Fear within.
Many years ago, enough for countless of countries and empires to become dust, there was a time and place where people were not afraid of death. They didn’t hide from her apathetic look nor did they create stories and myths solely to force her away.
Nobody remembers how much time has passed since, but we know that the place itself was a small but powerful city; it rested on the north of the map, behind the end of the world and above the giant frost mountains. Valaris was the name of that place, a name that today can only be heard in legends and kids songs. It was built on rock and ice, and every home and street was covered on thin layers of glistening snow. Everybody knew it as the radiant city due to the beautiful glow it emitted during the night when the moon reflected its light it the white stone.
But more than anything Valaris was known for the power and wisdom of its citizens, all of whom were empaths, with very few exceptions. Many years ago they had discovered the secrets of the magic of life deep beneath the eldest caverns where the fountain of the dead laid, a crystalline clear lake that separated the dead from the mortal world. Those who found this place were able to learn from these beings, and with time they gained an understanding and mastery over human souls, allowing them to heal almost any sadness or emotional distress that could lie within their spirits. Along with this magic they also received wisdom, and instead of using such power to avoid death they understood it was an important part of the process of life, and instead concentrated on reaching contentment and eliminating within themselves the fear of the unavoidable.
At that time Valaris was at war against one of the greatest empires of the world, whose name was also forgotten. Those men and women feared death, and as such they desperately desired to know the secret magic that the valarns had discovered in the heart of their lands. And even though this empire surpassed them in numbers by a large amount, the high mountains and the brave hearts of the people of Valaris were able to defend the city and holdback every single attack.
The soldiers of the empire pinned their hopes on iron, fire and magic, but they were no match for the valarn warriors who went into battle without fear or doubt therein; each and every one of them armed with an unbreakable will and relentless force.
But there were two who stood out among the other valarns, two siblings whose power and deeds would become famous tales around the world in the oncoming years. They were the real reason no army could cross the ice road to Valaris. There was not a single person who had not heard of them, for they inspired not only hope on their people, but also terror and despair among their enemies.
Drei, the older of the two, had spent his entire life helping those whose power failed to give them happiness. With merely looking at someone Drei could fully understand them and see the dark spots of their souls, and with just a few words of his mouth he could relieve any distress and hopelessness that laid on their beings. When the war broke Drei immediately became the leader and strategist of Valaris army. He was not a warrior and had never even lifted a sword, but that did not mean he was useless. His vision allowed him to follow the most fortuitous path in every battle, and with the power of his voice he imbued his men with a courage that was never seen since nor will be.
Under his command, Valaris withstood countless battles without losing its bright, even when victory seemed impossible and the numbers were not in their favor. But Drei was not solely responsible for these victories, as his sister had been equally or even more fundamental to achieve them.
Inyssa was unlike her brother and most of the valarns. While she did not have the ability to see inside others, her own soul burned with unparalleled strength. For any empath, being near the woman would have been like standing inches from a fire; warm and comforting, yet fierce and full of vigor, and said fire would extend in the battlefield inspiring her teammates and burning her enemies. With her broad iron shield she defended her allies with the firmness of a glacier, and with her true ice scimitar she annihilated all who dared to stand against her. Throughout her life Inyssa killed more people than lived in Valaris, and nor did she hesitate with any of them.
Together Drei and Inyssa had won more battles than they could count, and thanks to them no one had given up hope that one day the war would end, since even when they were not fighting both brother and sister used their time to treat the injured and gave strength to all other citizens with an optimism that was hard to ignore. Inyssa did not speak or smile as much as her brother, and was generally somewhat of an introvert, but her mere presence was enough to raise the spirit of others, since there was no one on Valaris who didn’t admire her.
But even though Inyssa had enough power to bring down mountains and was armed with an iron will, there was a part of herself that frightened her and caused her trouble sleeping at night. It was a shameful and dark feeling that she had hidden in her soul so deep that not even her brother was able to notice.
Inyssa had killed countless people without ever feeling regret, as was expected, and even her own wellbeing was not a worry since she was sure there was no one who could defeat her. But there was something that shook her in battle, and it was to witness the death of her comrades. Never could she admit something so shameful, mostly for fear of being considered a lunatic, and indeed at first she refused to accept it, but as time and war passed that feeling became excruciating, almost unbearable. She knew all warriors on her legion, and considered each of them great friends, but she also knew she could not prevent them from falling in battle sooner or later. No matter how good they were, all of them could die in this war; it was a truth she understood through and through, and yet it affected her more and more each time it happened.
