COMPLETED Remembrance of Self | Fantasy | LGBTQ

Chapter 1 - Part 1

The once lush green forest of Avlan governed by the mighty emler tree is but a wisp of its former self in autumn. Now, a gray wall of trunks and wiry branches parts the two small towns of Avlan to the west and Kalan to the est.

The night's cold air brushed Haiden's cheeks raw. The crunch of leaves was heavy under his new leather boots, now muddied and soiled. Out of breath, he struggled to keep his speed while slender lengths whipped at his pale face and body. His ravaged clothes exposed his pale skin to the chilly night. There was no time to think about the pain of cuts and bruises when imminent danger trailed your every move.

The creature was a blur of motion behind the emler trees. Haiden could hear it nearing in. The hair on the back of his neck stood upright the instant he sensed the intense predatory gaze falling on him with deadly intent; telling him to flee. It was as much as a shiver, a prickle in his skin letting him know danger was upon him. Yet, his refined clumsiness and having the body coordination that of a wooden doll rendered his sharp senses to a mere anxiety inducing moment of confusion and frustration. Vertigo took over. Losing his balance Haiden hit the soft wet mud face first.

"Shit!' Haiden cussed while scrambling to get back on his feet on the loose dirt of the dark forest. He willed his trembling legs to move, to run. His recent collection of wounds began to leave their mark on his stamina, weighing him down even more than the heavy backpack. The fatigue was getting to him. The whole forest was spinning while he tried to flee for his life. The urge to collapse on the ground and cry himself to sleep was starting to overwhelm him, but his senses screamed at him 'DANGER! RUN!'and so he did. And more than that he had to hide somewhere before it caught up to him.

An ear-splitting high-pitched scream boomed from behind the thick trees. It was soon followed by the crunch of leaves and squelch of thick mud battered by heavy limbs of the approaching creature. He quickly scoured cover behind a nearby mound, backing himself in the hollow of a rotting fallen, trunk hoping that the night hid his presence. Luckily, the menacing aura of the red moon dirtied the black night with muddy crimson making it nearly impossible to see more than a glance away. But, he didn't know for how long the creature's vision span, he couldn't gamble his life on wishful thinking.

Haiden wasn't ready to die, not until he could make amends.

Haiden lay low, trying to quiet his heavy breath. Sharp pain throbbed in his abdomen from a shallow laceration where the creature almost caught him. He applied as much pressure as he could to stop the bleeding for now.

He was tired, filthy, hungry, and not to mention in pain. Haiden wanted to scream and cry at the miserable couple of days that had befallen him and his companion.

He had been traveling with Regor towards the promise of a new life in El'oyn, and on their journey they had been separated in the forest of Avlan since sundown. With their wagon destroyed by the very same fucker, as he liked to address it, they now had no means of continuing their way.

Haiden wondered for a fleeting minute if his companion was still alive, but the flaring prickle of his senses interrupted his thoughts of compassion.

I'll find the other fucker after I deal with this fucker, he thought.

The creature was near. He could hear the heavy steps of the creature nearing in on the leaf laid ground. He had to try his luck and Wield.

I need to hurry, he thought and concentrated on his breathing.

The throbbing wound was making it hard to clear his head. He had to do something about it so he placed a hand on his wound making full contact. It seared his nerves touching the bare open flesh. But he had to. It helped him focus on the lacerated area of his body and flooded it with energy, with fios. The pain increased tenfold for a split-second and then there was only numbness. Partially in shock and partially relieved, he could now concentrate and feel the flow of fios in his entire body, pure energy within himself. As he gathered more and more energy static started to steadily flow through his body like tiny electric pricks pushing upward from inside his mind.

It was taking too long. The thumping of massive limbs was so close he could feel the vibrations in the ground. The foul odor the creature emanated pierced his nostrils with carrion.

Come on, just a little more. PLEASE!

With a mental plea of desperation and a last push for his fios the air shimmered slightly, capturing the reddish pale light of the red sister and distorted the view of the dark forest. He closed his eyes and visualized himself in the dank hollow slowly growing darker. Blending in with the rotten trunk, the trees, mud and grass until nothing stood in his place but a shadow in which the concept of sound did not exist, or anything else for that matter except for him. With each breath every sound around him dimmed. The soft reverberation of the forest was but a whisper on his skin. The creature's pacing was as distant as his heartbeat, eventually coming to a halt. Shortly after, total silence shrouded him like a cloak. His wish to disappear was granted.

He was untrained, but his natural affinity allowed him limited control over his abilities. The growing fatigue of Wielding and lack of sleep was drawing him quickly into a state of unconsciousness with sweet promises of blissful solace. As much as he wanted to give in, to be at ease, he could not afford to pass out now with this creature on his trail, but Haiden felt the cold sweat on his brows and a slight tremble in his hands.

Just a bit longer...

After a few more hardened breaths he could not maintain his wielding without fainting. Inside the black mist that enveloped him he could not sense anything outside. This skewed with his perception of time, Haiden didn't know how much time had passed. The creature could be anywhere, it could be long gone or just right in front of him staring at the thick black shadow next to the trunk. But, he could not hold it any longer, he risked going too deep in a dangerous situation that could cost him his life so, he thrusted his eyes open, already adjusted to the dark he immediately spotted the creature's reddened white skin between the trees contrasting the dark bark. It was moving away from him. This time, he got away and he sighed in deep relief. Haiden dared not to move until he lost sight of it, the air smelled clean and the sound of its heavy limbs was nowhere to be felt or heard. Now, he could relax. His vision blurred and drifted away from consciousness.