TALMAN TALES - NEW WORLD ORDER

  Chapter 7 – A Glimmer of Hope

  Huh? When did I write this chapter? Weird. Did I smoke too much yesterday? Why can’t I remember any of this? Whatever. Authors are allowed to have blackouts sometimes. Let’s move on.

  I had completely lost my sense of time. This eternal torture… I couldn’t take it anymore. Pablo’s willpower was slowly fading too. Just when we were about to give up for good, something happened that broke the monotonous, miserable routine. We heard a loud bang. Three times an ear-splitting thunder rolled through the halls, followed by the horns of those bastards. The earth started shaking again as the entire remaining force moved out.

  We didn’t have much time before the ceiling of the dungeon would finally collapse. What the hell was going on up there? The battlefield above turned into pure terror for me and Pablo. Trapped, unable to move, we just waited for our final release in the form of rubble crashing down on us.

  “So this is it, then, Pablo. My friend.”

  “Friend Zeki, what are you talking about? Pablo still has hope.”

  Those words from Pablo made our situation a tiny bit brighter, but my will had long since broken. I have to admit it—I had given up. I had accepted my fate. To die without having achieved or changed anything. I had already prepared my last words. Above us, the ceiling thundered almost every second. The only thing we could hear were the impacts, explosions that nearly burst our eardrums.

  “I NEVER WANTED TO DRAG YOU INTO THIS, PABLO. I’M SORRY.” My last words were for Pablo. He, who had supported me unconditionally no matter what, had the least to do with my war.

  “IT’S OKAY, FRIEND ZEKI. PABLO LIKES ACTION.”

  I broke into tears, because I blamed myself for the suffering—not just Pablo’s, but everyone’s.

  “That’s exactly your problem, loser. You’ll never accomplish anything like that.”

  By now I had barricaded my entire room. I hadn’t seen sunlight in days. All I wanted was to write this book in peace, to leave my story behind for those who come after me. I had searched every corner of the room, and still this voice wouldn’t leave me alone.

  I’d had enough.

  “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?”

  No answer.

  “TELL ME WHY. WHY ME?”

  “You have to become stronger, little man. That’s why.”

  Where was this voice coming from? It filled the entire room with its presence, but other than me there was nothing and no one here. Was I slowly going insane?

  With what awaits you, it’d be no wonder. Many would have broken under the weight I carry. So be curious what’s still coming for you.

  Before I’m driven completely insane, I’d rather continue the story. Hope dies last, as the saying goes—and that’s exactly how it was.

  The bombardment stopped. The dungeon stayed intact and Pablo didn’t come crashing down on my head. It was straight out of a movie: Pablo and I were standing at the edge of the end, and then we saw Aurelia and Boris—our saviors. Of course Aurelia had to make a joke even in this situation. As she walked down the stairs, she lit up the room with her magic and then strutted like a runway model. But I let her have the moment—she really was my sun, the one who brightened the day.

  She opened the dungeon door and greeted me with a cheeky, “Chains suit you, Zeki.” After they had freed us, one question remained: where were Neo and Stahlhaart?

  “Did you leave any of those bastards alive?” I asked, my expression serious.

  “There were five of them in front of the dungeon. They surrendered voluntarily,” Boris replied.

  I only had one goal: squeeze them like lemons. I wanted to torture them the way they had tortured us. I wanted to see them suffer. I’m not proud of what follows now, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  First, I politely asked where my friends were. No answer. With each chance I gave them to solve this peacefully, they disappointed me more. Then my revenge kicked in with full force. I started by ripping the fingernails from their fingers. Their screams were music to my ears, yet still they said nothing. So I began cutting pieces of skin off their bodies with my knife, peeling them like bananas. Still nothing. So I had to go even further. I impaled them on a sharp stake, weights tied to their feet. They screamed for their lives. I let them suffer hellish agony. Their own fault, if they couldn’t give me a location.

  I let those abominations die miserably and ended up with no information.

  “Zeki, this is madness! That’s exactly what makes you a leader.”

  Leave me alone. I already said I’m not proud of it.

  “But you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

  I did what I had to do. Stay out of my business.

  We had to take matters into our own hands and find the others ourselves.

  “I know where the Mushkaren are,” Boris said. “But going in there is suicide.” He knew what he was talking about, as I later learned. He had already encountered those devils before. They were the ones who had enslaved his people years ago.

  “About two days from here they have their base—the old kingdom of Abrofar. If those two are still alive, that’s where they took them.”

  “How many of those bastards are we walking into?” I asked, gaze burning.

  “All the ones that are left. It’s suicide.”

  Aurelia joined the conversation. “We can’t just let those two rot!” I knew how she felt. It tore me apart as well. We had just barely survived this battle by pure luck. I knew I had to rein in my hatred, my rage, my grief, if I wanted to push my rage transformation even further. Only then would we have a chance against those beasts. I also knew that my rage was dragging me deeper and deeper into the abyss—but we had bigger problems to deal with.

