Disclaimer!
The events depicted in this chapter involve mature themes and may not be suitable for all readers. This story contains moments of intense emotional distress, violence, and loss, which may affect sensitive readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Happy reading!
Ili lay in her bed, facing the window as she slowly turned the pages of her master's journal. Everyone else was asleep. Suddenly, a yawn caught her attention. Zephyr was waking up.
The boy, along with the other two dwarves, slept on the carpet in the middle of the room, wasted from before. He rubbed his eyes, letting out a tired yawn, before turning his head toward Ililith.
"Morning!" he said, getting up on his feet and stretching his arms. "Whatcha' reading?"
"Morning!" Ili responded casually. "Oh, nothing special. It's a journal that my master gave me. I'm trying to figure out where I should go next…"
"What do you mean?" Zephyr asked, confused.
"My master gave me this book to guide me. He said that we'd meet at the end of my journey, but I don't... really understand… And I could swear there were more filled pages before…" She looked at the ground, resting the book on her lap.
"Mind if I take a look?" Zephyr asked, holding out his arm.
"I don't know if…" Ili looked at him, before turning to the book, a little hesitant. But then, she handed him the book. He flipped through the pages, a confused expression appearing on his face. Despite continuing to flip through, nothing seemed to help.
"What is this?" he asked, frowning at the pages. "These are just random scribbles… Herbs? What even is this? What language is he even writing in?"
"What? What are you talking about?" Ili took the book from his hands, flipping through the pages. It was just as he said. Nothing made sense anymore. The words were inconsistent, there were random drawings of plants everywhere, weird characters and all sorts of other weird things. "No, no no no…" Ili started to flip through the pages quicker, trying to find any small piece of message or anything. As she reached the middle of the book, the rest of the pages were blank. "Why…"
"Hey, hey… Calm down… What is it?" Zephyr asked, looking concerned at her panic.
Ili looked at him with tears in her eyes, shaking, her words stuttering.
"This… The journal wasn't like this before… It had… It had places, and instructions… It said where I was supposed to go, and where… where my journey would end and I'd meet with my master… It's… It's all gone… It's…"
Ili took a few deep breaths to calm down, wiping her tears. She closed the notebook and placed it on her lap, before turning her head towards the window, staring outside.
"Hey... Are you alright?" Zephyr asked, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder, unsure of her emotions.
Ili remained silent for a moment, not moving her head. She let out a quiet sigh before turning towards Zephyr, a faint trembling smile appearing on her lips.
"So... Where do you want to go?" she asked softly, sniffing.
Zephyr was caught off guard, not expecting the question. "I, uh... Well, I'm alright with mostly anything, really. Where you want to go, we go."
"Alright then, well..." Ili began, thinking for a bit. "I suppose we could go through the mountain pass, since we're already here…"
"Then the mountain pass it is!" Zephyr exclaimed happily, supporting her decision.
Ili smiled softly, slowly getting back to her usual self. She wiped her tears one last time, before placing the book back in her pouch and getting up on her feet, a tinge of excitement in her eyes over the previous disappointment.
"...It is said that there are two types of demons in this world. The first are the many races known as demons by the majority — creatures whose nature is to kill, seduce, or exhibit other traits commonly associated with such beings. While not actual demons, these traits make them hated by the majority, forcing them to live in secluded areas, usually in small groups, away from normal cities. Such creatures are looked down upon, often treated worse than animals in many parts of the world. This hatred leads to conflict and further animosity, often resulting in war. To prevent such conflicts, many kingdoms and empires have resorted to treaties of non-aggression with these races, even offering them citizenship in some parts of the world to integrate them into society rather than view them as enemies.
The second and more fearsome type of demons are the creatures that cannot be reasoned with, entities that exist purely for chaos. These are the true demons, belonging to a race that embodies this very essence. Beings of nightmares with malformed bodies and animalistic traits, they kill and rampage wherever they go. Among these demons, the strongest are the Primordial Demons, also known as the Demons of the Seven Sins: Hatred, Gluttony, Envy, Pride, Greed, Sloth, and Lust. Upon their revival, they begin a spree of destruction, killing and annihilating everything in their path. Possessing the power to decimate entire armies, they can either be killed and sent back to the spirit realm or destroy everything until there is nothing left. They are truly horrifying beings…"
A note expressing gratitude, a small wood-carved necklace shaped like a tree with a green-blue fluorescent stone inside, and a small dark crystal dagger lay on a yellow cloth in the middle of the room, on the carpet.