She often thought of talking to her brother and seeking his advice, but feared that he would view her as mad and declared her unable to fight anymore. She could not allow that, being on the front lines in each confrontation was the only way she had to protect her people. So that feeling she kept inside without ever talking about it, not even with those she loved, and time passed and even more blood was spilled, but Inyssa still kept herself alive without losing a single battle.
One cold winter day Inyssa was guarding the ice road along with her partner Riven, when both were ambushed at the hands of spies of the empire. There were at least ten of them, all holders of shadow magics with which they were able to hide themselves to any valarn’s eye. They had been watching her for several hours during her guard, waiting for the time to strike, for they knew that if they could kill her they would have removed the biggest threat of the war.
Normally she would’ve had significant problems fighting ten people at a time, but with Riven by her side she knew there was no way they could lose a fight. Her companion masterfully drew her horn longbow and killed two of them with an arrow to the heart before they even realized what was happening. Inyssa smiled to her and turned to fight, her eyes flashing red. She didn't count with her shield, but she hoped she could finish the fight without needing it, using only her trusty scimitar.
The woman was a fury, cutting his enemies and dodging attacks with the speed of a sparrow while her partner shot silver arrows with the peace of a leaf in the wind. Soon the ice was covered in corpses, and none of them had received any serious injury. Riven had saved Inyssa on one occasion when one of the spies went behind her blind spot, but the archer managed to shoot him before he could unsheathe the knife, albeit compromising herself in the process. Inyssa turned to her with a thin smile, but her expression turned to horror when she saw a shadow taking shape behind her.
One of the spies was hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity, and stabbed Riven’s heart in the exact moment she turned to save Inyssa. She saw the azure and ivory symbol on her robes turn red, and in a mere second she fell violently to the ground, and did not move again. Blinded by rage she lunged at the soldier with the force of a storm, without even realizing she was screaming. The man fell like wheat to a sickle blade, and her face soaked with the warmth of his blood.
Inyssa dropped her weapon for the first time and knelt in front of her beloved, tears wiping the red on her cheeks. She felt her insides squirm with that awful feeling, this time worse than ever. Riven was still breathing, but it would have been clear to anyone with a pair of eyes that she had only minutes left. She knew she had to do something, it did not matter what.
“I will take you to Drei” She whispered with difficulty, her words barely able to leave her mouth.
“Take me ... to Drei?” Riven’s eyebrows slightly wrinkled, as if not understanding what she had just heard. Her face did not reflect any shock or distress “What for?”
“You cannot die here; this was not even a real battle” Inyssa tried to come up with any excuse she could to convince her, but nothing seemed coherent “We can heal, you don’t have to die. You're one of the best archers we have ...”
“There are many others like me” She answered calmly “Why are you so worried? I do not fear dying” She smiled with the little strength he had left “My time just came, there's nothing I can do about it”.
“No ... don’t say that.”
“I'm sorry, but you don’t need to worry. We will meet again, remember?”
Something broke inside Inyssa, and soon she was begging and crying, without caring about how pathetic she sounded. She asked her not to die, she said that she could avoid death if she wished, all empaths could. It made no sense for her to die there, lying on the freezing ice. How could she be so calm at a time like this? Didn’t she want to stay with her? Living enough to witness the end of the war... that was what Inyssa wanted more than anything in the world, but what mattered if in the end she was the only one left?
Riven reached out to stroke her cheek, still smiling. She said they would meet again someday, when Inyssa’s time came as well. Using her powers to live more would only lengthen the unavoidable; it made no sense to fear death. And as she said those words she breathed for the last time, the smile still etched on her face, and her eyes stopped seeing.
Days passed on Valaris and concern grew fast. All along the city rumors were heard of the disappearance of Riven and Inyssa, and a somber mood covered every street of the radiant city just as snow did. The women had been on duty less than three days ago, but as their comrades noted that they were not returning they sent a small team to look for them. A few miles from the city they found eleven corpses scattered around a short narrow ice road, all soldiers of the enemy empire. Of the women there was no trace except for one thing; Inyssa’s scimitar was lying on the ground, bloodstained and unsheathed. They did not find their bodies.
Drei led all next searches, but the whereabouts of his sister refused to reveal themselves to his vision, something that had never happened to him. He was quite sure that Inyssa was still alive, but he grew concerned that they might have kidnapped her or something even worse. If their enemies learned of her disappearance they would not hesitate to command one last attack against the city, and Drei was not sure he could achieve victory without her sister’s flaming spirit to inspire his comrades. So he chose his best soldiers and left the city searching for her during the night, hoping that the moon would be the only one to note their absence.
