You Must Overcome

The skies darkened as thousands of soldiers marched on barren lands that lead them towards a war they could not avoid. A land that had once been lush and alive with the magical folks of Mysta until the Veil had fell upon them and cloaked the dwelling with vicious, mindless monsters.

Each day Mysta’s soldiers would dispose of the creatures as easily as they would rotten meat, but with every encounter, the soldiers began to realize that the monsters would adapt to their methods and soon they became stronger, faster, and smarter.

The monsters began to amass in large groups and started to don armor like those of the Mysta soldiers. The monsters of the Veil grew in number and soon the Mysta Empire found that they were facing an army of monsters who called themselves the Fiara.

There were Mystics who gathered at the forts located just a few kilometers away from the palace to find the source of the Veil. As they delved deeper into their research, they began to scratch their beards with confusion for they found it strange that the Veil had seem to be flowing from a most unlikely area, the Holy Mountain of Saint Jans. It was a place where only the purest and most innocent beings were allowed to enter to gain the blessings of the Saint.

“How is this possible?” A mystic had mumbled as he looked at his charts that marked the most populated area where the monsters would accumulate. He walked towards a wall that had maps of Mysta’s lands and the outer area where Saint Jans’ mountain stood. The mystic turned to his fellow journeymen, his gray robe swishing softly. “We need to inform the General immediately.” All heads nodded in turn.

* * * *

A few buildings east of the Mystics’ location were the quarters of the General. General Kin Luptator was eating his breakfast when he heard a whisper of cloth sound from under his bed. As stealthily as he could, he lifted his scabbard off the table and unsheathed it with almost a sigh. He realized who had snuck into his rooms and shook his head slowly.

“Alright. Out with you,” he called to the small figure underneath his bed while sheathing his dagger and placing it back on the table. The creature slowly crawled out from beneath and stood with its head lowered. When the creature looked up, the General stared into eyes much like his own. Its eyes were light gray and piercing, its hair a dark mess of curly locks, and its skin as pale as the waxing moon.

The little girl stared at her brother guiltily as he looked at her disapprovingly. Stowing away onto her brother’s luggage carriage without a second thought might not have been the brightest idea she’s ever had, especially during an escalating war against beasts of immense power.

“Hello, dear brother. How is your day going?” the girl asked as lovingly as possible to soften her brother’s ice cold glare.

“Well…until a little copil decided to sneak onto a fort that is just miles away from the defense wall that could be breached at any moment,” General Luptator growled. “What are you doing here, Myra?”

“I wanted to help,” Myra said indignantly and huffed slightly, “and I am not a little copil. I am already twelve summer cycles, I just happen to be short for my age.”

“And what could you possibly help with, Myra?” General Luptator raised a brow and gestured for Myra to take a seat at his table. He scooped her a hot meal of oats and proceeded to sit down as well.

“I can run messages to and from the defense wall,” she said haughtily, “You know how fast I am with a horse. I can even best the most trained squire. You taught me so yourself.”

“And Sky Lords punish me so for doing so,” Kin muttered while placing his head in his hands. He looked up and stared straight into Myra. “A runner continuously puts their life at risk as they go to and from the wall. Do you really think I’d let blood kin do such a thing? Especially the only kin I have left?”

Before Myra could answer, there was a knock at the door.

“General, sir! Urgent news from the Mystics!” A muffled voice said behind the door.

“Enter,” General Luptator called and signaled for Myra to keep her mouth shut. The messenger came in, gave a quick glance to Myra, but ignored her for he had more pressing matters than to mind a little girl sitting at the General’s table. “Speak.”

“Sir, the Mystics have found the source of the monsters powers. They urge you to the meeting room immediately, sir!” General Luptator immediately stood up and put on his cloak.

“Lead the way soldier,” General Luptator said and turned towards his little sister. “And you stay here, Myra. We’ll talk about your punishment later.”

Myra’s face fell as she watched her brother leave his quarters. She wanted, no, needed to do something. After her mother had fallen gravely ill and had died, her father had fell in battle against the monsters. Myra wanted to do something to avenge them. She didn’t want to stay behind and hope that her brother came out of this war unharmed. She’s heard stories of the monsters and how quickly they adapt fighting styles. It scared her to death knowing that her brother will be facing such things with no guaranteed return.

Steeling her resolve, Myra snuck out of her brother’s room and made her way towards the meeting room. Because of her small stature, sneaking behind soldiers and bypassing them was a breeze. She soon found herself outside of the meeting room and decided to tuck herself under the window where she’d be able to hear every word said.

