DarylMac

Chapter 3: The Ruin and Roséd

The Cave was as cold and unerring as usual when Sebastian approached it. A shiver ripples down his spine and the blackness inside the Cave seems to reach out and pull him further in. Even if he changed his mind about the Cave he couldn’t turn back now. He was caught in his addiction again.

He lunges down into the Cave mouth and peers inside. The sun was shining brightly upon the ground yet it seemed to form a barrier around the Cave, as though the sun itself was afraid of coming near it. He hoisted himself down into the blackness, his mind and body ready for what was to be next.

It was the Ruin. And the Ruin was everything.

The Cave was addictive for one reason and one reason alone; the mystic power which unveiled itself to Sebastian and Damian as the Ruin. The Ruin’s ability was seemingly endless, it’s power unparalleled. It could allow you to see the worst and best things in your life. It could give you all you wanted and more. It could show you everything you ever wanted to see and feel. It had taken him to a deeply comfortable bed, fragrant and wonderful. He would awake to see Romia sleeping naked in his arms. It was the best thing he had ever done in his life.

He was shown that particular vision only once but he kept coming back to the Cave in the hope that he might experience it again.

He never told Damian about that experience. The Cave never showed them both the same thing. They would awake in a daze, unable to move for a while, comatose, then it would slowly come back to them, and they would tell each other where they had been and what they had done. Except I always lied. I never told him what I had seen. He wouldn’t understand.

Cars, motorbikes, some far off distant tropical place full of gorgeous girls; these were the things he told Damian about. And he suspected that Damian lied to him too.

The Ruin had spoken to him three times. Its voice was always harsh and cold. What Sebastian found most scary about it was that the voice was definitely human. It seemed as though years of experience and evil nature lay behind it.

The Ruin spoke to him about Romia; it told him to hope for her. It spoke to him about Damian, said that he should open his heart to him. It spoke to him about his mother. But he didn’t want to think about that right now.

Sometimes it didn’t come at all. Sometimes, like that day when Raphael had first appeared, they waited and waited but nothing happened.

What was worst about the Cave though, about the Ruin, was the evil that Sebastian was sure existed in there. It may show him a fantasy he had had for years, and many other wonderful things, but it also showed him the dark side of the world and the horrible things that lay within Amorbena. It showed him a terrible stranger who would travel from city to city, killing many people with frightening skill. Strangling, stabbing, drowning, all of these were ways in which he had seen it. But what was the worst was that every time this had happened, it was Sebastian who died. Sebastian was in the bodies of the souls who perished. The last of which he could remember was the blonde haired boy. No older than himself, he had been sitting on the bank of some city with his dog when he heard a piercing scream which sent waves of fear and panic coursing through him. When he got up to react, the stranger appeared from the shadows and sent him plunging into the water, into the darkness.

He had seen more terrifying things. Worse things. He was shown his deepest, darkest fears come to life, haunting him to his grave. He feared they always would. It was a fear he could never quite alleviate.

He had given a lot of thought to whether or not he should come back to the Cave. It was always the risk you took whether it shows you what you really wanted to see, or something you’d rather die than experience.

His footsteps were loud and obtrusive. The Cave was so silent today. Usually it was very loud. Not in the way you would assume loudness to be though. Usually it was so silent that it was almost deafening. But not today, the silence was not deafening. Which meant the Cave – the Ruin – was not awake, it also meant that there was some other presence here. He knew because he could feel it.

Someone is here he thought. Someone is here and they are waiting for me. They want me for something. He had no idea how he knew this, but it was a sense.

His heart began beating tremendously, painfully. He felt the hair on his neck stand up.

‘Hello?’ he called anxiously, ‘Damian? You here?’ He waited, no answer. He began to relax a little. He felt his heart slow down. He let out a sigh of relief.

‘They say it comes to you and opens your mind, is that true?’

‘Argh!’ he screamed and turned around, flustered. A man appeared from the shadows. His silvery hair flowed down his head and rested on his shoulders. He had a strong face, which seemed full of anger, although Sebastian could have no way of knowing what made him angry. The man’s eyes Sebastian couldn’t see for they were covered by some kind of material which was wrapped around his face.

