Beyond the Veil [Complete Short Story]

Chapter 2

Traversing the Spirit Plane was jarring for Evelyn. The Spirit Plane itself was beautiful and haunting. It appeared for her as a forest, though the trees were barren of leaves, and the grass around them wavered in a non-existent wind. The sky were a mix of muted blues and purples. In it, a sun, a moon, and stars all shone at once. All around her, the fading forms of spirits walked aimlessly, as though lost.

"What are they?" Evelyn asked her guide.

"Lost souls that haven't found the afterlife," High Mage Jaspin explained, "some remain here forever, some find peace, and others turn into those we know as demons."

"They become demons?" Evelyn asked, horrified.

"Yes."

"What happens if I destroy one?" she asked, trying to understanding the ramifications of her intended action.

"I would hope that their spirit finds peace, but unfortunately I cannot assure that," he spoke softly, "I'm afraid I cannot set your fears to rest."

"It's alright," she replied, "I just have to focus on my goal and hope that their spirit will find peace in the afterlife. I have no desire to die, after all."

"A fairly positive approach," he commended her.

They had been walking through the Plane for sometime, however Evelyn never once felt tired or out of breath. She found that strange — she could feel her body, and yet it didn't quite feel like her own body. It was a peculiar feeling, and she hoped she would never have to return here a second time.

"Look there," her guide stopped her and her gaze followed where he pointed. Before them was a pedestal of white stone, upon which sat a twisted wooden staff with a blue crystal infused tip that sparkled in the light. "You will need that," he explained.

"Why?" Evelyn asked, hesitant to approach.

"It will help to focus your power through your spirit; it is called a Spirit Staff."

"Is it safe?"

"Trust me," High Mage Jaspin replied with a soft expression. Evelyn chewed her lower lip, considering the notion of trust within such a dangerous Realm. They had yet to run across any demons, but Evelyn knew her trial would have to appear soon.

"Alright," she replied after a long pause. She mustered up her courage and took a few steps forward. She paused as she neared the pedestal, expecting a trap or demon to emerge. However, nothing happened, so she stepped forward and reached out a hand. No sooner had she taken the staff, then the ground around them rumbled and began to crack open.

"What's happening?!" Evelyn demanded of her guide.

"Your trial has appeared!" he called back, "you must face this alone now." Evelyn cursed under her breath as hot, molten lava began to seep through the cracks in the earth. They rose up and began to form grotesque beings without eyes, mouths or legs — just a torso, arms, and snake-like tail on which they balanced. They slithered towards her, surrounding her on all sides. She spun around, counting four demons, as she readied a spell into her newly acquired staff.

"Bring it on," she muttered. As if hearing her, the demons lunged forward just as Evelyn cast her first spell. A wall of ice immediately surrounded her, protecting her from the first onslaught. As the lava creatures touched the ice, it began to melt, albeit slowly. This gave Evelyn the delay she needed in order to prepare her next spell which took a long preparation point. Luckily, Evelyn was a ice magic specialist — this should be an easy task to dispatch these creatures.

As the wall finally melted away, Evelyn unleashed the most powerful spell she knew: a blizzard. She had mastered the spell only recently, despite it being above the level most apprentices achieve before their Dream Walk. The molten demons began to quiver and shake in the torrent of wind, snow and ice. Their movements slowed to a crawl as Evelyn dashed away from them.

Time to dispatch of these hideous things, Evelyn thought to herself as she prepared her final spell. The lava demons still came towards her slowly as she released a spout of water. The water hissed into steam upon contact, but the onslaught of non-stop water began to solidify the molten lava, turning the demons into stone.

If a spirit could lose its breath, Evelyn would be wheezing. Her heart was pounding, she could feel it even outside the Spirit Plane, and she hoped that the Templars wouldn't take it as a negative sign.

"Congratulations," her guide said as the last of the fires extinguished themselves, "you have completed your trial."

"Thank you for your aid," she replied graciously. "I'm not sure I could have succeeded without the staff," she admitted as an afterthought.

"I am certain that you would have prevailed none-the-less," he countered, "when you came, I hoped that you would be the one. I never before thought that any of you were worthy." There was an icy tone in his voice that Evelyn hadn't noticed before.

"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, thoroughly confused by his words.

"Many apprentices fail in their Dream Walk trial, thus they are hardly worthy of my attention," he explained. Even without her guide's help, she felt now that she could not have been felled by such weak demons. Why would the Templar Knights fear her becoming possessed by such a minor creature, and why did so many apprentices fail to slay them?

"It was easy," Evelyn replied, feeling uneasy.

"That is because you are truly gifted, one of few," he explained, but Evelyn shook her head. She had known many apprentices, much stronger than herself, who had failed their Dream Walk and been slain. She had mourned each one's passing as though they had been a part of her. "The others, they never had a chance," he added, noticing her expression, "the Templars set them up to fail, as they tried with you."

In a horrific realization, Evelyn exclaimed: "You aided the demons before, didn't you?" He sighed.

"You are far more perceptive than I would have first imagined, however it was not by choice," he insisted, "I greatly regret my part in serving the demons. But you have shown me that there is still hope."

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, backing away slowly.

"In time, you will become a master mage with no equal — if you allow me to continue helping you," he offered. Evelyn narrowed her eyes.

"What do you presume to receive in return?" she asked with skepticism.

"You may be my only hope to regain a foothold outside of the Spirit Realm," he explained excitedly, "you just need to let me in." She was taken aback and took another step away from him.

"I'm starting to think that those demons weren't my test at all, and that you are not High Mage Jaspin at all!" she accused. He looked offended and hurt at her words.

"What? What are you saying? Of course it was!" he insisted. When he saw that his words were failing to sway her, he sighed heavily then chuckled. When he spoke again, his voice had shifted. Where once was a soft, kind tone was now replaced by something inhuman — deep and echoing all around her, as though many voices spoke all at once. "You are a smart one. Killing is merely a warrior's job." As he spoke, his form began to shift and grow into a being of fire and smoke.

"A demon," Evelyn hissed through gritted teeth as she readied her staff with a spell. The now-revealed demon laughed in her face as it took its natural form, towering above her.

"Keep your wits about you," he warned, "true tests never end." As he spoke, his form faded from her sight and the Spirit Plane seemed to lose focus and melt away in front of her. Then her world went dark.