The Stories They Tell

I woke up in a daze.

Images of the day before played out in my head over and over again.

I was getting sick of this. Not knowing anything, just blindly walking into situation after situation, I had to know the truth.

I got up and headed to the door determined to get the answers I deserved. I pulled open the door with such force it threw me off balance. I caught myself and looked up to see Si'La standing there. She seemed even prettier then before.

I blushed a little.

"Good morning, I hope you slept well", she smiled.

"I did", I said even though I was lying.

She smiled and turned to walk away motioning me to follow.

She led me down a dimly lit hallway lined with beautiful murals. They seemed to depict some kind of battle.

"What's all this about"? I exclaimed.

"This is the Battle of Iti'Nusra, it was fought back when the Lower Ones first appeared here in Crucible. It's said that it lasted for over three hundred years".

"That's incredible."

I could recognize a few figures shown on the wall. The most notable of them was Slenderman, he seemed much different then does now. Everything was pretty much the same except instead of a suit he was wearing what looked like armor. Then their was that Agru'Bala thing from yesterday.

Then I saw someone else. Someone that should have no business there. Someone that just can't be there.

It was Muzen. The drawing wasn't that detailed but I could tell. The same expression, same everything.

"Who's this." I said pointing at the painting, even though I knew who it was.

"That's Vera'Lu "The One Who Came". He appeared towards the end of war and fought against the Lower Ones. If it wasn't for him we would of have been defeated"

Now those markings on his face make sense, Muzen's a war hero.

"After the Lower Ones retreated he vanished, we didn't even have a chance to thank him."

I couldn't believe it he was only gone for a few hours, to think he fought an entire war in that short time.

I noticed that his grandfather wasn't shown anywhere on the mural. He must've died before Muzen got involved with the war.

How many more have to die because of me?

We walked about another five minutes before we reached a set of staircases. One leading up and another leading downwards. We took the one going down.

As we descended the stairs the pain in my leg returned. This was beginning to annoy me.

"Si'La, that thing you did to my leg is starting to wear off I think."

She turned around and smiled. Even in the dim light her eye's glistened brightly.

"I need you to bear the pain for now once we speak with my father I heal it completely."

"But how exactly are you doing this."

"I was going to let my father explain but since you insist. Here in Crucible the laws of nature greatly diffee from the ones in your world."

"In your world you need technology and machines to harness the energy around you but here were able to manipulate it to certain degree for our own personal use, like so."

She kneeled down and placed her hand on my leg but this time a green light shined from her hand. It was warm and soothing, for a second my leg went numb and then suddenly the pain was gone.

"Now that should do it."

I stood there completely awe struck. And completely confused at the same time. Molly did this exact same thing back in the safehouse, and I'm pretty sure she's not part of the Denil.

I followed soon after to find myself stepping into the one of the biggest rooms I'd ever seen. I mean it was huge. It was lined with burgundy curtains, with tables placed from one corner to the next. A giant chandelier fashioned from the same glowing rock as the outside of the building.Hundreds of people strolled past me all wearing similar clothing as Si'La. The smell of food was overwhelming, and I sure as hell was hungry.

"You just going to stand there or are going to eat." Si'La smiled

We headed to a table situated in the dead center of the room. It was adorned with candles and flowers. Plates stacked with unrecognizable food littered it.

"Good morning.", said a voice behind me. I turned to see her father standing there. He was wearing a blue robe this time with a jeweled necklace layed loosely around his neck.

"My name is Ja'Lu, and I am the chieftain of the Denil people and I welcome you.

"My name is Josh and I'm confused as hell."

"I'm sure you are, take a seat. So let's not waste anymore time ask me any question and I'll answer them to best of my abilities."

I hope this guy has his schedule cleared cause this is going to take a while.

"Why are they after me, what do they want from me, and how do I stop them."

Ja'Lu chuckles repositions himself to face me directly and says, "They want to understand."

"What does that even mean.", I question trying not to sound annoyed with such a vague answer.

"Let me start with this, The Lower Ones appeared in our world several thousand years ago. Death and disease followed close behind, the world as you see it now is not what it's always been. Their leader Zo'Dul was ruthless in his rule, he slaughtered our livestock and polluted our skies. They reigned unopposed for six hundred years before the chieftain at the time, my ancestor, figured out there one and only weakness; They're hunger."

He picked up some kind of fruit as if to emphasize his point.

"They do not eat like you and I.", he continued. "Instead they feed off of energy, a specific kind to be exact and that's fear. Emotions of any kind give off very high amounts of physical, mental, and spiritual energy, but emotions dedicated to fear are stronger and more potent.

"So what exactly did he figure out.", I questioned.

"He learned that if we were to stop fearing them we would respectively starve them. With this information he began the first offensives against them which in time culminated into the Battle of Iti'Nusra.

"The battle raged for three hundred years. Towards the end of the my people had grown weary of war, many of generations had fallen in our quest for independence. Our hope began to wane, that was until he showed Vera'Lu "The One Who Came" did our spirits rise once more. With his help we drove the Lower Ones back. But before the Lower Ones fled Zo'Dul spoke of another one to come one that would signal there return. "When the Tower walks and the light has shown only then will our knowledge grow.". You are that light Josh, there "Yula'Bulai" their savior.

My heart fell. It does that a lot these days. I'm some type herald of the end. I stood up knocking my chair over in the process.

"But how, how!" I stuttered.

This is really all my fault. Maybe the entire reason the Fears are in my world is because of me.

"I'm pretty sure after Zo'Dul became aware of there flaw he looked for ways to fix it. And the only way to do that is to Understand." Ja'Lu stated.

"But that's the thing I don't understand anything I'm pretty stupid if you ask me."

Si'La stood up, she had this look in her eye that seemed way too familiar.

"Father...this....this is bad."

"What is Si'La.", he asked with an equally worried look on his face.

"It's Zo'Dul....he's here."

The whole room grew silent.

Here we go again.