They crossed the great ice road to the small towns that were beyond Valaris, hoping to find some trace of Inyssa. As they continued they could barely feel her aura as a small trail of smoke, something that disconcerted Drei even more. He asked in every home and business he could find if they had seen her sister, and each time he got the same answer. A terrifying woman with burning eyes had been there on a horse not long ago, with what seemed like a corpse being carried on the animal's back. She was asking questions to anyone she could find. Most folks refused to talk about it, shaking their heads and looking away as if afraid of something, and when Drei looked into their eyes he noticed a disturbing darkness inside them, which worried him even more. Finally, it was a young woman who was brave enough to tell what she had seen, even though she was at the verge of tears.
"She appeared by the road last night and came to our family as if to ask us something. Her armor was covered in blood, and she looked ... sick, as if she had not eaten in days. But when we tried to offer help she looked at us with those horrible eyes ... it was as if I was paralyzed, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. She asked something about a fountain of the dead, but we didn’t know anything about it. I'm sure if she had a sword she would have killed us all right there; I had never seen someone so furious. But she just turned around and climbed on her horse, then disappeared to the north. "
Drei urgently left the place, ordering his soldiers to stay put and guard the town. A terrible shadow fell over him while riding to the old northern mountains; he knew where his sister was, and hoped to find her before it was too late. It took him almost a day to get there, and by then the moon had just gently showed its face trough the horizon.
At the edge of one of the highest mountains there was a hidden entrance covered in snow and rock and thick true ice doors. But when he tried to approach them he was surprised to find that the doors were destroyed; scattered pieces of ice were all over the floor, covered with blood as if someone had tried to break them using only their hands. Only one person would have been able to achieve something like that.
Drei crossed the narrow path leading to the heart of the mountain, following the tiny trail of blood belonging to her sister. He did not need a torch as the walls of the rocky hallway dimly shone with a bluish light, and just a few minutes passed until he managed to get to the end of the road. He entered an enormous cave, wider and taller than any cathedral he had visited. The floor laid covered with shiny stones, and hanging from the ceiling were thousands of stalactites that illuminated the place like lanterns. Just a few steps from where he stood were a small underground lake of crystalline water, and kneeling in front of those waters was Inyssa, motionless.
He approached with caution, and thanks to the light provided by the water he noticed that next to his sister laid the body of another woman, skin pale as snow. Riven’s eyes were closed, so at first glance it seemed like she was sleeping peacefully. But Drei knew the truth; she was empty inside, the woman was dead. Inyssa's face was covered in shadows, and even his compelling vision was unable to break through the barriers of her soul.
“I'm sorry” He said in a calm voice, although he did not understand the pain of her sister “I know she was important to you”.
“All these days, I’ve been searching…” Inyssa replied wearily, as if she didn’t hear his brother “Seven days without food nor sleep, just looking for this place. And when I finally find it...”
Drei knelt and put a hand on his sister’s shoulder, as he had always done when she needed comfort. He had correctly guessed where she was going, and thank to the gods he seemed to arrive on time.
“You should not be here” He spoke softly, almost whispering. “The fountain of the dead is not a place for someone like you”.
He shifted his gaze to the clear water in front of him, and saw the same thing he had seen many years ago when he first visited the legendary place. On the surface of the lake were reflected familiar faces; friends, family, even Riven's face appeared there, staring at Inyssa with a warm smile. She lowered her hand to the water, but was stopped as if a thin wall of ice stood between the two.
“I can’t reach her... nor any of them” Inyssa spoke between sobs, her voice full of pain “I want them to be with me. I want them back.”
“The dead have no intention of returning to our world “Drei declared “And the few people that can cross through the water and force them back are those wise enough to know they should not try it”.
Out of nowhere Inyssa let out a strident laugh that shook her though her bones and forced to kneel even more, until her face was almost touching the water. It was a wild laugh, full of anger and fear and helplessness.
“Wise? How wise could be someone who refuses to avoid death, even with the power to do so?” She turned for the first time, and Drei watched her eyes blazing, more livid than ever. And although there was a smile on her face he could see the pain on her expression clear as day “Even if it can’t be avoided, isn’t hiding from death the purpose of being alive? Why do we fight this war then? Why don’t we just give up and let them cut all our heads off if it’s that inevitable?”
