The Ever War: Chapter 2.4

Screams rent the air. Foul fumes burned the nostrils of the people as they ran. They screamed and cried out as they were mercilessly cut down by strange, cloaked figures. Their hoods were drawn; their faces masked with masks covered in strange symbols. Darkness seemed to swirl about them, blurring them and their movements. They laughed as they were covered in the blood of the innocent. Men, women, and children all fell before them, unable to stop these superior powers. They moved from city to city, village to village, town to town, leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake.

As Darkness began to fall behind them, a loud shout resounded, and the Cloaked Ones stopped and looked up. They fidgeted, almost fearful. They screamed in pain and agony as a brilliant light began to shine about them...

Josh sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. He sat there for a long time, panting for breath. He stood and went over to his dresser, splashing his face with water from the basin. He looked up at his reflection. He had already adjusted to his new reflection, to the man he saw in the mirror, but now there was a new look. Confusion and worry streaked across his features, his body tense. Knowing that he wouldn't be going back to sleep, he put on a shirt and left his room. He left the Temple and took to wandering the city. He glanced at the sky: it wasn't even midnight. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to relax, listening to the call of the wind. He felt the familiar tingling as the wings sprouted from his back. It was no longer painful, and if he wanted, he could summon them as quickly as Solaris. But his purpose now was to clear his head, and he allowed them to take their time to form.

He spread them and sprang into the air. Night flying was something that he didn't do often. Although his night vision was the same, he still had a strange sense of knowing where things were. It was like he had a second sight that he saw with his mind. He soared higher and higher, allowing his mind to slow and his thoughts to fade. He simply soared. He smiled at a memory of him and Sarah flying together. It had taken her a while, but she had managed to summon her wings without much difficulty. It certainly was a different experience for her, as her wing marks were already on her back. She no longer wore the dress of a priestess, but instead, she wore leggings and a tunic, and leather boots, all of which were in a deep blue color.

After several hours of flying, he landed in the courtyard before the Temple. He froze as a shadow separated from the rest. His dream instantly coming back to him, he was about to summon Solaris, when a familiar voice calmed him down. "Couldn't sleep either?" James asked.

Josh relaxed. "Yeah. I haven't been sleeping well." He admitted. This was the tenth time that he had seen it, and this had been the clearest of them all. James placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You are already feeling some of the burden that has been placed on your shoulders, my son. Come, walk with me." He turned and Josh followed. They walked in silence for some time before either spoke. "I know what you have been dreaming, Josh. Don't be so surprised. Jerard had dreams as well. What are the contents of what you have been seeing?"

Josh walked in silence, gathering his thoughts, while his father waited patiently. He went into detail, withholding not a single detail. James listened gravely as he understood what his son was describing. When Josh had finished, James remained silent for a long time. He stopped and turned back to the Temple, looking up. Josh followed his gaze to the top of the Tower. A faint glow came from the aerie. He had often seen this, but had never asked what it was, thinking it a beacon of some sort.

James smiled. "Do you wish to know what that glow is?"

Josh frowned, his thoughts broken. "Isn't it a beacon?" James nodded.

"It is indeed a beacon, Josh. It is the last remaining beacon of Hope." He fell silent before continuing. "It is the Light of the Ever Road."

Josh couldn't withhold a gasp. "Th-that is the Light of the Ever Road?"

"It is the Entrance. The point where all times, all places come together. The time is coming Josh. It is almost time for you to enter it's Light." James said softly. "The Road is sealed now. There are certain things that you must learn on your own. There is much that I could teach you, so much more, but because you are the Wanderer, you must discover them on your own. You alone must find your purpose, your mission, your quest."

"So, if the Road is sealed, then that means that you have to unseal it. Right?" Josh asked. His father nodded. "And I suppose you'll die as well." He added bitterly.

James turned to him, his face an expression of grief. "I truly wish that there was another way, my son. I wish that I could have been there with you and your mother. I truly do."

Josh raised his eyes back to the aerie. His eyes shone with determination, his jaw set. "When will we do this?" He turned to his father. "I still don't understand what you and the rest have been saying, but I want to put an end to this. And whatever it was I saw in that dream, I want to put an end to it."

James smiled sadly. "It will be any day now. You are ready. So much more ready than even Jerard was. You must know, Josh, that I have already witnessed the unsealing of the Road. I watched my predecessor vanish into the Road, and then the Mark was passed to me. For unlike the other Marks, the Sentinel is the only one who is allowed to choose his or her successor."

Josh was silent. "Who did you choose as yours?"

"I've chosen Ca'lel." James answered. Josh nodded.

"That was a wise choice. She was Jerard's sister, and she has been learning from you for years." Josh yawned, and he felt his eyelids grow heavy. James smiled.

"Come, let's go back. You've finally found your peace, and now you need your rest." Josh allowed himself be guided back. He entered his room, and as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.