  We held a vote with the remaining group.

  “No matter what it is, I’ll always stand by your side. I’m in, Zeki.” Hearing that from Aurelia was… nice.

  “Pablo cannot abandon Friend Zeki. Friend Zeki did not abandon Pablo either,” he said.

  “You don’t have to do this, Pablo. I hope you know that,” I replied, my voice thick with emotion.

  “Pablo knows. But Pablo wants to.”

  Boris had the last word. I looked him in the eyes. He nodded and said, “Let’s wipe these sons of bitches out together.”

  It was decided. We would storm the old fortress of Abrofar.

  We had plenty of firepower, but no strategist to come up with a plan. So we settled on a frontal assault. Aurelia told me about that shady artist and said we’d have to put a lot of money down to gear up properly.

  We devoted the next few days solely to rearming. Pablo still had 30,000 Olevs left, and he poured all of it into our equipment. I hadn’t believed this artist really could create reality—but when I put on my desired black, impenetrable armor, I was speechless.

  “Pablo, hit me for a second.”

  “You sure, Friend Zeki?”

  I nodded and watched my death pass before my eyes as Pablo wound up. To my amazement, the armor absorbed everything. Aurelia treated herself to a quiver of fifty explosive arrows. Boris chose a sharp suit that granted him extreme healing.

  And finally came Pablo. Since it was his money, he went all out. A blazing blue suit of pure energy. A new pipe with a much stronger effect. And lastly, the item that left me utterly speechless: a pair of gigantic nunchucks. Pablo had invested 18,000 Olevs. We couldn’t have been better equipped. We waited one more night before round two against the Mushkaren began.

  For once, I didn’t have any nightmares and could sleep in peace—although still a bit restlessly, since Stahlhaart wasn’t there. Right after breakfast we set out. Pablo and I ruled the skies, while Boris and Aurelia made the ground unsafe. I knew what awaited me. Still, I was afraid of losing myself in my rage and going completely berserk. Not that these creatures did anything else.

  Once again, I got to hear some of Pablo’s singing—and I have to say: the man has taste. Last time he sang about a rumbling thing rolling towards someone; this time it was a song about an endless castle he’d love to visit someday. Where he gets all that inspiration from, I have no idea.

  I enjoyed soaring through the skies with Pablo. He seemed genuinely happy to have company as well. We ignored everything that stood in our way. Our only goal were these spawn of hell. The journey was tough, and we often reached our limits in terms of stamina. But we also gained powerful new allies. Pablo had friends from his work as a mail carrier.

  A stone golem family that was experiencing the war from a terrifying perspective—their home was in danger. Pablo and Neo managed to convince them to join a war that was not just brutal, not just cruel, but above all terribly unjust. Together we could wipe out the Mushkaren once and for all.

  We arrived at the gates: an old castle, and yet so mighty.

  “Allow me to introduce my home. Or at least, that’s what it was until those pigs attacked five years ago,” Boris said.

  “Time to take it back, don’t you think?” I answered with new hope.

  We took a short break before storming the place. The golem family—one fifteen-metre giant, one twelve-metre golem and two seven-metre ones—had arrived as well. Armed and ready for battle, we set off.

  Aurelia used her magic to lift several large boulders from the ground, and the golems hurled them at the gate. After the third rock the gate finally gave way. Two hundred men rushed at us immediately. Their blood dyed the area red as the fourth stone, thrown by the golem father, crashed into them. Half of them dropped dead on the spot. The rest didn’t care; they were only interested in killing. Miserable creatures.

  “Pablo wants to try new equipment.”

  “Me too, Pablo.”

  I could feel my hatred for these monsters growing. Once I had gathered enough rage, I wanted to transform and unleash a massacre. But it didn’t come to that—Pablo beat me to it.

  He charged at the monsters. One after another, he knocked their heads off with his new nunchucks, dancing with his prey. Thanks to his sky-blue energy armor, they never stood a chance. In between strikes he even took a puff from his new pipe—Pablo is truly a man of showmanship, and I loved every second of it.

  So did the rest of the group.

  Then we launched our next move: the enemies who had gathered ahead in huge numbers were to feel the full force of our combined strength. I began my transformation. I knew it was exhausting, but I needed its power.

  I ascended to a new level. Not quite five metres tall this time, but clad in pitch-black armor glowing violet. Apparently I could transform the artist’s creations as well. Together with the knife that had once again turned into a scythe, I slid through throats like it was nothing.

  I barely had to make any effort. It felt like the scythe had a will of its own and guided me through the enemies. This feeling—the pitch-black armor, the scythe—I felt like a god of death bringing nothing but terror to these inhuman creatures. The same terror they so happily spread themselves.

  It felt good to avenge the fallen and enslaved citizens of the kingdom of Abrofar in this way. To carry out judgment on their tormentors.