“We fight to protect this secret, to prevent weak men and women like you to find this place and commit the biggest mistake of all” Drei’s voice echoed off the walls of the cave, full of strength “And either we get victory or be defeated, that is up to fate to decide. But we will not lengthen our lives just to keep others from doing the same. That is our goal, something you should have learned long ago.”
“You’re right on that... I guess I never fully understood” Inyssa’s eyes seemed dull for a moment “I’ve never been like you. I always wanted to live no matter what, and I wanted to protect those around me. All my life ... I thought there was something wrong with me.”
“Wanting to live isn’t wrong. Fearing death is.”
“It’s exactly the same!” his sister's scream echoed throughout the place, and the cave seemed to shake for a moment “There is no difference. People fear death because they want to live, and the same goes the other way around. My strength always came from fear, and that fear was what helped me survive all this time” She lowered her head, and for a moment a smile appeared across her face “I understand now... it’s never been so clear”.
“You're wrong. Fear is not something natural, Inyssa. You do not know what you are saying” He moved closer to the woman, worried “Come with me, we must return. There is still time to heal you…”
“Heal? Heal what, exactly? You are the one who is wrong; I never needed healing” Inyssa finally managed to stand, her hands still dripping blood “All this time I thought I had a problem, but I could not have been more wrong. You are the ones who are sick. I feel sorry for you; you cannot feel fear, and because of that you don’t really wish to live” She slowly shook her head and her eyes flashed ominously “But I can change that.”
And at that moment Drei was finally able to see for the first time through the eyes of Inyssa and within her spirit, and what he saw surprised him as nothing had done before. The fire of her soul burned with immeasurable strength, extending unnaturally even outside her body, forming what looked like flaming limbs, some of them reaching the ends of the cave in length.
“All blessed Ludis, how could I not see this before” Drei took two steps back, eyes wide open “How could my vision have darkened so much?”
“Fear knows how to hide itself in the hearts of people like me” Replied Inyssa “It acts as fuel, disguising itself in the soul and empowering our will. And my will was stronger than anyone’s.”
It was true; Drei saw the shadow of fear manifest itself in the center of Inyssa’s soul, spreading around her like a disease. It was too late for her.
“You must not blame yourself “ Inyssa walked slowly toward his brother, and for the first time that night she showed him a smile like the ones she had showed him before, full of endearment “Thanks to your lack of vision things will change.”
She ran her hand over his cheek, and the man suddenly felt as if a current of electricity passed through his body; he could not move. Inyssa was holding him using only her willpower.
“Thanks to you I will be able to heal our people” She whispered, and those words were the most terrible thing he had ever heard.
Drei tried with all his might to break free, but the power of her sister was too much for him. All he could do was watch as she moved back to the lake, the cave floor shaking under her feet. He understood then what was happening, and felt his heart sink.
“Inyssa do not try it! That won’t bring them back! You will just make a terrible mistake!”
“I already made the mistake of letting everyone I loved die without them knowing what life truly is” Inyssa's voice was bitter, almost resigned “I'm not going to let that happen again. If I cannot drag the dead to our world then, I will give them a reason to return.”
With a thunderous cry Inyssa used her power against the waters of the dead, trying to cross them with her bloodied fist. The whole cave shook with the power of the impact, and rocks began to fall all over the place, dust covering everything. But the barrier that separated both worlds resisted the attack. For a moment Drei felt relief, believing that even she could not break it, but Inyssa stood again. Fear fueled her with even more power, her aura filling the entire cavern.
She raised her fist again, and with a scream able to shake heaven itself lunged against the barrier, eventually destroying it and causing half the cavern to collapse.
Moonlight began to filtrate through the hole she had just created, and Drei witnessed horrified what her sister was doing.
Her hand had finally crossed the waters, and through the tips of her fingers her spirit expanded upon the lake like fire, like a disease.
The place filled with thousands of voices and screech, each more desperate and terrible than the last. Drei watched as hundreds of dark hands appeared from the lake and clung to the shore, trying to escape. His vision allowed him to see Inyssa’s power extending itself through those spirits while their bodies slowly turned to shadows.
“Gods above, what have you done Inyssa” His voice was barely audible over the screams and sobs, but she still managed to hear him.
“I have released them from the unbearable peace of sleep” She spoke proudly “And soon they will release our comrades their living deaths as well... and then everyone will be afraid as I am, and our will someday might be powerful enough to defeat death itself!”
“This won’t make Riven come back, and you know that.”
“Of course she will come; she’s already turning into one of them.” She turned her head towards the lake and locked eyes on it “I’m so happy… she will finally be able to feel the same fear as i do.”