“…here. And this is where the Veil originates. From our careful understanding, there is an orb-like object that had fallen from the sky towards Saint Jans’ mountain. Several witnesses can attest to seeing such a thing falling south into that area. I can assure you that the time coincides with the Veil’s appearance almost exactly.”

“Can removing the orb dissipate the Veil?” Myra heard her brother ask.

“We hypothesis that the Blessed of Saint Jans will be able to purify the orbs almost immediately just by touch. We believe that the Veil hasn’t done as much damage as it could because of the purifying properties of the mountain. But we also believe the mountain’s power is fading rapidly judging by the monsters’ abilities to adapt so quickly.”

“A Blessed…” General Luptator said almost to himself. “There hasn’t been a Blessed in over a decade. Almost all the children that have been marked have died of disease since the Veil appeared.”

“Yes they have indeed,” the Mystic said. “But it will be impossible unless we can find one immediately.”

Just as soon as the words left the Mystic’s lips, the door to the meeting room slammed open. Myra stepped through the door and marched up to her brother with a determined look. General Luptator looked to her alarmed as he realized that she had been listening through the whole conversation.

“Myra, no,” Kin said sternly as he stood up to push her out the door, but Myra weaved her way around him and stood atop a chair.

“I have been blessed by Saint Jans,” Myra announced. “I am still alive, and I am willing to quest the mountain and rid it of the tainted orb.”

“Myra!” Her brother bellowed. Myra flinched but held her ground.

“No, brother,” Myra said as she stopped her brother from speaking out against her. “This is something only I can do. Something I must do.”

“Don’t you realize how dangerous the climb can be?” Kin roared. “It is at the peak of the mountain. You have only been to the springs at the base and even that winded you.”

“I was small then. Only a copil. Of course it would make me tired. Besides, the Mystics have the ability to teleport me there,” Myra said stubbornly.

“Ah, but our abilities cannot bypass those of the Saint. We are afraid that we can only get you to the base of the mountain. The climb will be left to you,” a gray haired Mystic said as he took a sip of his tea.

Myra’s lower lip trembled slightly, but her resolve was still strong.

“Regardless, I am the only Blessed capable of entering the mountain. I shall make the climb to destroy the Veil.”

“Myra…” General Luptator was caught between the desire to protect his only sister and to protect the entire Mysta Empire. Closing his eyes briefly, Kin swallowed his fears and looked to his dear little sister. “Go on this journey and come back unharmed, do you hear me?”

Myra’s face brightened. “Dear brother, you have taught me survival. Believe that I will come back unharmed and that the Saint and the Sky Lords will protect me on my journey.”

“Take what you need, my dear, and we’ll begin the teleportation process,” the Mystic said. General Luptator gave her a pack that held some rope and water, as well as dried food and some extra gloves and clothes.

“Go well, Myra, and return swiftly.” General Luptator touched his brow to hers and gave a silent prayer.

“Stay well, brother, and a swift return I’ll make.” Myra closed her eyes and signed her fingers to the Saint.

“We must hurry before the Fiara arrive. We can feel them rallying a few kilometers from the wall,” another Mystic had said, this one had blue hair and a young face.

The Mystics circled around Myra and with one last look at her brother, Myra found herself at the base of the mountain. She looked up at the dizzying height of the mountain and doubted herself for just a moment before pursing her lips and moving forward.

“No way but up.”

* * * *

“Sir! The Fiara are marching!” A runner had appeared at the General’s quarters out of breath and wide-eyed. General Kin looked to the Page who seemed to be sweating buckets in his rush to ride here. And Myra wanted to be a runner? Impossible…no, what’s impossible is that climb up the mountain. What have I done?

The General quickly rushed out of his room while holding his helmet in hand as he made his way to the Head Mystic’s quarters. He pushed the door open uninvited and startled the poor old man who had been drooping asleep in his desk chair.

“Head Mystic!” General Luptator had moved into the room and headed towards the Mystic. “Are you sure that just touching the orb will dispel it? No harm will come to my sister, correct?”

The Head Mystic rubbed his eyes and yawned before replying to the General.

“As we have said before, General, it was only a hypothesis. A guess on our part that a pure Blessed should be able to purify it,” he said thoughtfully. “Then again, it might require more than just a touch. We’ve only just realize the source after years of research, we can’t guarantee-”

“You’ve sent my sister out there with no guarantee that she’ll be unharmed?!” General Luptator grabbed the Mystic by the front robe and brought his face close, fuming.

“You had agreed, General,” the Mystic said calmly. “We told you our thoughts. She is the only Blessed capable of making the trek. She is much safer out there than here where a battle is ensuing.”

“If anything happens to her,” General Luptator growled, “it’ll be your head.” The General stormed out and began to yell out orders. “Get my horse ready! We ride out in two strokes!” Sky Lords, please watch over her.

