Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black

with their old man wouldn’t be so bad. He closed his eyes. No , he thought. I made this choice. I’ll see it through. We’ll eat a great dinner after we get back, as champions of the Soldier Games!
    “Oi!” said Caim. “What are you looking at?”
    “Nothing,” said Storm, and after one last long stare, he turned and kept walking. Caim smiled at his grandfather before punching his fist into his open palm, then turned and followed his brother.
    Their grandfather watched as Storm’s black figure disappeared into the shadows, with Caim following closely behind. He could hear Caim’s yelling grow distant as the two brothers embarked on their new adventure.
    Reaching into the inner pocket of his long black jacket, which hung from his shoulders like the cape of a humbled lord, he pulled out a porcelain cup and with it, a glassy bottle filled with dark red wine. With a subtle flick of his thumb, he popped the cork and poured the ruby liquid. The sweet scent of Azalia berries filled his nostrils, and he drank deeply from the cup. His chest grew warm. A sense of accomplishment swept throughout him. The time had finally come.
    But just as quickly, Ronin felt saddened by the thought that time had a way of slipping right by. His eyes focused on the dark and towering trees of Neverend; the forest stood before him, swaying in an almost hypnotic dance. And so he felt the flow of time move before him like the wind upon the grass.
    After a while he looked up at the glowing moons in the sky and realized he had lost track of the time. Slowly he closed his eyes. Sensing the aura of the forest he reached forward with his mind, searching for Caim and Storm; past the dozens of hidden creatures, the presence of the trees, the life of the leaves and spirits, until he found them. They were making good time and Caim’s flustered aura suggested he was still upset about not being able to hold the stone. A smile came over his face.
    Ronin looked to the northwest, across the distant sky to the other floating world of Soria, parallel to Falia. It was magnificent to look at; thousands of tiny lights lit up the land like a mist of stars. “Risia …” he said quietly, staring intently at the hundreds of trickling vines hanging from the bottom of the floating country. “The land of the Risians … the land of Nobility. Heirs to the blood of the Dragon King, ka …” His thoughts changed, angered by his own words. From the center of Risia, rising high into the night, a glimmering castle of diamond illuminated a bubble of glowing aura around itself. He took in the sight for a few moments, remembering all the questions Caim and Storm had ever asked about the castle known as Aurora’s Light – home to the Empress of Soria.
    From behind, a burst of fresh air surged past him, awakening him from his thoughts. And in a light tone he whispered to the passing winds, “Your fates have come upon you, boys. And soon … all your questions will be answered.”

VI – The Lift of Doom

    I t wasn’t long before the three sisters gathered their courage and abandoned the tiny courtyard next to the castle. They traveled down winding stone paths, taking in the sound of tinkerers and the smell of nature as they went. Great golden oaks adorned both sides of their way as they walked, and the tips of the towers seemed to sway high, high above them. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, casting a shimmer of orange and yellows on the diamond walls of Aurora’s Light; they stood for a moment admiring the sight before continuing. Passing down a steep staircase overlooking one of the tiny towns outside the castle, they came upon a long meadow full of blue flowers and passed through it quietly. In the distance the tower of the Force, the home of the Valyti, rose before them. It wasn’t long before they stood before it.
    The soaring tower loomed over them as if they were ants before a massive tree. It was thick, thicker than a hundred tree trunks. There were no