Remnants of Souls

Chapter 6 - The Otherworld

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Will?” Marcus asked while William was just shrugging off his jacket. William glanced up at the dark sky just as the moon was taking cover behind the clouds. It was so quiet that he could almost hear the whispers of his people positioned all around the lake. “Even after what happened last time you used an artifact?”

William paused, turning to meet his friend’s eyes. His face was a mix of worry, disapproval, and anger, but he knew better than to try to stop him. Marcus seemed more uneasy than usual, but William wasn’t entirely sure if it was about what he was about to do or the fact they were all so exposed.

William understood his reservation—he knew very well what happened the last time he used an artifact. He had been careless, arrogant, and foolish. He killed Annabel, and he had to make things right. At least this time, the only one in danger would be him. Nobody else.

“Just make sure that when I come out, there won’t be an army waiting to put a bullet in my head,” William said, forcing a smile. His body was so tense and excited that he suspected his expression was scary rather than soothing. Marcus grimaced before glancing around.

“What if you don’t come out?” he asked, a shadow falling over his face.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” William patted him on the back.

He tried to go past him, but Marcus caught him by the elbow. His friend bit his bottom lip as if he was trying to stop the words from coming out.

“Are you sure you want to risk your life for the mere possibility of getting her back? Even if you do, she may not be the same person you knew.” His voice was quiet, but it made William's skin crawl. The same thoughts had been going through his mind too, but he was pushing them aside, again and again, hoping that Annabel would fight, that she would survive and come back the same. He had to think that because the alternative was all too scary.

“I’ve never been more sure in my life.” William lied, holding his friend’s gaze. Mary made her way toward them, holding out the Asi sword for him to take. William relieved her of its weight, squeezing the gilded hilt as if his life depended on it.

“What?” she asked at the sight of Marcus’ expression.

“Love is stupid,” Marcus grunted before walking away from them.

“Amen to that.” Mary sighed, shaking her head. “Are you ready?”

William looked around one final time, inspecting the people that were covering the perimeter. Unusually quiet and obviously nervous, they stood at their posts and stole glances at him when they thought he wasn’t looking.

He knew that coming there was a risk, but he couldn’t just open a rift in the middle of the city. He needed somewhere remote where people wouldn’t normally go. And he needed to be on the brink of death so he could actually use the sword.

And what better way to do both than walking to the bottom of a lake?

“Is everything alright?” Mary asked, reaching out and placing her small palm on his shoulder.

“I’m going into a place called the Otherworld, not knowing what I’ll find there,” William laughed bitterly, taking a deep breath. “I have probably done more insane s**t than that. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t lose the sword. That’s your only way back.” She instructed, looking particularly unamused by his dark humor. So he stopped trying, letting his fake smile fade. “Good luck. Bring our girl back.”

She patted him on the shoulder, then stepped away, wrapping her hands around herself as the chilly November wind blew in their direction.

William headed toward the lake, painfully aware of the eyes locked on him. He focused on the pitch-black waters, which remained still and undisturbed no matter how hard the wind blew. Not a single wave or a ripple, not even when his feet finally reached the water. It was a bizarre, disturbing sight, but that didn’t slow him down. The water was as cold as ice and he found himself gritting his teeth to stop them from chattering. When it finally reached his chin, William took a deep breath and made a few more steps until he was fully under.

William moved through the complete darkness, one foot after the other. The pressure around him increased and he grabbed the sword with both hands when he started losing sensibility in his fingers. Once he could feel himself slowly running out of air, he knew it was almost time.

He stopped, already feeling lightheaded. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sword. He could feel its power, its energy, its call. One could walk but once down the path to the Otherworld. This was his only chance.

William raised the Asi sword higher, slashing through the water with an ease that almost made him lose his footing. He opened his eyes in shock just in time to see the bright crevice that had formed in the darkness. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but then he remembered what he was trying to do in the first place.

Raising the sword again, he swung a few more times. The veil tore like it was made of paper, a shimmering rip long enough for him to squeeze through, forming in front of him. The moment he stepped on the other side, cold air and the stench of damp earth engulfed him. He dropped to his knees, coughing and struggling to breathe while his stomach’s contents were fighting to get out.

