The Forgotten Land of Myria

ROY

A fizzy saltwater mist brushed across my face.

“C’mon Roy,” Ben said. “Big one cranking on left! You’ll miss it!”

He began to row towards an upcoming wave and I went after it. The beach was pretty deserted.

Thrilled, Ben whooped as he took the drop. The next wave splashed my face as I stumbled up the board towards the froth. The breeze soothed the ocean. It was a perfect day, only to be ruined when I heard a horn blast--getting louder from a distance. That sound was familiar.

The horn blared again, this time as loud as a gunshot in my ear and my eyes flung open. My heart sank. For a moment, I had forgotten where I was.

“Took you long enough,” said Eleazar, peering over as he calmly lowered the conch shell from my face. I’d seen Ben blow a conch shell before, but I didn’t remember it being that loud. On the bed next to me, Angus was already tying up the belt on the stinky robe that Livia had given us the day before.

I scratched my head, which was still pounding from the horn.

“Did you have to put that right up in my face?” I asked.

“Quit the whining, you lazy gumgall,” Eleazar responded, as he ripped the bed sheets away from me. “It’s best you get used to that. Now get up.”

“Why the rush?”

“Why the rush?” A voice came from the door and Livia appeared in front of me.

I don’t think these people have ever heard of privacy, I thought. “Only because the Chairmen are waiting to see you.”

“New life, come on now,” Eleazar said. He threw the robe at my face impatiently and gestured toward the door where Angus was already making his way out.

Outside the cottage, a small wooden carriage, pulled by two particularly small brown horses, was waiting in the grass field. Eleazar scooted Angus and me in, and Livia climbed onto the driver’s seat, gave the rein a yank and we were off. The horses were surprisingly fast and the ride was quiet. Not one word was uttered. The suspense was threatening and yet I seemed to be the only one on alert. If Mr. Stockholm Syndrome sitting next to me would wake up from his RPG daydream, we could easily take out Zena the Warrior Princess and disco-ball Merlin with our rope belts and try to find a way out of medieval Neverland.

A few feet away from the Main Gate of Musgrave Pen, the carriage came to a halt.

“The rest of the way is on foot,” Livia said, turning towards us. “I’ll be with you soon.”

Eleazar, Angus, and I carefully hopped off, as the wooden carriage rolled away. The gate doors opened. This time there was no presence from Kanrig, the gate guard. I guess we were already familiar to them. Instead, another grogan came to escort us.

“This way,” he pointed as he scampered ahead. We stood in the Village Plaza, near the now active monument Livia had shown us earlier--seven men sat in the chair circle. It would have been a lie to say I wasn’t intimidated. My whole body was struck with chills as we approached the high monument. The grogan that had escorted us took a bow, clearing his throat.

“High Chairmen of Matahi,” he began. “We have summoned them as you wish.” The Chairmen turned towards us, almost simultaneously, as one of them nodded in salute.

Eleazar stepped forward and we followed. He bowed reciting their names as they each nodded, “Alazar, Hiro, Tapunui, Paewyn, Tahi Toa, Amana, and Glandias,” he said. As he spoke, I noticed he had a light smirk on his face and his voice sounded like he was about to break into laughter. “I present Roy Kendon and Angus Harper.” He signaled us to climb the steps onto the high monument.

We were both reluctant to go, so we were practically shoved up the staircase. The stairs were made of glass, crystal clear glass, that chirped with every step.

From a closer perspective, they were all different. Each one had a distinct appearance. One of them--the one in the middle--was dressed like a knight, where another one was native, strong, with black hair running to his shoulders. The one on the far left had platinum white hair that hid under a tunic, making him look like one of those Greek mythology dudes. After analyzing us for quite a long time, the elder in the middle (the tin-man), took a deep breath, smiled slightly and began speaking in a loud powerful voice.

“Roy, Angus,” he began. “It is our honor to have welcomed you back into our society. Long years of anguish for what we believed to be your losses have been compensated.”

The way he said “back into” didn’t sound any good to me. What was that about?

“However,” he continued, “all is all for a purpose. Yihwa has brought you back at this given time, for it is the time when you are most needed.” He lowered his voice a bit, like he was sharing a secret.

“We are in a time of conflict. Mighty conflict. Great power has been amongst us all along throughout the years of Myria. Nevertheless, a great power has been against us as well.”

“Theon.” the elder said, as a shudder rippled through the group, stopping at the Greek god, who blinked slowly. “Theon is its name. The evil that has lurked in the hearts of men. He possesses a power far too great, far too dangerous.”

