I found myself inside the temple, surrounded by hooded figures. Tharmik was standing beside an altar. I've had this dream in a similar manner a couple of times already, it was usually the ceremony of acceptance into the temple.
This time something seemed different. Instead of the abbot, standing in a glowing light was Rathun herself. Her golden scales shimmered as she held the blue and the brown orbs in each hand, the golden orb floating over her head.
She smiled at me. I tried to take a step forward, but for some reason I could not move. I turned to Tharmik. He just stood there with an empty expression on his face. Then, suddenly, voices started echoing through the temple:
"She will forsake you....not fit....not worthy....a failure...."
The voices became louder and louder until the echoes were so intense that the temple started to break apart with a great rumbling motion, leaving only darkness. I tried to call for Tharmik. He started shouting at me in a demonic voice so vile it made me shiver: "Rathun shall curse you! May she throw you into the abyss so you never return!" Then, his head slowly began to tear open from the middle, with splashes of blood gushing out.
The uneasiness I had felt turned into panic. I looked back to Rathun. She moved away farther and farther, taking Tharmik with her.
"No! Rathun, please don't abandon me!" I screamed. Rathun and Tharmik disappeared into the void. Only the hooded figures were left. Thick branches grew out of their bodies as their bodies twisted and turned .
Then the hoods fell off , revealing many different Raizala. I saw their pain-distorted faces. Grostar, Torin and Regil, but also many more I didn't recognize. I started to run frantically, trying to escape, but the impaled and distorted bodies would take no end.
"I don't want this!" I screamed.
"Make it stop!" I ran farther.
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?!"
Then, a massive tree with thick branches and green leaves, shining like emeralds, appeared before me. I stopped and looked at it in awe for a moment. I spotted a silhouette standing on a branch between the leaves, but I couldn't make out who it might be.
A hand appeared from inside the tree, grabbing my left arm and trying to pull me in. It managed to pull in my hand. By gathering up all my strength, I was able to get it back out. With it came another me which stared at me. As I kept struggling, I was able to free myself. My other self, before disappearing back into the tree, said: "Beware of the roots...."
Before I could even think about it, black roots sprouted from underneath me and dragged me under until only darkness was left....
I darted up in my bed. I stared into my blanket, breathing heavily. Then I slowly looked around the room. A ray of morning light peeked through the window. I looked at Feran and Berrit, the two boys I shared the room with, still sound asleep in their bunk bed. As I looked into Feran's face, the pictures of this night flashed back into my mind. I suppressed the urge to vomit.
I've had nightmares before, but none like this. This one was much more intense than everything I had ever experienced. I fell back and took a moment to calm down. Then I felt my left hand to be stiff and heavy. I looked at my palm, opening and closing it a few times to see if it was hurt. When I turned it around to look at the backside, I saw that a strange light-green marking had appeared.
My first thought was that one of the kids had their fun with some paint, but after trying to rub the mark off, it dawned on me.
It's engraved into my hand. What is happening here? I should talk to Tharmik.
I got up, washed my face and tried to rub the mark off again, to no avail. But since it wasn't hurting and didn't do anything else I decided to just keep it as is and go on with my day as usual. Still, the marking took up all my thoughts.
I got some weird looks and questions, but since I didn't want to rile anyone up, I used my own first thought as an excuse: "One of the kids drew on my hand while I was asleep. I kinda like it so I thought I would just keep it like that." I wasn't sure if this story convinced anyone, but they didn't seem to care enugh to keep asking.
When I came back from harvesting, I grabbed some herbs that I grew in the garden with me and made my way to the temple with Halvar's scarf wrapped around my neck.
I knocked on the heavy wooden door. It took a few moments and I started to get anxious, when the small hatch in the door opened and Sorgwyn, a young monk, glanced through with sleepy, dark blue eyes.
"Yes? Oh...Dentro. You probably want to speak to Tharmik, right? I can give him a message from you."
I raised an eyebrow: "Good evening, Sorgwyn.... Actually, I would prefer if I could come in and talk to him myself. I also have some herbs with me to give to Relius."
He sighed and rolled his eyes very visibly, not hiding his annoyance one bit: "Fiiine...at least I don't have to run around looking for him then."
He closed the small hatch and after the clicking sound of metal hitting wood, the right door swung open.
