Lake of Souls Chapter 5

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I stared up at the air temple taking in all the subtle whites, grays, and golds that seemed to shimmer with the winds. The temple itself seemed to be almost ethereal in its form as if at any moment it may blow away. I started walking forward towards a grand set of stairs that led to a singular door at the top. While the temple was grandiose the door itself was a simple thing. I had to actually duck down to enter the temple. Upon entering I was now standing in a grandiose foyer. There were easily a dozen doors that I could see as well as a set of stairs leading up to another set of doors. The room is just the same as outside. Everything was shimmering and almost moving around. The colorations were also the same though now more of the white of clouds than anything else.

I walked forward towards the stairs figuring that up was generally the safe bet. All the Kings seemed to like being up high for whatever reason. As I came to the middle of the room I was suddenly stopped by wind swirling all around me. Reaching out trying to push against it only resulted in my hand being shoved back with force and a little skin shaved off. A face appeared in the wind, "You are the vessel Xea who slayed the Kings of fire and earth. Have you come to slay me as well? If you have, know now that I will not fall apart as easily as the others."

I looked at the face for a moment trying to study it. The features of it were constantly shifting and dancing around. I stood tall and spoke, "I have come to ask you a question. Your subjects told me you should be able to answer it. I search for the lake of souls. I first went to the Fire King and tried to ask him but he attacked me so I killed him. Then I went and asked the Earth King but he insisted that he didn't know what I was talking about. So I was forced to kill him and take his soul so that I would know if he was telling the truth. I do not seek violence but if it is necessary then I will commit acts of violence."

The face shifted and contorted giving off the illusion that it was thinking of what I had said. Finally it stopped moving around and spoke again, "Make your way through my temple. Pay your proper tributes and come to me. I may indeed know something of what you seek. My ears hear all that is spoken on the winds as all the Kings before me. Since the first King a record has been kept of all that has been said. So come to me and let us see. Good luck."

With that the wind died and floated towards the door at the top of the stairs blowing them open. I went ahead and headed into the next room which had three sets of stairs. Two heading up and one heading down. In the middle of the room was a large stone slab with writing on it. I walked to the slab to investigate the writing. "Follow the wind forward and your way you will find. Ignore the wind and all there will be is demise."

I stood there and closed my eyes, stretching both of my arms towards the right and left staircase feeling for any movement in the air. I feel nothing at first but when I open my eyes I realize that my right arm is bleeding. The right staircase is the one heading down but I did what the slab said and headed down the staircase. It ended at another door with another sign next to it, "Knock first." I knocked one time and the door swung open. Stepping through I can feel my body being pushed up by a strong current of wind coming from the floor. I look up and see an opening in the ceiling that seems to lead to another room. I swim in the air so that I'm lined up with the opening and I wait.

After ascending around thirty feet I came to the opening and floated up through it. From there I was able to step off of the air into the room. In this room was a large stone statue that seemed to depict the Air King or one of the ones before him. There was another sign set in stone next to the statue, "The Air King demands a sacrifice to know that you truly seek his audience. No body is needed but give up what is most precious to your life." I stared at the sign for a moment before reaching over to my right arm where the blood from earlier was still fresh enough to smear. I smeared the blood across the foot of the statue and waited.

Nothing happened. So I went back to thinking on what could be required to sacrifice. Suddenly the answer hit me. This was the Air King's domain. He controlled air or breath. I started to exhale on the statue. I continued emptying my lungs to the point that I could feel my chest tightening and my vision was starting to blur. I continued pushing out any and all air I had in me, my vision going dark to the point I couldn't see the statue anymore when I suddenly heard something click. I took several deep breaths as the statue slowly sunk into the floor revealing another door.

This one was different from all the other ones I had seen so far. It's coloration was that of a wispy blue that was constantly shifting and shimmering. There was another sign by the door, "You have paid proper tribute. Say please to open this door but beware there may be no floor." I looked at the sign and then the door "Please." The door flew open as a strong gust of wind blew past me. Indeed there was no floor in this room, just a black abyss, and no current of air coming from the hole either. On the other side of the room is another door that is already open revealing what looks like a coffin of some sort.

I stood and waited to see if maybe a floor would appear if I waited long enough. After five minutes nothing happened so I looked at the sign again but it hadn't changed. So I did the only thing I could think of, "Please." As the word left my mouth a floor rose up out of the abyss. I tested it gingerly with one foot and found it to be solid. I walked across waiting for the floor to drop out from underneath me at any moment. I entered the next room without incident. In this room there was indeed a coffin made from some sort of black stone.

I walked up to it and looked it over. Inscribed on the top of it was more writing, "Here lies the body of the first Air King. This coffin was given as a gift from the second Fire King and the first Earth King who together crafted it. Bow your head and pay reverence for him. For he gave the winds to the world as bestowed upon him by the god Brant." I bowed my head and closed my eyes wishing him well in whatever place his soul was now. After a moment another door across from me slid open. I saw stairs heading to them and taking them up.

