SEVEN pillars of darkness rose on high, and with the might of the night behind its bearing, lo! it struck the surface, rending the ocean, the ground, and even the sky!
Whether it was an illusion, they could not tell, but the space became unnatural, the sliced parts rising into the air, carrying all above and levitating over a mass of darkness – an immense abyss, encircled by the edge of the ocean and the trees past the beach.
Vrihkhaḥ cowered near Tūmbṃār; for the wolf alone knew how powerless he stood against the adversary. Feyūnhaḥ could do no more, and she silently looked into the sea of red surrounding them as her consciousness faded. But Iḷēhaḥ stood on one of the floating surfaces, now much exhausted and still shaking.
Her fear had lessened a bit, and her anger began to resurface, though no longer was she able to engage. Too much of her will had she focused into her Dvı̄sahlvah, the wound upon her shoulder pained her, and barely was she able to move. It took all she had to remain standing on her dead staff, devoid of any power.
The demon looked to each of them and came to fixate its gaze on the boy. It held its arm forward, its fingers lax, and the darkness crawled about them and at their edges dripped like water. The drops suspended in the air morphed into long but thin needles.
With the flick of its finger, it sent them flying toward Tūmbṃār. The boy then pushed Vrihkhaḥ away and held his sword front. The needles flew fast, and Tūmbṃār evaded and struck them as they came through. He did not manage to get all; the ones that passed by him pierced the ground with incredible force, cracking and crumbling the surface beneath him.
He danced from platform to platform, tossing himself in the air and gracefully spinning through the slivers between the needles as they came in pursuit in greater number. When the final needle came his way, he ended his dance and wielded his sword with both hands, one on the hilt and the other on the blade, letting the final needle slide across it as he redirected it away from the surface.
The sound that reverberated from his sword echoed in the air, and when its noise had subsided, the demon straightened its arms and thereafter let streams of darkness spiral out from it. A blast of air rushed forth, and Iḷēhaḥ, unable to keep her grip, was swept by it and crashed into Tūmbṃār. In flight, the dark trails split and morphed into hideous arms, all gnarled and grotesque, the form of which was so black that its silhouette could be seen against the abyss below.
They grabbed onto Tūmbṃār and Iḷēhaḥ, and squeezed them. The maiden shrieked in pain with no power left to resist, and the boy gritted his teeth and tensed his arms in an attempt to release himself. He looked to his side, and seeing the distress of his friend, grew frantic.
He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes tight. And soon, a mass of dark waves issued from him, and the hand released. Upon falling to a platform below, he leaped and immediately struck the other hand holding Iḷēhaḥ. She fell to the ground and looked with weak eyes at Tūmbṃār, whose appearance she could barely discern.
But he had little time to check on her state, for the demon now held a sword in its hand, seemingly appearing out of the aether, and closing its distance to him to strike against his sword with great force. The clang of their weapons echoed sharply in the air, and the noise greatly afflicted Tūmbṃār. His legs grew weak, and the demon slowly overpowered him. The weight of the demon’s sword coupled with the sharp noise caused him to fall to his knees, and all the while, the demon’s smile did not fade, nor its bloodlust lessen.
A great mass of darkness welled about the two, encircling them and—just as the light of the Dvı̄sahlvah issued to the Heavens—so too did the darkness. Yet when it hit the sky, it cracked, and pieces of it fell like glass shards! Pockets of black now interspersed in the red, and the world looked to be falling apart. But neither Tūmbṃār nor the demon paid attention to it, for exhilaration racked them.
A sudden urge overcame Tūmbṃār and no more did he worry about his friends. His hesitation ceased; no more was anger about him, and all that remained was excitement. The fight was all they could think of.
This is truly a delight, a child who possesses enough strength to keep his own against a foe like me! Your training with the Lord of the Cedars has not gone wasted, and to think a boy as small as you could control the aether! It is quite the shame that I shall have to put an end to you. But before I do—
It released its hold on the sword and let it pierce the ground:
—tell me, what is your name?
The boy looked up to him and said, “Tūmbṃār! And neither I nor anyone else shall fall here!”
The demon bellowed a great laugh, the sharp sensation of which unnerved the boy:
‘They who shall Overcome’; a more fitting name I could not have given!
It then brought its sword up and pointed it at the boy:
Take stance, child! and let us see if your words shall hold true.
The boy spread his legs and leaned back. He held his sword over his head, and moving his hand across it, he ignited the blade. The demon took up its sword and gripped it with both hands, the darkness swirling about it. The demon swung it down toward Tūmbṃār while he flung himself toward it, striking it against the center of the blade. The clash excited sparks and embers and threw the darkness into a frenzy. Tūmbṃār then led through with his strike and pushed back the foe’s sword.