* * * *

“This is tougher than I thought,” Myra muttered to herself out of breath. She had begun the climb almost as soon as she had arrived and found herself more tired than she should have been. “At least I’m almost there.” Myra looked up and saw almost the peak of the mountain. She only had a few more yards to go before she reached the top. I wonder how Kin is doing? Did it start yet?

Myra looked out towards the north where the battle would ensue. She saw the amassing numbers of the Fiara and swallowed in fear. That was more than hundreds of monsters. She realized they numbered in the thousands! One was difficult enough to take down with it taking a least three men. How in the world can they possibly battle with only a few thousand soldiers?

Myra, more determined than ever, began climbing more earnestly. She had only moved a few feet when she felt a pulse fall over her. It made her lose her grip and she cried out, hanging on with only one hand. The pulse filled her with a vision of the battle to come. Blood coated the field in dark pooling puddles and the monsters hacked away at the soldiers relentlessly. The vision made her slightly nauseated.

The vision shifted over to a lone figure surrounded by three of the Fiara. He had trouble standing up but lifted his sword regardless to defend his self. The three Fiara attacked all at once and bludgeoned him down until the last hit snapped his neck.

Myra gasped as she realized the helmet had belonged to her brother. She watched as his eyes faded to empty and he fell to the ground.

The vision finally receded and Myra inhaled deeply, squeezing tears out of her eyes. She knew the vision was from Saint Jans and resolved to move even quicker than before. She grabbed the surface with her other hand and climbed. She was soon able to see the orb, but hesitated to approach it. It glowed with an eerie light that sent a shiver through Myra and made her pause to think.

“Will touching this really work?” A gentle, warm nudge pushed her onward and she knew the Saint was guiding her to the right path. She moved forward and stretched out her arm to the orb.

* * * *

General Luptator found him self surrounded by three Fiara and knew he wouldn’t be coming out of this alive, but still pushed on and stood his ground. One of the beasts stepped forward as another began to swing his weapon towards the General’s head. In a feeble attempt at survival, Luptator lifted his sword in defense and felt the heavy weight push down on him. The second beast knocked his legs from under him and the General fell to his back.

The General struggled to stand and the beasts only laughed at his attempt. Kin’s mind wandered to his sister and looked out towards Saint Jans’ Holy Mountain. So long as she was safe, he had no regrets. Kin Luptator closed his eyes as the third beast swung his weapon down for the final blow.

Suddenly, a bright light scorched the inside of his eyelids. The General struggled to open his eyes and saw a bright pillar of light appear from the peak of the mountain. He stared in wonder as he saw the Veil dissipate slowly and lift from the land. He looked around him and saw that the Fiara had suddenly dwindled into nothing but a black seed. That seed, in turn, collapsed into dust and disappeared with the wind.

“Myra…” he said quietly as the others around him cheered loudly and hugged each other.

They made their way back towards the fort, careful to carry their fallen comrades for proper burial. There were too many to carry, General Luptator thought to him self sadly. We need to enlist some help from the city.

General Luptator had barely made it to his rooms before a familiar high voice called out to him.

“Brother!” Myra came running to him smiling from ear to ear. She jumped up and hugged him so tightly he found it hard to breathe. Regardless, he returned the gestured and felt so relieved to see his little sister again. Such a frail and tiny thing.

“Myra, you are safe,” he muttered into her hair and then set her down.

“The Mystics brought me back as soon as they saw the light,” she said, beaming. “I barely had time to grab this.” She held out her hand and the General saw a large seed-shaped object in her hand, much like the ones that dissipated on the field.

“How strange…” he said faintly. He took the object into his hand and crushed it between his fingers. The seed collapsed into dust almost immediately and fell to the floor.

“One more thing, brother,” Myra said worriedly. She moved to sit and slumped down in the chair, exhausted. Her brother removed his outer garments to be cleaned of the bloodstains. “There might be more of those seeds out there.” Her brother looked up sharply.

“What do you mean, Myra?”

“The Saint had shown me a vision of other nations being overrun by the Fiara,” she said solemnly. “They didn’t have the luck we had when the seed fell into the Saints’ domain. We might be facing another army soon. Their only thoughts are to consume and destroy. As we speak, they are seeking other nations to invade.”

Kin stared into his sister’s eyes and saw in them the aged knowledge that had seemed to change her within the short hours they’ve been apart.

“You know what I must do,” she said, unwaveringly.

“You’ve changed much, I see.” Kin gave a small smile and looked to his sister proudly. “I shall accompany you on this mission to save these nations.” Myra smiled brightly and hugged her brother again.

“No, brother,” she said, her voice slightly muffled, “to save the world.”