"He is probably in the library as usual. I think you know the way already." Sorgwyn sank into a wooden chair in the corner and folded a blanket over himself, mumbling something about the night duty he was currently in charge of. It's purpose was for the villagers to always have a way to ask for help in case of an emergency and to greet any pilgrims, which rarely happened though.
I first made my way to the garden located right behind the tower on the left side. I got greeted by a few monks on the way. As I walked through the gate to the garden, I could see Relius kneeling in between the plants, cutting off small branches so he wouldn't kill the plant altogether.
Relius was one of the oldest monks in the temple. But although his body was not as fast as it used to be, his mind was. He knew nearly every plant you could find in Rathunas as well as it's perks and how to take care of them properly. He provided me with most of the herbs I grew in the garden at the orphanage, because I begged him to teach me. He refused every time and instead gave me the saplings to grow them myself.
I placed the herbs on the table in front of his cabin. Relius was always adamant about doing the gardening on his own, so he took it for himself.
Still, some monks sometimes harvested plants for him when he was sleeping, which always made him throw a tantrum the next morning when he found them on the table. The garden was his precious place and on top of it, he was a perfectionist, so anyone botching into his craft felt like an insult to him personally.
"Good evening father Relius! I brought another batch of herbs from the orphanage. They are on the table as usual. I hope they reach your expectations."
Relius slowly turned around, his wrinkly, pale face looking glazed with sweat and dirt.
"Hello, Dentro. I will inspect them thoroughly when I have the time. But now scram, I want to cut my plants in peace. May Rathun smile upon you." he grumbled and turned around.
I chuckled a bit. He might like plants more than people.
I turned around and entered the main building where I turned left and up the stairs to the first floor. The wooden panels creaked under my feet as I walked through the corridor all the way to the end where the library was located.
It was a room filled to the brim with books and scrolls on every wall. Two shelves filled on both sides were separating the room. Between the shelves was the writing table and two benches. Seated comfortably on one of them was Tharmik, lost in a scroll and reciting the passages silently to himself.
"Hello Tharmik, excuse me if I'm interrupting your studies." I said.
He looked up at me with surprise: "Dentro, it's unusual for you to visit me on weekdays."
"Yes I know. There is something I have to show you, if you have the time."
"I can pause my studies. Whatever your reason is, it must be important if you went out of your way to search me out. What's the issue?" he put the scroll to the side.
"It's this...." I showed Tharmik my hand. He analysed the mark: "Interesting, I have never seen such a shape before.... when did you get that?"
"It must have been last night. I had this intense dream and when I woke up, I noticed it. I tried to wash it off but it seems to be engraved into my scales."
"A dream you say.... tell me about it" He gestured to the bench in front of him.
I sat down and told Tharmik about what I had experienced and made sure to not leave anything out. Talking about the gruesome pictures made me feel uneasy at first but it also cleared my mind a bit. I also kind of enjoyed how Tharmik was the one listening to me for once and how he seemed to soak up all the information. He took a moment to think. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. He seemed very serious and focused. A state I rarely saw him in.
"To be honest, these visions are bad news, granted they really mean something. Taking your hand into account, I say we should at least take a closer look into it. Considering the mark, frankly, I'm as clueless as you. But the nature of all of this coming from a dream makes me think of a magical origin."
"You mean someone cast some kind of spell on me? But why? And what is it supposed to accomplish, apart from giving me the creeps?" I asked. "I never even saw anyone using magic firsthand."
Tharmik went back to his usual good and reserved mood: "As always, good questions, Dentro. Only in this case you're asking the wrong person. I believe the abbot might be able to help. He is skilled in magic to an extent. Let's pay him a visit, shall we?"
The abbot was the master of this whole temple. I rarely got to see him in person. Being elected an abbot was a sign of great dedication and brought a certain level of prestige with it. Apart from the village's chief, he was without a doubt the most influential person in Selo.
Tharmik put the scroll back into a shelf somehwere at the back of the library. While I waited for him, I felt a strange sense of fear. Even if it was only for a moment, Tharmik seemed seriously worried. I started to get anxious about meeting the abbot and what he might uncover. But I knew I had to seek his help.
He guided me through the temple. We stopped by the dining hall to see if the abbot was still there and found out that he already made his way into his room. We walked through a few more corridors until we arrived at a dark wooden door with a massive metal ring in the center. Tharmik used it to knock on the door.
A few moments passed, then the door slowly opened and the abbot, already in his night robes, stood in the door, a small flame dancing on his hand, illuminating his face. It highlighted his wrinkles. He was not as old as Relius but had clearly lived a long life already.