  “Didn’t I tell you? You’re enjoying this.”

  If by that you mean bringing freedom to oppressed peoples, then yes.

  Don’t distract me. Let me tell it.

  The war was in full swing. At some point I was overwhelmed by a group, but Aurelia saved me once again. She shot an arrow in my direction; the resulting explosion left a massive crater. But me? Thanks to my armor, I didn’t take any damage at all. Boris was also fully involved in the fight; his scar started to glow.

  He held his axes proudly in his hands and, moments later, sprinted at overhuman speed into the crowd and began beheading enemies. The golem family continued to hurl stones at the monsters from a distance. All but one—the smaller seven-metre golem preferred close combat.

  But when the next tier of enemies came at us, all of us froze for a split second. The monsters were now four metres tall.

  “WATCH OUT, TIER 2 HAS BEGUN!”

  Boris had explained to us before battle that there were several levels of these disgusting slavers. They started at two metres and went all the way up to fifteen metres. Of course, the taller they were, the fewer of them there were, but their strength increased tremendously.

  When I looked over to the little golem, I saw him being ripped apart by the fifty creatures, all of them four metres tall. He held his ground bravely, but the Mushkaren were stronger. The next thing I noticed was an earthquake. The ground around me started to shake and shift.

  The golem father charged forward, trampling all fifty men to death. Completely overtaken by rage, he couldn’t control himself anymore—which was understandable; he had just lost his son. I moved immediately too, because I knew more would be coming.

  Sure enough, another fifty of these beasts blocked my path.

  “GOLEM FATHER, FALL BACK! I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE!” I shouted with all the emotion I had.

  But he kept rampaging and left me nothing to do. The grass around us was flooded with blood. Meanwhile, Aurelia used her explosive arrows to deal with the last clusters of the two-metre thugs. Five arrows, five hits, five craters. We blew those bastards into the air, hoping to free them from their cursed existence. Pretty merciful for such war-mongers.

  Now only the four-metre devils remained.

  Together with Pablo and Boris, whose scar was now glowing red instead of white, I charged at them. Pablo had the ultimate plan. He flew high into the air, then went into a dive while spinning with his nunchucks—a five-metre-tall, unstoppable, blue bolt of light. He shot past us at unimaginable speed, straight into the hearts of the attackers.

  But it didn’t have the effect we’d hoped for.

  These guys were tougher than anything we’d fought so far. Pablo only managed to eliminate about half of them. The rest threw themselves at him without any regard for their own lives. He split five more with his nunchucks before they dragged him to the ground and tore at him like ravenous hyenas. I knew I had to act fast. Pablo’s armor was flickering—it wouldn’t hold much longer.

  I dashed towards them with overhuman speed. As I ran, my rage transformation improved. My skin turned violet. The scythe grew larger. Like a boomerang, I hurled it at them.

  I was able to behead five more on the spot. Boris had also joined the fray, slicing the legs off the twice-as-big creatures in the blink of an eye and splitting their faces with his axes. Ten left. Just in time, another arrow slammed into the chaos.

  Boris was badly injured in the blast, but his suit healed his lost leg completely in a second. Aurelia’s aim had been perfect.

  My ears were ringing from all the explosions, but my mind knew only one thing: revenge.

  My veins burned like a volcano. My body couldn’t hold this level much longer. I wasn’t allowed to give up now; I was still deeply ashamed of having lost my will in the dungeon. I had found my greatest strength again, and no one would take it from me.

  My will burned like a wildfire. The deep violet aura around me radiated my bitter desire to win. A reflection of my emotions—in that moment I knew only one feeling: thirst for blood. To satisfy it, I pushed my body beyond its limits.

  All of a sudden, I could look down on those monsters. I grabbed one, ripped it in half and hurled its lifeless corpse at its comrades. By now, Pablo had recovered, and of course he wasn’t going to let me steal the show. He swung his nunchucks one last time and finished off the rest of the pack.

  Those were the last pigs of the four-metre class.

  “GET READY, MEN—AND AURELIA. TIER 3.”

  Tier 3 bandits were eight metres tall. Ten of them let us have no rest, organized into three garrisons that made the earth quake with each step. Thirty enemies prepared themselves, and we sharpened our senses once again. All except me. My body couldn’t handle this spectacle anymore. I had overexerted myself. I needed a break—but I couldn’t afford one. I had to keep going.

  Fortunately, we could rely on the golems. They watched my back while I lay on the battlefield, wheezing and defenseless. These creatures were wonderful. I still remember watching them once: a peaceful family of three golems. Somehow, in spite of the stressful situation, I felt a brief moment of joy.

  When I saw the three of them together, I immediately thought of me and my parents.