"Anything wrong, Ili?" Zephyr asked, noticing her hesitation.
"I... Don't really know," she replied thoughtfully. "Shouldn't we wait for them to wake up to at least say our goodbyes?"
Zephyr chuckled softly, glancing at the sleeping dwarves. "Don't worry," he said with a light smile. "They've been so drunk, I'd be impressed if they even wake up today! Besides, you saw the clouds. I heard people in the village talking about a large storm coming, and personally, I'd rather be inside the mountain pass when that happens than out there in the storm."
"I suppose you're right…" Ili replied, pondering his words. She turned her head towards the sleeping dwarves, bowing slightly as she whispered, "Thank you for everything... I hope we'll meet again in the future…"
With that, she slung her pouch over her shoulder, adjusted her sword belt at her waist, and prepared to leave the dwarven house, where Zephyr stood waiting by the door.
The two exited quietly, walking down the stone path away from the house to the mountain pass. Ili stopped and looked back, gazing at the small dwarven house and the village. Her eyes slowly rose to the light-grey sky, covered by storm clouds.
"Ili, let's go!" Zephyr called from up ahead, waiting for her to catch up.
Soon enough, Ili joined him as they began their ascent along the road towards the mountain pass. The village quickly disappeared behind a corner, fading into the gray expanse. There was no one around, only just the stone-paved road winding through the valley known as the mountain pass. It was mostly quiet, with the occasional rumble of distant thunder.
The valley's incline gradually lessened, dropping to the level of the road itself. Soon, they reached the crossroads leading to the crater. But unlike before, they continued down the main road, entering the mountain pass. The further they walked, the more the grassy landscape turned to stone, and the hills rose into the jagged peaks of the Iron Mountains.
The light within the pass grew dimmer as the cliffs loomed overhead, casting long shadows on their path. Thunder rumbled above, echoing through the narrow valley. Ili and Zephyr continued in silence, the crunch of their boots on gravel being the only sound to be heard, besides the few thunders.
Ili's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and unanswered questions, her master's words echoing in her head: "Make friends, find people you enjoy staying with, and do what you want to do..." She glanced at Zephyr, who started softly humming to himself, unaware of her inner turmoil. The journey ahead felt daunting, uncertainty weighing heavily on her.
As they continued, the road narrowed, flanked by towering rock walls that closed in around them. The path twisted, revealing jagged peaks and deep chasms at every turn. Storm clouds thickened above, casting an eerie twilight over the pass.
"Do you think we'll find shelter soon?" Ili asked, breaking the silence.
"We should," Zephyr replied, scanning the cliffs for signs of a cave. "But I don't think we're far from the inner part either. We should see a gate soon enough."
As if on cue, tiny drops of rain began to fall, echoing through the cliffs. After a right turn obscured by cliffs, the road led into the mountains, where a large gate with towers blocked the entrance. It was open just enough for a cart to pass through, guarded by two dwarven soldiers in thick clothing. One dwarf remained at the gate, eyeing the pair, while the other moved a wooden bench inside to shield it from the rain.
As they approached, the first dwarf stepped forward. "Any cargo?" he asked.
"No, no cargo," Ili responded, slightly confused by the question.
"Alright..." the dwarf muttered, jotting something down in a small notebook. "Then there's no passing fee…" He looked up again. "Any weapons?"
"Just this," Ili replied, partially drawing her sword.
The dwarf inspected the weapon, made a few more notes, then stepped aside. "That'll be all. Safe journeys!" he finished, returning to his post without much concern.
"Thank you!" Ili called out as they passed through the gate. The storm outside intensified, thunder echoing in the distance.
The inner mountain pass was like a lit mine, a corridor carved through the heart of the mountain. It was only after a few hours that the passage opened up into a vast chasm. The road was situated on the upper right side of the mine, with a raised edge to prevent carts from falling. Looking over the edge, the enormity of the mine became evident; the bottom barely visible and descending further the further it stretched from the road. Initially, this path was a mine, intended to extract various ores from the Iron Mountains, and only a fraction of it became what is now known as the Mountain Pass.