With the demon staggered, he quickly dashed toward it and unleashed a barrage of strikes. The demon guarded against each one, but Tūmbṃār would give no rest to his onslaught.
Each strike quickened, and his power waxed greater still until the demon could keep pace no longer. But as the power coursed through the boy, it pained him, for he felt his life being sucked away through it.
The lightness of his feet and the strength behind his strikes came not from what he honed but from one that lay dormant in him. To excite such a thing without proper control was foolish of him indeed, but Athruyam had taught it to him, nonetheless.
Tūmbṃār then gave a great cry as he issued the aether alongside the flames, and the streams of power tried to catch hold of the demon. But as it was on its knees, it vanished. From behind, Tūmbṃār felt a hard strike against his back, and was sent flying.
He crashed onto another platform, and the demon followed after in a ferocious state. The dark aether that surrounded it spiraled around its blade. Sharp, waving wiggles spun around, growing larger and more terrifying.
When the demon came to Tūmbṃār’s position, it struck furiously against the boy with its smile not fading. The boy evaded each strike, but he began to slow. Using his power had taken its toll, and he stumbled toward the ground.
With no more strength left to resist, the demon’s sword cut him along all sides, and a searing pain enveloped him. He screamed and wailed with each strike as the demon’s attacks became more and more excited.
Yet when it had enough, it dropped its blade and picked the boy up by his shirt.
Do not tell me that this is all you have to muster. Far greater were my expectations!
And the words of Athruyam came into Tūmbṃār’s mind as he did all he could to bear the pain:
“Be careful you do not use what I have just taught lightly. Use it if you have no other means left to engage your foe. Verily I say, the cost will be high – and though you may recover, your life will surely not. The longer it is used, the more strain shall be put on your body. No physician or healer would then be able to mend such an affliction.”
“I’ll do as you say, master, but is the demon really that strong? How do you know I’ll even need this?”
“I can sense its presence from here, and the power that emanates from it is of one that I can no longer engage. I have lived long, child, and faced a great many of its kind. The power of this demon rivals the ones I have faced in higher ages, and were it under my control, I would certainly not send you to face it, even were you prepared! Alas, it has come to your teacher’s decision to send you after it and to recover the Dvhaḥṣhtro. Now it is up to fate to decide what shall become of you. Keep all I have taught you close to heart, and be wary of how much power you use. I wish not for my student and friend to come back to me in death.”
Tūmbṃār moved his head and glanced at the demon’s hideous mouth. Now he had no more recourse and so within that moment, he clasped his hands and from within the palms appeared a brilliant light, coalesced with a myriad of colors.
The luminous display brought forth by Tūmbṃār quickly encased the demon, and it wailed greatly at being afflicted by that light. The light waxed as it grew larger and sent the demon flying toward the abyss.
The sky and the ground and the darkness itself cracked, and piece by piece, small shards of it fell toward the surface. And after some time, the world had gone to normal.
Tūmbṃār was on the ground, kneeling beside the demon which was back to its prior form but now rendered unable to move. Tūmbṃār had but a little strength left, yet it was enough to confront any mundane attack that the demon could seemingly muster.
As the boy panted, loosely hanging onto his sword, the demon turned its gaze toward him and said, “A higher power, long has it been since I have seen its use. But no more does it matter; you have bested me. Your words have held true. Now, what do you intend to do with me? Kill me?”
The boy looked at the demon with a fierce gaze and responded, “No, I’d have you live! None should die, not even a demon!”
“Still babbling about such things! Why not be done with me now? You should surely know I would come back for you. My kin do not stand idle when faced with defeat. No less at those who are deemed as prey.”
The boy held his hand out and moved it across the demon’s waist. And thereafter, the hands of the demon were quickly joined, shackled by a mysterious light. The boy became even more tired and coughed greatly. The demon smiled, amused by what Tūmbṃār had done.
With a hoarse voice, the boy said, “You shall be my prisoner. With this, you shouldn’t have enough strength left to attack me with your powers.”
“Your teacher was wise to have taught you this! And I suppose this was your intention all along, but too much blood have you shed and racked is your body with pain! Strain yourself too much, and these shackles may easily be undone, and your life laid forfeit! But do you expect me to abide this humiliation meekly? You should have killed me when you had the chance. Chained may be a great source of my power, but there are other ways by which I can manifest such.”
The demon slowly brought itself upright and twisted its neck toward Tūmbṃār. Its body moved into the distance, and its head grew in size until it had covered the moon. The space became distorted once more, and it smiled, bearing its array of deformed teeth.
Tūmbṃār stumbled back, and his vision began to fade, but just before he lost consciousness, the demon’s neck elongated, and opening its mouth wide, it swallowed the boy whole.