‘Is it true?’ the man asked. Sebastian stood dumbstruck for a moment, observing the stranger intently. A seemingly long silence proceeded before Sebastian spoke.

‘I, I don’t know what you mean’ he lied. The man laughed.

‘Of course you do’ he said as he stepped towards Sebastian. He was smiling and, now that he was closer, Sebastian saw he was only a few years older than himself. He was wearing a dark green robe with blue markings on it that Sebastian couldn’t read. It was like some ancient scripture.

‘I dunno. I don’t come here often’ he lied again. He wasn’t very good at it; he just hoped this stranger didn’t notice.

He did.

‘Come on, Sebastian, don’t lie to me!’ he said viciously, Sebastian could now see the hate and anger that was etched on his face.

‘How do you know my name?!’ Sebastian cried, stepping backwards, ‘you can’t even see me! You’re blind!’ The man growled as his malevolence rang throughout the cave.

‘You ask the wrong questions! You should be giving answers!’ he snarled and Sebastian felt a sweat break over him.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Yeah, the Cave can talk. It shows you stuff. I don’t know how to make it talk though’ he whimpered feeling more and more ashamed of himself each minute.

‘Of course you can’t! It doesn’t take orders from you! It doesn’t take orders from anyone!’ he growled again. He took a step backwards. The dark aura masked his face a little and Sebastian found himself squinting his eyes to see better.

‘How do you know all this?’ he asked. He thought the stranger was looking at him, sizing him up most likely. He nodded his head slightly as if making a decision and spoke.

‘Do you know of the Rippled Rose, Sebastian?’ he asked this so timidly that Sebastian was taken aback. He seemed so much calmer now.

‘No I don’t. What is it?’ he asked. The stranger sat up and paused, he seemed to be deciding the best way to explain.

‘I am with an organisation, Sebastian, called the Roséd. We are like monks in a way. We live in a monastery, take vows, and live a peaceful life. We are dedicated to the Rippled Rose. It is a legend of wonder and bravery. I don’t have time to go into it right now, I think you’ll learn much of it in time, perhaps more than anyone has ever learned. I came to the organisation looking for clarity. My life has been turbulent and this is my reprieve. Yet now I have found a higher calling than with my Roséd brothers. It begins with you, Sebastian, you and Damian.’ Sebastian was startled at the mention of Damian’s name but the man from the Roséd took no notice and continued, ‘you two are involved in something very big, it’s bigger than all things in the end, except the Rose of course. And you must follow the path it has marked for you. You and Damian must go. Go far beyond Trinity, far beyond Amorbena. You must journey into other realms, Sebastian.’ He held out his hands and a faint light began emitting from them. Sebastian couldn’t see anything other than the light but apparently the Roséd man could. He bent his head seemed to be looking into his hands. Even though he wore something around his eyes, he could see, although Sebastian was positive the monk couldn’t see him.

‘I have to leave, I’ve done what I came here to do, and the Roséd will be happy to learn of this cave of yours. Sebastian, it will be hard for you, but you must do this, for the sake of us all. Others are coming here soon. We think they may be after you, Sebastian, they seek the Darkness, and, somehow, you are the key they need. We cannot help you in your quest right now, we have many more things we have to do, but our paths will cross again for we are all intertwined. I must leave, Sebastian, I wish you the best of luck in your journey and may the grace of the Rose follow you always’.

‘Wait, hold on! Who’s coming tonight? What are they going to do?’ Sebastian demanded but it was useless, the man faded away into the dark corner of the Cave and Sebastian felt sure that he had gone.

How was that possible? He changed, just as Damian had done that day with Raphael, he was this angry guy who looked like he wanted to hurt me, and then he turned into this nice guy who wanted to help me. Sebastian was confused. He headed towards the Cave mouth, thoughts of Romia and the perfect vision had completely left his mind. All he could think of now was the Roséd and the Rose, the warning and his ‘future’, and of course, the people who were coming tonight to find him. Would they kill him? Would they kill his mother? Would they kill Romia? Damian? Shell?

Full of fear and shaking in spite of himself, Sebastian walked home and attempted to prepare himself for the nights events.

Ilasir Maroa

This seems like an interesting enough story, but before you do anything else, you need to get rid of all those tense chnages. It was horrible having to read through all of them.