  I pulled myself to my feet—and that tiny flicker of joy was crushed in an instant. The beasts were tearing at the golems, dragging them to the ground. First it hit the father. His head was crushed, his hands ripped from his body. Then it was the mother’s turn. They held her down and beat her relentlessly. She succumbed to her injuries as well.

  I had to watch as the little golem was forced to suffer the same fate as me. In a single moment his entire life was destroyed.

  My joy warped instantly into grief, rage and hatred. Even though I hadn’t known the little guy for long, I could feel everything he felt. My power grew. I sensed the next major transformation approaching—but I wasn’t ready. My body was already burning with pain. But I knew I had to keep going.

  If only to protect that little fellow.

  “My lord, it shames me to ask this, but… would you allow me to switch with you?”

  It was the first time Gotti-Gottfried had ever asked me something like that. I hadn’t known until that moment that he could take over my body.

  “Let’s try it, Gotti-Gottfried. What do I have to do?”

  “My lord, grant me your consent.”

  “Go get them.”

  I could witness everything Gotti-Gottfried experienced. I had become his inner voice. On his first attempt he managed a seven-metre rage transformation.

  Gotti-Gottfried embodied my hatred. He lunged at the monsters. He beat the living shit out of the first one. The next two became intimately acquainted with the scythe. His skin turned almost coal-black, his veins burned violet. Gotti-Gottfried was able to unleash my true strength. He took out the remaining pigs cleanly. His mission was a success—he brought the maximum out of me. Without saying a word, he switched back.

  The enemies were defeated. While we’d been busy with one battalion, Boris, Pablo and Aurelia had taken out the other two. According to Boris, we’d made it. Waves 4 and 5 only guarded the castle and the king.

  We could finally advance.

  We had just killed a total of 1,200 creatures. Most of them existed only to serve the war. What a pathetic fate for those monsters. And yet I felt no pity for them. My own fate has shaped me too, and still I managed to live in peace without oppressing other peoples. That’s what these beasts needed to understand—so I could slaughter and massacre them without a guilty conscience.

  We regrouped briefly before exploring the empty streets.

  “So this is what they’ve done to my kingdom,” Boris said, tears in his eyes. “Everything run down. Everything destroyed.”

  No one could blame him for breaking down at the sight of his homeland. This man had lost everything. He fought for a people standing at the edge of the abyss.

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  I felt it too. I knew exactly what Boris must be going through.

  We were just about to order a wide-scale search when we heard someone shouting in the distance.

  “THEY’RE COMING! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!”

  We all turned to the young man running towards us.

  “I’LL EXPLAIN LATER, JUST RUN!”

  It was Neo. As soon as we realized, the real terror began.

  Silence fell.

  Then, out of nowhere, the earth started to shake. The air got heavier. I could feel an immense pressure bearing down on us. I took a deep breath.

  From every direction, Mushkaren of twelve and fifteen metres in height erupted into view. The city couldn’t withstand the sheer amount of destruction they brought with them. We had only one option: retreat.

  Aurelia and Boris sprinted back to their mounts—but the shock hit when they saw them vanish right before their eyes. Meanwhile, I had climbed onto Pablo’s back. That madman flew straight at those creatures. Just as they were about to grab Neo, Pablo swooped in. A bit rough, but he managed to snatch Neo and bring him to safety.

  That left Boris and Aurelia on the battlefield.

  Pablo was the best pilot in the world. He dodged the creatures with insane maneuvers, allowing him to safely pick up the others as well. He dropped us off far away from the chaos, somewhere safe.

  We found ourselves back in Apfelhain.

  Anthea greeted me. She was overjoyed that I still had her rose. How could I ever throw that gift away? It meant far too much to me.

  Pablo had to recover from his wounds. He’d given everything in battle, and those wild maneuvers had drained him even more. We were all relieved that this nightmare had come to an end.

  But where was Stahlhaart?

  I didn’t even want to imagine what they were doing to him.

  “I suggest we wait until Pablo is back at full strength and then go over everything,” Boris said. Good call.

  We could count on the villagers. They took excellent care of our feathered friend. We also experienced unprecedented hospitality ourselves. It made me happy that they hadn’t forgotten us.

  Evening fell, and Pablo still hadn’t left his bed. We sat together around the campfire, grilling a few sausages. It felt good to have a bit of a break, but Stahlhaart wouldn’t leave my mind.

  I started frying an onion to quiet my hunger. As if hypnotized, Pablo crawled out, stole my onion and devoured it.

  “Hey, Pablo—if you want something, just ask,” I said.

  “Sorry, Friend Zeki. Pablo loves onions.”

  Boris asked, “So, Pablo—feeling any better?”

  “Pablo is exhausted from the great battle, but Pablo will be fine.”

  Neo asked Pablo to sit so he could go over our next steps. I handed Pablo a bag of onions and a long stick, so he could happily roast and eat his beloved onions.