"You again, Tharmik. You know, if I got a silver coin for every time you knock on my door while I want to go to sleep, I could build us a whole new temple already." He complained.
Tharmik seemed slightly embarassed. He brushed it off quickly: "Good evening, great abbot. Well, this time I am not here on my own behalf." he said, almost triumphantly.
The abbot turned his eyes to me, mustering me for a moment: "Ah, you are Dentro, the young one who aims to join us soon, right? You are quite tall, I never noticed before."
His smile was warm and inviting, even more so than Tharmik's. But he still radiated a certain level of authority and confidence, even in his night gown. It was clear that he was wise and experienced.
I stuttered: "Y-yes Father. Wait, is Father right? How do I address you? I am sorry, I-I am not yet educated enough..."
"Calm down, son. No one will slap you for not knowing everything. You may call me Father. An abbot is just a monk with more responsibilities." he said.
The way he spoke, naturally calmed me down. His aura was so peaceful it felt like it engulfed me, kind of like the little flame on his hand. "Thank you, father."
"Well now, what are you here for that you would consult me, Dentro?" he asked.
I showed him the mark without hesitation. His eyes widened slightly in surprise: "Well, this is a new one..."
Tharmik answered: "We hoped you might know of it's origin, Father. Given your practice in magic and your wisdom."
Just like Tharmik, he studied the mark with great interest.
"I believe I have seen something similar to this before. It does resemble one of the eight fundamental runes of magic. Though I am not very familiar with the details. I never learned how to wield those runes. First and foremost, when did it appear and did anything unusual happen after you received it? "
"Uhm, no, nothing really happened. I just woke up from a very intense nightmare today und felt that my hand was heavy. That was when I first noticed it."
"Come in. I want you to tell me all of it." he said.
We entered the abbot's room and sat down. I told him everything I could remember, just like I did to Tharmik earlier. This time it felt easier to talk about it. The abbot sat on his bed, his hands put together, leaning forward as he seemed to analyse the information thoroughly.
"This nightmare seems quite disturbing. You have made the right decision to come to me. Though I am not be able to help you myself, I know one or two people who might. Tharmik, I want you to write a letter for me first thing in the morning. We will contact an old friend of mine. He is a bishop in Mustira, and, unlike me, a real wizard. He will surely be able to tell us about this rune." he ordered.
A bishop, here in Selo? I tried to stay composed, but the thought of a bishop visiting Selo, much less because of me was scary and exciting at the same time. I was curious as to what kind of person the bishop might be.
"Father, if I may: What do you mean when you say that he is 'a real wizard'?" Tharmik asked.
"I am a mere practicioner of magic. I never learned to wield it properly. A wizard on the other hand has studied the nature of magic and is able to wield it much closer to it's full potential. At least that's how I would describe it."
The abbot took a glance at my hand: "For now, I suggest you hide the rune. Using magic is only allowed to those in Rathun's service. If someone sees you wielding it, you will face severe consequences. We want this nightmare to be exactly that - a bad dream, you hear me?"
"Yes, Father." I looked at the rune.
The abbot turned to Tharmik: "As for you, like I said before, please write a letter in my name to the bishop about the rune. But keep out the details of Dentro's nightmare. We don't want bad news spreading through the land uncontrollably."
"As you wish, Father. I will get on it as soon as possible."
"Then all is said. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to finally get some sleep." The abbot said.
I darted up from my chair: "Yes, of course, Father. Please forgive me for keeping you awake."
Tharmik got up as well: "Thank you for your time, Father. Rathun does favor you surely."
The abbot smiled: "Rathun does favor all of us, Tharmik. Good night."
We left the abbot's room, and he closed the door behind us. We walked back to the library. I still had questions in my mind, which Tharmik seemed to notice.
"Don't worry. When the bishop receives our letter, he will be here in no time to help you." he assured me.
"But wouldn't it be faster for me to just travel to Mustira myself and ask him for help?"
"Well, I think the abbot also has something else in mind when he is inviting a bishop into our small village. It will raise people's spirits too to see such a highly admired patron of Rathun."
That seemed reasonable to me. Even the thought of meeting, let alone speaking to a bishop was even more intriguing than meeting the abbot had been already. It would probably result in a big festival. When we arrived at the library, Tharmik sent me home and reassured me that he would start writing the letter right away. I handed him Halvar's scarf, which I almost forgot to do, made my way out of the temple.