I passed by a window as I walked up the stairs and looked out to realize that I was fairly high up in the temple now. I hoped I was getting close to the Air King. I was already tired of these games. I didn't know why people wouldn't just meet with me. I finally reached the top of the stairs where there was an opening leading to the outside. I stepped outside to see that I was now on the roof of the temple. Sitting in the center area of this roof was a younger man wearing a sheer cloth that flowed around him. There was no wind up here except for around the young man and even that was nothing more than a light breeze.

I approached him slowly, uncertain of what was going to happen. When I got ten feet away from him he opened his eyes and smiled at me, "Ah the vessel Xea you finally made it up here. Congratulations. Not all manage to get to me believe it or not. Though you also followed the shortest route. Some get lost in my temple and spend the rest of their lives wandering through its halls. Enough of that though. You have traveled far to reach me. All the way from the land of the past. Where the gods left you to stand and serve as a final reminder of what we all once were. Nothing more than vessels in need of a soul to truly come alive.

You have traveled here after killing the Kings of Earth and Fire. You are led by a simple desire. To find the lake of souls. I assume that perhaps you are looking for a soul of your own. Something the gods could not give you. But who gave you this desire? You have stood as a statue for hundreds of years doing and saying nothing. Then one day you begin to walk and talk. Almost like you are a person now. Though you still do not have a soul so of course you aren't actually a real person yet. There is no wind in your little piece of the world and so I do not know what happened. Would you perhaps tell me?"

I took a deep breath feeling something unfamiliar rising up in my blood. Something about the way he spoke to me made me want to just go ahead and strike him. I controlled this urge and spoke through clenched teeth, "I woke up and realized that it was nonsense that there wasn't a soul for me in this world. I remembered long ago when the gods were first crafting everyone that they had mentioned a lake of souls. A place where all the blank souls would go and reside. Waiting for all of you to have children and those children would get their souls from the lake." Nothing I had said was a full on lie. Just the part of where I had heard it from.

The Air King stood humming to himself now. The air around him vibrated from his humming to the point that it almost looked like small blades were dancing around him. He put his hands out as if to catch something that was falling while completely ignoring my presence at this point. From seemingly nowhere a large book appeared in his hands already open to the first page. His eyes scanned over it quickly and then the page turned with a small push of air. He continued reading in this manner while still walking and humming for a few moments. The small blades of air grew over time until I saw fully formed swords dancing around him.

Finally he stopped and looked at me, "I have found nothing that says your story is untrue. But I also have found nothing that says it is true either. However within my book there is one comment about the lake of souls. 'A lake brimming with innumerable souls will be given to the land. But no one land will be able to claim it for it belongs to all of them.' So there you go. That is the one piece of information I can give you. The book doesn't even detail who said those words which is unusual. Now I have told you everything I know. What will you do now?"

I continued watching the blades dancing around the Air King trying to judge how far they were moving. I broke my eyes away from them to look at him directly, "Consult your book. You should know that I'll call you a liar. All of you have lied to me in one way or another. I know the lake exists and I'm but a simple vessel. How is it that the great Kings of the land have no idea what it is? That it is so well hidden that the King of Earth knows not where it lies. That the King of Fire can not feel any warmth that might come from it. That the mighty King of Air has heard no whispers of it on the winds. You attack me, mock me, and treat me as if I am nothing compared to you. I have a name. I am a being just like you. What I want is simple. Now tell me where the lake is!"

The Air King seemed genuinely taken aback by my outburst. His blades actually faltered for a moment though he quickly regained his cocky composure, "We do not lie to you. If I had not read what I had in my book I would call you a liar. But whatever this lake is, the gods hid it so well that none of us could find it. Of course I treat you as if you are nothing. Because you are nothing. You are nothing but a pitiful vessel that someone else gave purpose and unending life. The gods left you as a lesson to the rest of us. You were the non-believer! The one who wanted to be different from the gods and the rest of us.

You only have a name because the Earth King gave you one. You didn't even pick it out yourself. Also it still only means vessel because that is all you are. You are not a being but a mere puppet. What you want is simple? Do not make me laugh! You look to defy the will of the gods themselves! A soul for the vessel who couldn't be bothered to just take one when it was freely given. You disgust me, you wretched creature! Now I will banish you from this land again and again until I tire of it and then I'll let the dragons chew on you for the rest of eternity."

With that I rushed him, my right hand raised up. Swinging my fist at him I was startled when both my fist and then my whole body just went through him like he was smoke. Before I could even say anything I felt dozens of blades piercing my back. I was dead before I hit the floor. I opened my eyes to see the lake in front of me.

How is Xea going to fight an enemy who can become incorporeal? This is going to be a tough fight. I realize this is a bit of a shorter chapter but I wasn't sure how long the rest of this fight was going to go on so I cut it here so I'd have a whole fresh chapter to do the fight in. The link for the next chapter will be below as well as the original short story. I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did then please like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time.

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