  Neo started: “Given our starting situ—”

  Not even a second passed before we heard a loud crash in the village. The villagers had dropped a huge table. “What do you even do, you lightning-brained idiot?!” one of the men shouted.

  After that, Neo was finally able to explain the plan calmly and without further incidents. But it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

  He said that Stahlhaart had been reprogrammed. He was fighting for them now. He also mentioned that there was no hope of saving him.

  I couldn’t believe it. Stahlhaart, our friend, was suffering—and no one in the group wanted to rescue him. They wanted to, sure, but no one was willing to go through that terror again.

  We had no other choice but to leave Stahlhaart to his fate. We simply weren’t ready to bring those creatures down. We had no means to win this war. It broke me to abandon my best friend like that. Even though he had always stood by my side, I had to leave him behind and erase him from my life in an instant.

  None of us knew how to process that loss. Stahlhaart wasn’t simply gone—he had once again become a hostile being. He could be programmed and controlled. That was his weakness. I didn’t know what else they’d do to him—but being betrayed by his friends, he didn’t deserve that.

  Still, there was nothing we could do about it.

  The plan to retreat and come back later, once we’d grown stronger, was our only option. I understood that. I just hoped I wouldn’t one day have to stand face to face with Stahlhaart as my enemy.

  To gain that strength, there was only one man we could turn to. Our next journey would lead us back to the familiar estate of Sensei Bi-Shi-Zu. I was already looking forward to seeing him again after all those years. Aurelia was just as excited.

  Neo and Boris had yet to meet this wonderful man.

  I asked Pablo if he wanted to come along.

  “Friend Zeki, Pablo will return to his family. Pablo misses his wife and child. Pablo is sorry.”

  He didn’t need to apologize to me. I was the one who had forced this role onto him. He never showed it openly, but I’m sure this war hit him hard.

  “If you ever need help, you can always call us, Pablo,” I said.

  He would always be welcome in our group—and that’s how it should remain.

  The journey ahead would demand another two years from us, but we had to grow stronger.

  We let the evening fade out quietly. At dawn we wanted to leave on time.

  I wanted to sleep—but the horrible scenes wouldn’t leave my head. The terror we’d witnessed. The terror I had unleashed. What was driving me into this darkness? Why was I walking this path? For the first time, I felt something like remorse—but why? These creatures deserved nothing else.

  The nightmares tormented me. Madness gnawed at my mind.

  I had a long, deep talk with Gotti-Gottfried, but even he couldn’t help my mental state. There was simply too much weighing me down. The burden on my shoulders. The deeds I had to commit. My uncontrollable rage. The hatred I felt for this world. Everything—absolutely everything—gnawed at me.

  I felt like an empty shell. This war had shown me new sides of myself.

  For the first time, I realized that this project—saving the world—might be impossible. I had hundreds of dreams, countless hopes… but only one reality. A reality shaped by strength and hatred.

  I had gone on a journey to gain power. I dragged along a group of strangers, who became friends. I forced them onto my path—a path full of brutality and hate. I had chosen this path myself. I wanted to fight hatred with hatred.

  For me there was no other goal than to soak this rage-soaked world even further with my own rage. But it was too late to turn back. I had to keep going—for a better future.

  That night, I swore: if I ever managed to destroy all that was twisted in this world, I would create a new world order.

  In my mind, the sun blossomed. There were fields full of flowers. Festivities where everyone—from humans to trolls—enjoyed themselves together. A world without losers. Only winners. Equality between all creatures. Everyone would have the chance at a good life.

  With that realization—knowing what I was enduring all this madness for—I could gather new courage. I had defined my goal. Now it was time to walk the rocky path. For the good of all, I would have to shatter my limits and walk the path of a leader.

  Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed that the morning sun had risen. And with it, I rose too. Something inside me had changed. With a determined gaze, I stared into the distance. Sensei Bi-Shi-Zu would surely be proud to see how far we’d come.

  But before we set out, I saw a familiar face.

  Bastian Le Favre, the merchant who had once saved my life.

  I ran straight to him. Before he could say a single word, I jumped into his arms.

  “I never got to thank you for saving my life,” I said.

  He looked me over with his bright eyes and finally said, “You’ve grown, boy. I almost didn’t recognize you. Good to see you’re still alive.”

  I was overjoyed to see him again, to see that he was doing well too.

  “So, tell me, boy—how are you?” he asked.

  I wanted to tell him everything, but I choked. My eyes filled with tears; all I managed was a short, “Good. And you?”

  I had infinitely much to tell him, but no time.

  “Hey, come with me, I want to introduce you to my friends. You’re a legend to us,” I said, excited.

  All hyped up, I dragged Bastian to the Quattro Proseccos.

  “You guys know the man who saved my life on my first journey, right?”

  “Yeah, you’ve told that story about a hundred times,” they replied in unison.

  “Well, here he is in the flesh—Bastian Le Favre, the hero.”

  The group’s enthusiasm was… limited.