Ili quietly hummed a tune, her eyes gazing over the edge, captivated by the view. She noticed a few shattered wooden planks ahead and leaned over the edge to inspect. Without warning, she leaped over the side of the road, landing on rocks several meters below.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Zephyr shouted, sprinting to the edge.
He hesitated only a second before jumping after her, spotting the broken wagon below.
Ili dashed to the overturned wagon, splintered and torn apart. She urgently pulled away broken wooden pieces from its front, but one jagged edge sliced her hand.
Zephyr caught up to her, tearing a strip of cloth from the wreckage to wrap Ili's palm before more blood could flow. He looked into her eyes, seeing tears stream down her face as she struggled to hold back sobs.
"Hey! It's alright, don't worry!" Zephyr tried to soothe her, gripping both her shoulders. "It's not that deep, you're okay."
Ili panted heavily, trying to speak through her tears. "It's... It's not me..."
Zephyr frowned, following her gaze to the broken planks she had moved. His eyes widened, and a wave of nausea washed over him as he saw the mangled body of the teamster, torn apart by the sharp stones on the ground.
In frustration, Zephyr kicked the broken carriage. "How the hell did this even happen..?" he muttered once he had calmed down.
"I don't know..." Ili replied softly, slowly walking towards the animal that had been pulling the wagon.
She approached the large bovine, which lay on its side, impaled by a massive, jagged stone. The poor creature's breathing was shallow and pained. It turned its head weakly towards Ili as she knelt beside it, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry..." Ili whispered, drawing her sword.
With care, she placed the blade between the bovine's eyes, gently stroking its head with her free hand. She inhaled sharply and thrust the sword. The animal ceased to breathe, its body finally relaxing. Ili wiped the blade clean with a cloth from her hilt before sheathing it.
"Ili, isn't this..." Zephyr called from nearby, rummaging through the wagon's remains.
"Hey, stop!" Ili hurried over, catching his hand, which held a horn-made cup.
"I'm not taking anything!" Zephyr protested, holding up his hands. "Just look at what's inside. Doesn't it seem familiar?"
Ili released his hand and knelt beside the wagon, pulling back a cloth to reveal the contents: cups, bowls, and various objects fashioned from animal horns and leather.
"This is..." Ili began, glancing at Zephyr's fake horns that concealed his real ones. "It's that merchant..."
"Yes, exactly..." Zephyr replied. "But there was also..."
"That small kid..." Ili finished, tears forming in her eyes once more.
"Don't worry," Zephyr said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I looked all around and didn't find his body. There's some blood lower down. He might have fallen off the wagon, but he could still be alive..."
Ili nodded slowly, staring into the mine's dark expanse, which spiraled downward.
"Hey... Are you alright?" Zephyr asked, eyeing the blood-soaked cloth around her hand.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Ili muttered, her gaze fixed on the darkness.
"You know, even if we go down there, the kid's probably already—"
"I know," Ili interrupted calmly. "But even if he is, it's still worth checking."
Zephyr sighed and patted her shoulder. They began descending the jagged rocks into the abyssal darkness of the cavern, following faint traces of blood. As the light grew dim, Ili paused to use magic to light their way. Suddenly, she halted, placing a hand on Zephyr's chest to stop him as well. A vast, bottomless ravine lay just a step ahead.
Kneeling, she peeked over the edge. Below, a small natural platform jutted out from the ravine's side, blood staining its surface.
"Hey! Is anybody there?" Ili called, her voice echoing through the void.
For a moment, there was silence. Then a faint, scared voice replied, "Yes! Please, help me! I'm scared! There's a small cave here! I can't get up!"
Zephyr's eyes widened. "Wait, Ili! Don't jump!" he yelled, reaching for her arm.
But he was a second too late. Ili had already leaped over the edge, focusing solely on saving the child. Mid-fall, her eyes widened in realization, but it was too late. From the cave's darkness, a tendril shot out, piercing her left arm and wrapping around her hand. Instinctively, she drew her sword and severed it before it could pull her to the ground. She landed on her feet, immediately on guard.
Illuminating the cave, she beheld the twisted form of a demon. Its mass of dark flesh shifted constantly, mouths full of teeth appearing at random. Within its body was the barely recognizable head of the dwarven child, limbs twisted grotesquely into its form. The demon's face contorted into an expression of sadistic amusement.