“Is this an actual person?” Angus asked. “Can you see him?” Sure, he barely says a full sentence, but when he decides to question something, it’s in front of the big shots. Nice one, Brain.

“Not quite,” the same Chairman responded. “Theon holds no physical form. At least now he doesn’t. He has before and it won’t be long until he does again. By any means that doesn’t make him weaker, no. In fact, it’s what strengthens him. Theon can invade people’s minds.” The man leaned forward as if trying to hint at something.

“If there is a gap in that person’s heart, or a doubt in their mind, they can be easily manipulated. After time, the illusion possesses them, growing stronger to the point where it takes them over. Henceforth they become completely submissive to Theon’s will.”

It was bone-chilling. My mind spun just thinking about it, but I didn’t believe a word he said. He pressed on.

“With this method, Theon has raised an army, outnumbering and overwhelming in power. He has risen to the point where he has become far more than just a menace. If he doesn’t cease gaining power and feeding a growing army, he will no longer be obscured and will be revealed to the rest of humanity.”

“How is that a negative point?” I asked, trying to find a solution that would get me home. “If the rest of the world discovers him, it’ll be easier to overthrow him. He’ll be outnumbered.”

“On the contrary,” another one of the elders, rocking a Robin Hood vibe, responded. “If he’s revealed to the rest of the world before we are, all will be lost. Humanity is too easily misled. They strive in deceiving and manipulating each other already. They live a day to day life in chaos and corruptive control that is right before their eyes, but they refuse to see. There is no doubt that their conformity will ruin them if such a situation were to take hold.”

What does he know about humanity? I thought.

“Yes,” the middle one agreed. “And that is why we must take a position.”

“How?” I asked. It was all too confusing. I couldn’t take enough time to absorb all of it.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do other than fight. There is no way around it.”

“But you’re outnumbered,” Angus claimed. “You’ve said it.”

“And that’s why we’ve summoned you,” another elder responded.

“Summoned??!! Are you...”

“We have discovered a weakness. Something that won’t defeat Theon, but will harshly weaken him, making him at least defeatable.”

“And what’s that?” Angus asked, finally looking a bit suspicious. By now all the elders had leaned closer to us.

“The Vermillion,” the middle elder said sternly. Vermillion. The name was extremely familiar.

“Vermillion,” I said out loud. “You mean that thing from Eleazar’s...thing?”

“Precisely.”

I looked back and Eleazar was still standing sharp at the edge of the staircase.

“So that was true?” I asked. He nodded, with a grin drawn across his face.

Did that even make sense? Well, teleportation, magic elixirs and nixies didn’t either...

I turned back towards the elders. “So the Vermillion is Theon’s weakness?”

“Not the bird,” the Chairman on the left said, “but what it holds.”

“The stone,” Angus responded. “Lanai’s heart. It had the power to isolate evil auras and seal them within it.”

They nodded. Eleazar chose to tell that story so we’d become familiar with it. He knew it was the reason we were here--even though I had no idea what the hell we were supposed to do.

“Although, like all other things in nature, it has a limit. That is why it won’t defeat Theon, but will make him vulnerable.”

“It’ll give you a chance against him,” I murmured.

“That mere detail,” the middle Chairmen continued, “is the exact reason Theon is also after it.”

“Huh?” I exclaimed. “Why would he be after it, if it weakens him?”

“The same way Theon can shift creatures, he can shift magic to his own will as well. Once he gets the stone through struggle, he’ll silence its powers, making them barely a threat to him. It won’t strengthen him, no, but it’ll mean that we don’t have it. He is trying to anticipate our move.” The middle Chairman stood and made a signal towards the Main Gate with the sword that was buckled to his belt. Horns began to blow and I heard loud marching as the gate opened.

“That is why we are assembling a Legion of Heroes, men and women, each uniquely skilled, to take up this quest along with you two. We must choose only one from each guild, for if we travel with an army, it is likely that we’ll be spotted on the way and Theon will make a move against us.”

“What are we supposed to do?” I asked. The horns grew louder as I saw people coming from all over the place gathering under the monument.

“Both of you are to go because it involves you,” he responded, turning to Angus, “and that medallion you’ve been so careful to hide. That means Theon will be after it as well.”

I frowned. Oh, I get it now. We’re the bait.

“And Roy,” he sighed grimly and shook his head, almost as if he felt sorry for me. “Theon has targeted a certain someone who will be used to help him track the Vermillion. Someone dear to you has been taken.”

I felt my eyes widen as my heart dropped into my stomach. A chill struck me and I gulped hard.

“What?” I croaked, not wanting to hear it because it could only be...

“Your sister, Alice.”