When he was well enough to wipe his eyes from the remaining droplets, he turned to look at the rift, only to realize it was gone. There was nothing behind him but dark silhouettes that seemed to shimmer if he stared at them for too long.

Helping himself with the sword, William got to his feet. At least he was seeing properly again, despite the massive pounding in his head. But even his perfect sight was not much help when he examined his surroundings.

He was in a forest that wasn’t exactly a forest. The trees, as he could best describe them, were twisted in unnatural angles, black as tar, their naked branches swaying slightly as if pushed by a non-existent wind. There was nobody around, no one that he could see or sense, but he could swear he caught a movement from the corner of his eyes. Yet, every time he turned, there was nothing there.

The sky was the darkest shade of blue, without a moon or a single star. Yet it was light enough around him to distinguish the surrounding forms, the shape of the sword, and even its engravings.

“Done with the easy part,” he said out loud in a poor attempt to pop the bubble of complete loneliness that had formed the moment he entered that cursed place. He could feel his determination wavering, his strength and will weakening as if the place itself was sucking them out of him. He needed to find Annabel and get out.

William adjusted the sword in one hand. He used the other to summon some of his energy, using it to disperse the darkness around him. He had barely walked two steps when something in the distance roared so viciously that the ground beneath him shook. William swallowed the lump in his throat, making a slow circle in an attempt to figure out where the sound was coming from. It didn’t take him long to realize that the source of that roar was going straight toward him.

William braced himself, releasing the flame and squeezing the sword with two hands. He felt it before he saw it. Hungry, terrifying, and deadly. The sensation sent his heart racing before he even laid eyes on it.

He didn’t know what to expect, and he was still surprised. The creature looked like a hound, but it was the size of a car. Its paws stepped without leaving prints, its fur shimmered, changing its form constantly as if it was made of shadows.

Its red eyes were pure terror.

Staring directly at it, William realized he was panting so hard that he could barely breathe. He tried to move, to run, to hide, but he couldn’t even blink.

“Look away!” a voice shouted and for a split second, he thought his own consciousness was trying to help him break the spell he was under. But then somebody crashed into him from his right, sending him to the ground in a painful fall. The sword slipped through his fingers as he landed on his face, suddenly aware of his limbs again.

His attention was caught by the figure he thought he had imagined, now standing on the opposite side of the creature. The hound seemed vaguely aware of the other person, its attention still on William.

Reminding himself not to look in its eyes, William got up, his mind already drawing a rune in the air. By the time he finished the spell and sent the sphere of explosive power toward it, the creature was in a frenzy. To William’s amazement, the ball passed right through the monster and almost hit the person who had saved him. They managed to throw themselves aside just in time, cursing almost loud enough for him to hear over the hound’s roar.

William stared as the figure got up, their hood falling just to reveal wild, dark hair. In the next moment, a huge paw swung at him, sending him flying with such force that he felt as if every bone in his body had turned to dust by the time he crashed into one of the trees. Yet the sharp pain receded, giving place to a troublesome pounding as he lay on the naked ground, waiting for the beast to finish him off.

William forced his head up, shaking it to clear his vision. His eyes stopped on the massive pitch-black silhouette, but only until he noticed the woman stepping back, blue flames dancing on the palm of her hand.

The creature was staring at the flames with such hunger that William wanted to shout at her to run. He got to his knees just as the beast attacked. She sneaked beneath it, releasing her spell and slashing with a silver blade she held in her other hand. Her weapon didn’t even phase the beast, but she kept attacking and dodging its paws in the last possible second.

She was buying time, he realized. For him to run or help her, he wasn’t sure, but when his eyes fell on the Asi sword laying a few steps away from him, he did not hesitate. Once he felt the sword’s reassuring presence in his hand, he rushed toward the creature, sinking it into its hind leg.

Contrary to what he expected, the monster wailed in pain, pulling back and showing its teeth. William managed to wound it one more time on the other paw before realizing that those scratches could barely slow it down.

“Run!” the woman shouted just a moment before she bolted toward the trees. He followed her without hesitation, tightening his grip on the sword as he made his way through the bushes.