The Sage's Vow

13.3 || Tzanach

Cale froze for only a moment before resuming his search for his blades, now more vigorous than before. There. They had fallen by a rock near Tzanach's tail. "More monsters?" he whispered as he bent down to retrieve his swords.

Instead of answering, Tzanach said, Forgive me, Caleb.

Swords in hand, Cale stood and spun. A dark wave of energy gushed upward from all around him. He leaped upward, but the barrier closed overhead, and he barely threw his arm up in time to avoid a head-on collision.

"Tzanach!" Cale slammed his fist against the energy wall. When that did nothing, he took his blades and attempted a few swings. Still nothing. He reached inward, intent on summoning his magic—

Pain splintered from his core. Cale cried out as he broke concentration on the bond. No magic, then. He couldn't risk pushing his limits. Not yet, at least. Gritting his teeth, he went back to slashing at the dark energy, watching for any difference besides the rippling surface.

I will release you once they are gone. Tzanach slipped around the rock covering. Cale still had a good view of her and the small stream from his current position, but he didn't see any newcomers. This is only a precaution, so you neither die nor cause trouble for me. The barrier blocks most sound from leaving, but I ask you do not test how confining it can be.

He wanted to dismiss her warnings and see just how loud he could yell profanities her way, but again he remembered that she'd guided him away from death only minutes before. Even if he didn't fully trust her, he doubted she meant him harm with this. But who could she need to hide him from?

His answer appeared shortly in the form of a group walking into the cavern. The tunnel they entered from was just barely in Cale's line of sight. The barrier's dark surface made the new arrivals appear blurred, but as they approached, Cale could see them better. By the time they stood before Tzanach, his blood ran cold.

He recognized them. Well, not all of them, but at least the golden-skinned woman who led the group. She was one of the Shadow Knights who had been in Aharon and Moshe's temple realm. Cale could only assume the three others with her were also Shadow Knights, then. How had they gotten into the Energy Realm, and why?

No, not why. He was a fool to ask that. Half of the entrances to the seals were here. The Paladins had been operating on the belief that they had some safety, because even if the Shadow Knights collected the seals on the Soul Realm, there was no certain way for easy travel to and from the Energy Realm. Yet here before him stood the Shadow Knights.

And based on what Tzanach said next, this was not their only visit here.

I thought I told you not to return to my dwelling, humans, she growled.

The Asian woman held her hands up in a placating gesture. Most of the other Shadow Knights were hidden by Tzanach's body and large chunks of rocks. Still, Cale noticed the way they shifted, ready to react, even if none took any clearly offensive action.

"I am sorry that we had to break our agreement, Elder One," the woman said. "We truly meant to let you have your peace, but we have reason to believe an item of interest is here. You noticed the realm collapse, I am sure."

Tzanach held her head at its highest, making it so she peered down at a sharp angle at the gathering of Shadow Knights. It would be impossible not to notice. Many troublesome monsters disrupted my slumber.

"I am sure you wish to return to your resting state, so we will not be long. There was something hidden within that realm, you see, that we have been looking to acquire. Our source says it should have fallen here." The woman smiled pleasantly as she spoke, and one could almost believe she was trying to remain peaceful, but there was a constant edge to her words, a slight dare to challenge. When she tilted her head, it could have been to look around the cavern or to flash the tip of the spear resting on her back.