  “Nice to meet you, Chef Le Favre,” Boris said. Aurelia and Neo waved politely.

  “And why exactly ‘Chef’ Le Favre, young man?”

  “No idea. Sounds better than Bastian. Besides, you can just call me Boris.”

  The two clicked immediately. To be honest, “Chef Le Favre” really does sound pretty damn good.

  I asked how much time we had left before departure. “We’ll be leaving soon,” Boris said. Shame. I wanted to tell Bastian everything I’d achieved thanks to his help.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked.

  “We need to go to Schattental—to a remote farm,” I said.

  Bastian happened to be heading in the same direction. He had an important appointment in the capital. After talking it through with the group, he joined us. So I would get the chance to tell him about my journey after all.

  There was one more thing I had to do before departure. I gave Anthea a small green stone. I had found it years ago on the road during our annual march to Mr. Rosenberg. It had been in my possession for twelve years. That stone was special to me, and only someone special was allowed to carry it. Anthea’s rose was special. When I looked at it, I never strayed from my path.

  With that done, we could finally leave.

  The first half-year flew by. The group grew even closer, and Chef Le Favre—as he now called himself—became an important part of us. Together with Neo, he always managed to strike great deals and secure us a steady income. Along the way we also helped the residents of small villages, which brought us even more money.

  It almost felt like that first journey I’d taken with Aurelia. I was glad that my life didn’t consist only of war and hatred. I savored every second of this peace. It was precious. By now we were well known. People from everywhere called us “the Saviors,” “the Ray of Light,” “the Sun,” and many other nicknames.

  Autograph requests became more frequent too. Every day we were swarmed by countless families with their children, who had heard of us and wanted to support us. Of course, we didn’t accept any donations. Just seeing that there were still people—and all kinds of creatures—who desired peace was worth more than any money.

  We grew stronger, in every way. I could see how far my journey had come. Not only did I now have friends at my side—from Aurelia, my first real friend, all the way to the thirty-five-year-old merchant Chef Le Favre—I was proud of how far we’d already come, and even prouder that I still had the will to change something.

  What had started as a one-man project had become a movement. The most diverse beings in this world admired us. And yet, there was still the dark side of the Schattenreich. Those who lived only for themselves and despised everything. Naturally, they despised us too—our name had spread even in those circles. And there were far too many of them. People who clung to strength and crushed weakness.

  We’d seen many perspectives. Even though our supporters were far fewer than our enemies, we drew new courage from them. These experiences unlocked an unknown potential in us. We now had a reason to fight. We couldn’t trample the hope placed in us. We had to keep going. No matter how many steps, how many days, how much sweat, how many tears it cost me—I kept going.

  My dreams flashed before my eyes. I had forgotten them for a long time, but now they were awakened again. I was that boy who wanted to change this world, no matter the cost.

  We kept meeting new creatures. Aurelia recorded everything carefully. Every species she didn’t know got a place in her notes.

  The funniest encounter happened three months into our journey. We ran into a little band of kobolds. The little guys were barely a metre tall but talked like they owned the place. Most of it was nonsense, but they were nasty. They ambushed us and stole our food. Aurelia pinned them in place with her magic. They started screaming in terror, apologizing like crazy.

  We let them go, but gave them some food for the road. We had seen so many beautiful things—among them a living forest. Those creatures were weird. One moment they attacked us, the next they stopped.

  “Wait. I sense goodwill,” one of them said in a slow voice.

  But for me it was already too late—I took a heavy hit to the head from one of the trees. I had a bit of a headache afterwards, but it was worth it. The tree—his name was Zirbl—handed me a bag of herbs and apologized.

  “You try… in pipe,” he said.

  So I did. And as if by magic, my headache disappeared.

  “I’m glad you got to meet Ibo,” another tree said. “I am Erwin, eldest of my people. And I apologize for my friend Zirbl. You may pass, friends. But take this as a gift. It is the herb Ibo. Smoke it, and your pain will vanish.”

  He gave us three packs. We thanked him and went on our way.

  Before we knew it, the first half-year was gone and the next began.

  There wasn’t too much to tell from that period, but one story did stick with me: our encounter with another mage.

  We had always assumed Aurelia was the only mage in existence. You have to be born a mage—it’s rare. This one was an old turtle walking on two legs, carrying a wooden staff with a small green orb. He had a long beard and thick, bushy eyebrows, plus a bowl cut. He called himself “Master Eibrau.” A kind man who couldn’t believe he was meeting another mage. He and Aurelia exchanged knowledge.

  Master Eibrau, who had been studying magic for 500 years, was able to teach Aurelia—and us—an important lesson: how to draw energy/magic from nature. He took us to his hidden temple and had us sit in a meditation pose. Several circles were drawn on the floor—magical symbols, as it seemed. They all began to glow with varying intensity.

