Undra Origins: The First Champion Part III

Voyage to Enligt

The sages gathered at the entrance of the Sanctum.

Elyse held Lysande close. “I’m so happy for you, dear. Looks like you’ll be safe with Opame by your side.”

Lysande felt flushed, “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.”

“You can return the favor by not getting yourself into any more trouble,” she replied.

Lysande laughed, pulling away from Elyse, “I promise I’ll try my best.” As she left, she looked over at the other sages one last time to wave goodbye.

By the time the two had reached the bottom of the ivory path, it was almost day’s end. The trail back felt much easier than the journey up to the temple.

“Pame, I can’t wait til we get home.” She said, watching her companion fly through the air. “I can show you my room, introduce you to Mom and Dad, and tell them about everything. Wait, can you even understand what I’m saying?” She asked, waiting for a reply.

“Mmm, well — I’ll just assume you do.” She chuckled.

They continued on through the forest until the sun had set. Lysande rushed over to her familiar trying to stay close.

“Why are you flying so fast, slow down.” She called out.

The woods darkened to the point that Lysande could only make out Pame’s glimmering scales. The roars and howls of the night appeared once more. Lysande tried to shake off the creeping chills while her stomach twisted and churned. As she became more and more uneasy, Pame began to flash and flicker until the serpent ignited into a roaring flame, sending the creatures of the night to scurry off into the darkness. Lysande sighed with relief looking up at Opame with a bright smile and continued to follow her through the grove.

When they reached Serpant’s Bay, Pame extinguished her light and landed on Lysande’s shoulder.

“You must be tired,” she said. “Don’t worry, we’re almost home.”

The two looked out to the Lantern Sea as light appeared and faded away scattering underneath the ocean. “After all these years, it’s still as beautiful as ever.”

She continued down the pebble-paved road, up to her cottage, and opened the front door.

“Mom, Dad, I’m h — ”

Lysande’s heart dropped as she stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes searched through the darkness of her home. The wooden walls were covered in cuts and claw marks, the windows were shattered across the floorboards, and her father’s sword stood high in between their broken dining table.

She unsheathed her sword and cautiously stepped inside.

“Mom?” She whispered.

Not a sound besides the creak from the floorboards.

“Pame, can you give me a light?”

Opame mustered a few sparks but fell back onto her shoulder.

“It's okay.” She said softly, as her companion slithered under her shirt.

Lysande continued through the living room, an iron scent lingered in the air. Then, she heard a crack. She lifted her foot, exposing sharp pieces of porcelain. She bent down picking up one of the fragments to examine it closely. It was covered in a pool of crimson red.

“Lys!” Someone called out behind her.

She swung her sword around, stopping the point of the blade inches away from the stranger. The man stood calmly in the shadows covered in a tattered unbuttoned coat that hung down to his knees. He seemed to only be a head taller than her, his silver necklace dangled in the dark right below his shaggy beard. His rusted yellow eyes calmly observed her as he threw his hands into the air.

“It’s me,” he hushed. “Uncle Cilas.”

Lysande slowly lowered her weapon, “Uncle? Is that really you?”

The man slowly stepped back into the moonlight. “Ay, Lys.”

She ran up and hugged him, “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Happy to see yer doing well, lass. Come, there is something we need to discuss.”

“Wait, what happened here?” Lysande questioned, “Where are Mom and Dad?”

Cilas looked back at her as her eyes welled up with tears.

“Someone, dangerous, came fer yer father, Lys.” He looked down clutching his hands together. “Took em both to Enligt, they did.”

“Who?” she asked.

“A Legionnaire and his men,” he said.

“But, why? What do they want with my parents?”

“No time to explain.” He stood up and headed towards the docks, “Come, faster if I tell ye on the ship.”

Lysande quickly followed behind him, marching through the black sand beach until they reached the boat deck.

“Captain Cilas, we’re ready to depart.” One of the crewmen said.

“Set sail to Enligt!” He commanded.