Drei saw one of the spirits come to him, his body nothing more than dark smoke and his eyes glowing like burning coals. The creature moved with a violent motion towards him, and from his hand grew dark claws. He barely managed to free himself to dodge the attack that surely would have killed him, and with his power he pushed away the spirit, holding him. His screech was almost unbearable.
“It looks like I don’t have the energy to hold you back anymore” Inyssa let out a barely audible chuckle, and took a few steps toward her brother while countless spirits materialized beside her “But there is nothing you can do here. The spirits of this place are already beyond the power of anyone. I managed to force them to wish life again, and they won’t stop for anything.”
“This is not natural ... it is an abomination” Drei was full of anger, but his voice was as calm as ever “What you did ... I cannot cure this. I don’t think there's anyone who can”.
“You're right ... no one can stop it” she lightly looked up into the night sky. The light of the moon was obscured by the spirits flying toward Valaris “Soon they will arrive at the city, and those few who survive will learn to fear... and I'll no longer be alone.”
Drei stepped with difficulty, and saw the despair that hid under her sister's smile. It was his fault; it was he who should have realized what was happening with her, maybe then he could have cured her. Everyone would pay for his mistake now. There was only one thing he could do.
“I cannot stop the darkness you just released on the world” He spoke slowly, as he approached the woman “But I can prevent others like you from committing the same mistake”.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“No, that would accomplish nothing; now that you have so much power you could bring yourself back from the dead without problem” He held her sister’s hand with his own “I will chain you to this place, so you may not cause any more damage.”
Drei spoke a few words, and his voice was loaded with the force of a storm. Inyssa fell to her knees, her body suddenly invaded by a huge pressure. She used all her strength to break that barrier, and had no way of resisting.
“I'm not the only one you should worry about” She reminded him, still kneeling, face obscured “Some of our comrades will survive, and with fear in their souls they will want to follow my path”.
“Then I will kill them and make sure they do not become the same kind of spirits you just released” He answered, his voice lacking any kind of doubt.
“You speak so calmly about killing your friends ... I find it hard to believe that I am the monster in this situation” She smiled slightly “But even if you eliminate them, more like me will come to this world, and you know you will not live forever”.
Drei was speechless for the first time, and his silence covered the cavern on its entirety. Nearly a minute passed until the man spoke again.
“I’m the only one who knows what happened tonight” He said slowly, as if fearing to reach the end of what he had to say “And soon there will be none like me left, so I have no choice. I will have to extend my own life”.
Inyssa’s head raised slightly, enough for the woman’s eyes to meet his own. While they still shone like the moon above, tears began to run down her sister’s face; it was the first time the man had seen regret darkening her expression.
“I'm sorry. If there is one thing I wish I could have prevented... it's letting you find me” She spoke in whispers, lowering her head once again “I wish you'd have stayed in Valaris and died like the rest of them, and then you shouldn’t have to wear this burden”.
“I wish the same, but nonetheless, I will not give in to despair since I know that death comes to us all, even for people like you and me”.
He brought his sister's face to his and kissed her on the forehead one last time.
“Someday perhaps I will be able to fix your mistakes, and I hope by then all these spirits will be able to return to the peace of their sleep”.
“I guess time will prove one of us right eventually”.
“Yes, time is the only one able to decide how this will end.”
Drei stood again and looked at her sister for the last time, and the sudden weight on his shoulders along with the despair on her face almost managed to bring him down. But there was nothing he could do for her. Someday she might be able to break free of those chains, and by then he wished she would have changed. That was his only remaining hope.
“I'm sorry too Inyssa. I'm so sorry.”
And with that he turned his back on his sister and left the cave, coming out of one of the collapsed walls. The moon was the only one that remained unchanged, shining upon them as if she had not even noticed what happened that night.
Drei used his power to seal the cave so that nobody could find it ever again. When he turned to watch the mountains he could see the fire and smoke on the horizon, extending toward his beloved Valaris with abnormal speed. The flames were growing out of control, and even from that distance he could almost hear the screams of pain and horror of his people. There was nothing he could do about it, only wait.
He walked to the white stones that lay around the cave and leaned against one of them, drawing a long breath. When the sun rose the next morning he could rest no more; he would hunt every empath who survived that night, and then he would exile himself from his dead city, in search of those like him who would come after.
He rested his head against the rock and held back tears, pushing all his pain within his being. And on that clear night, with the moon as his only witness, Drei surrendered to sleep for the last time, waiting for the break of dawn.