  The circle beneath the master shone a dark green. Aurelia’s glowed a deep violet. Neo and I barely managed to make ours shine at all. Chef Le Favre did a bit better, but nowhere near as strong as Aurelia and Master Eibrau.

  Later we learned that Neo and I had no real talent for magic, but could still absorb energy from our surroundings. Chef Le Favre had a slight talent as well, but like us he could only take in energy, not actual magic.

  Aurelia, however, caused the craziest reaction.

  “How old are you, Aurelia?”

  “Seventeen. Why?”

  What came next shocked me—and left me speechless.

  “Aurelia, you won’t believe this. I’ll keep it short: among mages, you are the golden generation.”

  He taught us about the history of magic.

  “I started recording magic 450 years ago,” he explained. “At some point, I came to the conclusion that there is such a thing as a golden mage. They are born only when they are destined for something great.”

  He also told us that such a golden mage only appears when the time needs them most. You can recognize them by the color of their magic. Green, like his, marked a strong mage. Violet, however, marked the golden mage. That information changed everything. Aurelia was the strongest in her field—and she still had so much potential left.

  Master Eibrau began training Aurelia immediately.

  He also taught us how to support her best in combat. We learned much about ancient magic as well; Master Eibrau was a widely travelled man who had spent long years gathering knowledge. Aurelia grew stronger every single day. After a week of training, she was finally ready to apply what she had learned on her own, and we could move on.

  Master Eibrau was truly a gold find for us. On a scale I had created myself, Aurelia’s power level rose to 43,000. Mine, on the other hand, was at 35,000.

  IT WAS AT 35,000.

  Stop lying.

  What the hell is going on now? I wanted to write “power level 35,000.” Stop lying, my hand moved on its own.

  WHAT DO YOU WANT?

  Preserve the truth, Zeki.

  So I’m supposed to stop lying?

  ANSWER ME.

  Fine. I admit it. Aurelia was stronger than me. And while we’re at it: I have never won a single game at Edi Edhart’s.

  Well done, Zeki.

  Let’s continue—with the truth.

  After that unbelievably beautiful week, we carried on as before, only now with the knowledge that we had the best mage on our side. We’d also received top-tier training in how to work with her magic. Aurelia had gotten the greatest gift of all: an elegant staff of dark wood with a violet magic orb. That staff was worth a staggering 250,000 Olevs. With it, Aurelia could channel her magic more precisely and absorb enormous amounts of magical energy.

  We got upgrades too. Master Eibrau led us to a magic cauldron.

  “Put your weapons in there,” he said.

  So we did.

  “Now make a wish.”

  I chose my football and wished for it to explode on impact. Chef Le Favre didn’t have a weapon, so he chose his bag and wished for it to have no bottom. Neo chose his small red dagger and wished for it to turn into a longsword. Aurelia’s bow received a new design of dark wood with violet veins, plus a new ability: anyone her arrows hit could now be controlled by her afterwards.

  It was the only truly noteworthy event in that half-year—but it shaped us immensely. We definitely wouldn’t forget Master Eibrau and his teachings.

  The next half-year report had a bit more to offer.

  We were getting closer to the capital and thus met more and more creatures and beings. Not only did we encounter three new species, but Karl and “the Chatterers,” as we called the kobold gang, followed us the entire way. On top of that, there were two new stories and a new face. Let’s start with the creatures.

  The first species we encountered in a small cave: a bird-like being, a mix between an owl and a crocodile. It attacked us immediately upon seeing us. But as soon as Aurelia hit it with an arrow and healed its wounds with magic, it became tame and gentle. The bird-mother had been heavily injured and apparently still in fight mode, but when she realized we meant her no harm, we befriended her.

  The next encounter wasn’t so friendly. We ran into a dark fairy. This creature wanted to manipulate us with ancient songs and lure us into a trap. Neo saw through it in time and saved us. But the fairy wouldn’t leave us alone. She followed us and attacked again.

  I got to try out my new football. One shot was enough to send that annoying pest flying into the afterlife. She exploded nicely.

  Less stressful—but more amusing—were the “block-dogs,” as Aurelia named them. They were normal dogs like we know them, but with square bodies. They were tame, let us pet and feed them. A small but sweet break. We also got to watch them play. It was comforting to see such carefree creatures still existing.

  For a moment, I imagined being one of them. Enjoying life without responsibility, without burdens, without problems. It made me happy to see those little scamps so happy. Even happier made me the sight I saw in the next moment: an outpost of Edhart’s Casino.

  Of course I didn’t go in and win any money there.

  STOP LYING.

  Let me write this.

  I lost money.

  You mustn’t call it lying?

  Fine. But then let me write in peace.

  I’d wanted to tell you how much I’d won—but once again, I’d lost. I had bet on black 11, since I wanted to leave the red 7 to Stahlhaart. I’d even promised him that. But he wasn’t here. I thought about him a lot during this journey. I also thought about what I’d do to the Mushkaren once I had them by the throat.