The beige sails unraveled displaying an emblem of a winged serpent. Her uncle and father both grew up together in this village. Lysande recalled back to when she was just a child, how she would stand by the water and watch hundreds of ships leave and return home from her port. All the stories and myths she heard from sailors and fishermen traveling across Undra. A sudden rush pierced through her as the wind blew and pushed the boat out to sea. Lysande glanced back at her home as she drifted further and further away. She never imagined that this was how her first journey to a new world was going to begin. She always thought that she would be standing on the boat deck waving goodbye to her parents as they watched her from the porch of their home. The only thing on her mind now was hope. Hope that her parents were okay, hope that they would make it in time. Lysande sat against the captain’s cabin with her face buried into her knees.

Cilas sat down next to her. “It’s going to be okay, Lys. Don’t yer worry, we’ll make it in time.”

“Uncle, what do these people want with my parents?”

“I’m afraid it’s an old debt between the Legionnaire and yer father.”

“But, father was a hero.” She stated, “He helped people, he was a commander of Dagerdom, everyone across Juvelier knew of him. I don’t understand, Uncle.”

Cilas let out a heavy breath. “Lass, there is much for ye to learn. Ay, the people of Dagerdom loved yer father. But, what of the people who are not from Juvelier or Ovan for that matter?”

Lysande stared intently out into the ocean, “What of them?” She asked, “What do they have to do with him or my mother or anyone from Juvelier?”

“Well,” He thought for a moment. “Yer father, my brother, had to do many things as the commander. Some kind, some not-so-kind, and at times, those things came at the expense of others.

“But, he did what was best for our kingdom.” She replied, “It doesn’t make sense for people to seek him harm when he was only doing what was right.”

“Ay, but it is not as simple as ye might think. Who decides what is right and what is wrong, hm?” Cilas questioned, “In battles and wars, aren’t both sides equally just? They are both fighting for their sovereigns, their people, their families. What makes one side right and the other wrong?”

Lysande fell silent pondering an answer.

“Keep that in the back of yer mind for now,” he advised.

“Okay, Uncle.” She replied, “What about the Legionnaire then?”

“The Legionnaires are an incredibly dangerous group throughout Undra,” he said. “Each Sovereign has a Legionnaire loyal to them working within the shadows. They are assigned the most vile and grim of duties that their kingdoms keep hidden from the public. Although they are known throughout the underworld, their existence is kept secret by the nobles. Every Legionnaire has their own crew of ruthless warriors, rogues, and bandits. Each one worse than the next. In terms of power, I’d say they sit directly beneath a commander or equal to a master from a strong guild.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to save them?”

“Ay, Lys. I do.” Cilas stood up and walked past her, “Go on and get some rest. Yer going to need it for tomorrow.”

When the captain left, Lysande sat alone for a while thinking about the conversation with her uncle.

Who decides what is just and what isn’t? She thought, petting Opame before placing her back under her shirt.

The next morning Lysande woke up to the sound of men yelling and hollering. She stepped down from her hammock and pushed open the boat deck doors.

The captain stood high on the crow’s nest, “Perfect timing, Lys. We’re almost there!” He climbed down to greet her, “C’mon then, lemme show ye how to work this beauty.” He grinned.

Lysande ran around the deck in a frenzy trying to do everything that Cilas instructed. She was taught how to control the helm and set the sails, but before she could dock and anchor the ship, she accidentally scraped a few boulders lying beneath the ocean.

“Haha, sorry.” She commented.

“It’s alright,” he said with a shallow scowl.

In the distance was a coast covered in white and orange gravel with a dense jungle of brushpalms. The crew lowered and boarded the rowboats, paddling through the calm waves until they reached the shore.

Lysande couldn’t help but to soak in every inch of this new world. The smell was a mixture of odd fragrances, there were spotted-colored fish jumping through the air, and the ocean breeze felt warm on the skin. As the men pulled the boats ashore, Lysande grabbed onto the railing and carefully took her first step into Enligt.