ritto!" I called out as I marched through the castle halls. I had long since decided to make him my successor as Arch Mage. It was a secure position that would ensure my son was educated, happy, and safe from the dangers of the Dark Island. He had hidden from me for most of the day, jumping around like an acrobat between hiding spots. Eventually, I finally managed to find him. "There you are. What are you doing?" I asked, peaking under my bed. He had run there, probably hoping his mother would be there to talk me out of it. Sadly, she was the reason I came to this choice: "Your training starts today."
"But... I don't want to train... I can't be a mage..." He was so soft spoken, like a frightened animal. Any decent parent would have stopped then and there. But, here we are
"Of course you can. You're my son," I tried to reassure him, to show him that all of this would be okay. It was probably the last time I would do such a thing. I slowly reached out my hand, and out of trust for the man who raised him, he took it.
Seven Hundred Fifty-One Years Since Summoning Day, Vile, Age 954
"Again!!" I roared out as I watched Ritto in the courtyard. He was struggling with even a basic lightning spell. Even if he could get the formula right, he was taking in more mana than his body could handle. His body was too weak for even an average intake
"Pl-Please... Let me stop..."
"Stop?! You think King Zeddral will make you Arch Mage by stopping?! You're my son, but that doesn't earn you your place!" I reprimanded, ignoring his obvious pain. Looking back on it, I feel nothing but shame. I denied him friendship, love, and entertainment and substituted it with what I thought was best. I did not wish for him to end up like his mother and pushed him too far. I looked down on him in disgust when I should have shown concern. I did not realize my mistake until it was too late.
Four Hundred Years Before Summoning Day, Vile, Age 1351
"Come. It's time." Those were the only words that left my lips as I locked eyes with Ritto. He was wearing a ceremonial robe, a simple black and purple outfit beneath a crimson fur cloak to endure the cold. I was wearing a simpler black coat with red details running along the sides, far more practical, but Ritto always had a better fashion sense than I did. He merely nodded his head, following me out. Over the past seventy-five years, he had grown quite a bit. I thought he would make a wonderful assistant to the young prince.
For the first time since her passing, the two of us walked through the city, outside the wall. On a small hill just outside the walls was a tombstone, white lilies covered the ground, a rare sight in this cursed place. The two of us simply sat there, in silence, eating as if she were still here. Once we finished our soup, I finally said the first words, "You have done so well, Ritto. You have grown from being unable to do a simple lightning spell to even surpassing me."
"You flatter me, father."
"No, I don't. I mean every word," I answered, pride filling my heart for the first time in so long, "You will be a great Arch Mage and... and I won't have to lose you..."
"You're right, you won't..." He mumbled, and suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my back. A blade slowly digging in, just barely missing my heart before being ripped back out. I collapse, gasping for air. Looking inwards, a poison had filled my body. The boy healed the wound and stopped the bleeding, but the poison remained. Even after the wound was gone, I found myself unable to move, "When this world you denied me is burned to the ground, it will just be me and you."
Nine Months Since Summoning Day, Hailey, Age 18
"When I woke, I was in that dungeon. He would torture me for days on end, gloating about every 'victory' as he started this war, then proceeded to keep it going. My failure as a parent made him what he is. In short, this entire war is my doing..."
"Get over yourself already," I scoffed, venom filling my voice. Ritto is wrong, no doubt about it. But to hear someone willingly confess to taking away their child's future makes my blood boil. A child's safety and happiness should be a parent's top priorities, yet he dug into one of those and neglected the other. If I had it my way, I would kick the crap out of him, but right now, we don't have that luxury. "Blaming yourself hasn't done any good. So what are we going to do about it?"
"Hailey, calm down," Dante insisted, but I ignored him, waiting for a response from the old man. He simply sighed and nodded.
"So you will help? Thank you. I sadly do not know the details, but from what I understand, Ritto will be forcing the King to take immediate action soon. When he's weak, he plans to kill him..."
"What?!" Dante exclaimed, jumping to the back of the shack wall. I had seen so much anxiety from him today, but now he seemed outright scared, "You've gotta be kidding me! He's forcing the Demon King to fight! I thought he wanted to keep the war going!"
"He does. That's why he must go," Leon answered, "He fears that Xandric's return will tame his bloodlust and he will be convinced to end this war. To keep the war going, Zeddral must be removed in his eyes."
"However, whenever Zeddral goes to the United Island of Light, Ritto will be vulnerable. That's when we strike," the Vampire answered. Dante and I look at each other. His fear infects me, making me hesitate. Still, I nod my head. I came here to protect Ryan. If this Ritto guy is the cause of the war, then he's my target.
"Okay, we'll do it...."
The Vampire nodded, smiling as she stood up to leave, "I'll make the preparations. Xandric had a friend who could help us get in unseen and secure us a new armor for Leon. Be prepared for a fight once we're in, though."
Meanwhile, Zeddral, Age 1568
I look down in shock, gritting my teeth. Xandric's bloodied body lay there, beaten and battered. His heartbeat had long since faded, and life had left his eyes. Ritto had brought it before my throne, his head hung in shame, "I'm sorry, your Majesty. He was found in the markets. One would believe it was..."
"I know exactly who it was..." I growled, standing up from my throne. I had not checked the barrier for quite some time. It would be easy for one of the 'Heroes' to have wiggled their way inside. I had gotten lazy, unmotivated. That lack of motivation cost me my son. But no more. As I walk to the entrance, I prepare to give Ritto one final order, "Prepare my army! Get the Hell Heroes and Warlords prepared for battle. This war ends by dawn."
"Of course, your Majesty. We shall see justice done..."