  Operation “Free Stahlhaart from the claws of the enemy” was still on—and it remained our top priority.

  Even though Stahlhaart was gone, we met a similar young man. His name was Goatabi. Black hair, one red and one green eye, a shiny white armor with a black core. He carried a white-and-gold scythe—quite impressive, though not as impressive as mine, of course.

  We only had time for a short conversation. We caught him mid-fight with five bears. I’m sure he could’ve taken them on alone, but a little help never hurts. He thanked us, told us his name and hurried off. His armor had something to it, like the mirror image of my black armor, which had unfortunately expired again. The artist had “forgotten” to mention that the duration was only a week. Goatabi reminded me a lot of Stahlhaart—they had the same eyes.

  That was all. Strange to meet someone like that—and then never see him again. But in the spirit of “do good and receive good,” I hope fate will remember that favor.

  Now for the last story of this half-year. Everything came to a close when we celebrated my eighteenth birthday. Boris brought sake for the occasion—a merchant had sold it to him. Naturally, Chef Le Favre had done business with him as well and managed to get five extra bottles into his infinite bag.

  He also got hold of a green stone and gave it to me.

  “Trust me, she’ll be happy when you come back,” he said.

  An idea hit me.

  “Neo, your father was a blacksmith, right?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  I asked him to forge a necklace from the stone and some gold I’d bought for two-thirds of my savings.

  He claimed his craft wasn’t that great, but that he’d do his best. Luckily, Chef Le Favre had an anvil in his bag.

  Aurelia heated the gold with her blazing fire magic. In the meantime, Neo made a mold. Boris grabbed the crucible and poured the molten gold into the form. Finished: a golden necklace with a green stone.

  Hey, stop staring at that necklace, idiot. Focus on your damn book.

  OH, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU JERK.

  I was overjoyed. The group had given me the best birthday gift ever. Not only an evening full of silence (yes, I mean you), but also an unforgettable experience.

  Night turned into day as we drank the entire night. We had the funniest moments so far—and heard the weirdest stories. I’ll spare you the details.

  The morning after was rough. We all had pounding headaches and were sick to our stomachs. Thankfully, we still had enough Ibo. That day, we barely moved forward. But it was worth making an exception.

  The last half-year began. We were close to Schattental. No new creatures. No new faces. Surprisingly little happened—but four stories still deserved to be told. Let’s start with the shortest and work our way up.

  By then, the year was 1355 n. gKS. My eighteenth birthday was three months in the past.

  We witnessed a gruesome fate and couldn’t do a thing. A small village on our path was blown to pieces right before our eyes.

  “That has to be the potion factory,” I said.

  In the same moment we heard from Aurelia that this was her home village. Even though they had cast her out and branded her a monster, she did everything in her power to save them. Her efforts were in vain.

  The village drowned in countless litres of acid. All that was left was a disgusting stench and bodies gradually dissolving. This incident stayed with us for the next two weeks.

  But there was also good news.

  Aurelia’s mysterious egg finally gave us a strong new companion. One day we heard a soft scream inside Aurelia’s bag, and she felt an uncomfortable warmth. Inside we found pitch-black Merlin—a baby dragon.

  The little guy learned early how to play with fire. Aurelia had kept the egg in her bag the whole time, protected by her magic. It was so tiny that caring for it had cost her practically no effort. A small, simple gesture with a huge payoff.

  The little rascal grew more each day. By the fourth month of our journey, Merlin was two weeks old and already fifty centimetres tall. Every day he ate our rations. Every. Single. Day.

  “How creative! Boo-hoo, a dragon for a mage.”

  Yes, dear readers, she really did have a dragon.

  AND NOW LET ME WRITE IN PEACE, YOU FIEND.

  The fifth month began, and we finally reached Schattental—but it was pure hell. Completely deserted. The streets I once knew burned and destroyed. We looked around. The place that had once made my life hell had become hell itself.

  Mr. Rosenberg’s restaurant. It couldn’t be destroyed.

  But reality doesn’t care what you want.

  Gone. Blown to pieces. On the table lay Mr. Rosenberg’s head. His wife’s body hung beside it.

  I couldn’t believe my eyes. The only positive memory I had from that time was taken from me in an instant. My fears weren’t just confirmed—they were shattered on an even deeper level than I could’ve imagined.

  I had no idea how to react. My emotions spun out of control. Should I cry? Scream? Hack everything to pieces? I didn’t know. But I did know one thing: I would find whoever was responsible for this horror—and I would make him my dog.

  He would walk on a leash and serve me until he died choking on his own misery.

  The pain went deep—but the sun rose again.

  It was the first day of the sixth month of our journey when we finally arrived at Bi-Shi-Zu’s house. We were all overjoyed. After everything we’d been through, we had earned some proper training.

  

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