Tūmbṃār awoke in a place of white, and on either side of him stood the demon and the being of deathly face. The demon was rather amused at this turn of events and gave a great laugh. The boy was confused by all this and sought to speak but the words would not come out of his mouth. He had been rendered mute, and not a syllable could he utter. The demon, still shackled by the light, approached close to the being.
Its figure towered high above, and it asked, “Why does one such as yourself stay so close to this boy? Granted, he is an interesting child, but are there not other things that you must attend to? There must be duties for you to perform as prescribed by That which you hail – though I must say little do I understand of it.”
“Indeed there is, and one of them is to guide this child. His role shall bear significant importance in the days to come, and when the time comes, he shall awaken to me.”
The demon held a surprised look. The boy could not understand what it was they were speaking about, and the being laughed at their expressions.
“I know the reason why you have come, Nakthaḥm, so would it not be better for you to quit this charade? You have already once succumbed to your bloodlust in years past. Would you do so again now that you have well tempered yourself? Is there not the matter of which you have been sent here? Surely, you would not let that go in vain?”
“It is as you say, Great One. There are many things I wish to do, many of which are greater still than me, and I tend toward seriousness when engaging any of them,” he said, bowing with a grin. But now with a solemn face and a sigh, he continued, “I had let my nature get the better of me, and for that I do dearly apologize. I shall have to make amends for now with these shackles, if only for a small moment. I very much hope they can come off sooner rather than later.”
The being laughed and patted the demon on its shoulders. “Do as you will, friend!” The light of the space dimmed and the being bent to Tūmbṃār. “You must be quite tired from your battle. But your journey is far from over, no doubt to your enjoyment! This demon by the name of Nakthaḥm shall accompany you. Be sure to keep him in your sights at all times, for he is quite the trickster. And for now, keep the shackles upon him, but do not let him die since you would have lost a great ally were he to perish. Now it is time for you to calm that companion of yours outside, for she is causing quite the ordeal for him.”
He directed Tūmbṃār’s attention to the demon, and the boy could see him sweating. His figure grew visibly weak, his stature lessening as if he might collapse any second.
With a weak voice, Nakthaḥm spoke. “Boy, Tūmbṃār, I hope you can calm that lady friend of yours. She is out for blood and will assuredly kill me at this rate. And while I do not blame her for it, I do wish to see events around her unfold; she is as big a mystery as this one here.”
The being clapped and brought the boy up. “There you have it, child! Now go back and calm her.”
Tūmbṃār at that moment wanted to speak and ask the being the questions he had held onto before. But he was poked on the forehead and was sent falling back.
He awoke not far from the demon and saw Iḷēhaḥ striking at at Nakthaḥm’s heart with her staff. A black hole opened, and each time she struck, he would wail in agony as sparks and embers flew about.
Tūmbṃār ran to the maiden and covered the demon. She, without realizing, struck him in the demon’s stead and the boy wailed and writhed in pain. She quickly brought the staff up, and a hint of worry that crossed her face sharply turned to anger.
“What are you doing, Tūmbṃār? Let me be done with it at once! Did you not say you would listen to me? Why would you protect the one that almost killed you?”
With a weak voice, Tūmbṃār said, “No! I shan’t do as you ask if it means killing him. The demon shall come with us; I’ve already bound him by his hands. What the demon did was a mistake, but he won’t do it again!”
“And I have bound it by its heart, but no more shall I suffer it! That wicked wretch has already killed countless individuals by its very existence! How many more will you allow it to take from us? It shall be the end of us all!”
“None! I’ll see to it that he doesn’t feed on anymore!”
The maiden grew furious, trying to rip the boy away from Nakthaḥm, but he would not budge. With no option left to her, she cycled the wind with her fingers and blew Tūmbṃār off the demon.
He tumbled atop the grass and could feel his body waning. When his eyes turned to Iḷēhaḥ and seeing she would soon land a greater strike than before, he dashed back and covered his hand above the hole on Nakthaḥm’s chest.
The staff pierced it, and as Tūmbṃār did all he could to bear the pain, he grasped ahold of it and threw it far. He hugged her as tight as he could so she would not move away from him, all the while pleading with her to stop.
Iḷēhaḥ ended her resistance and faced him. And when Tūmbṃār lowered his guard, she pushed him off. A hard slap struck the boy’s cheek as tears ran from her eyes. She could no longer approach her enemy, not without hurting Tūmbṃār. She wanted to run away from this all, to return home. And with sadness and anger still held about her, she took flight.
Tūmbṃār reached out to her but to no avail for she was already far off, and he cried. Dejected, he walked to Nakthaḥm whose eyes were open and his face solemn.
“What will you do now, boy? Chase after her?”
Tūmbṃār could do no more to stand, and as his consciousness faded, he fell face flat on him.
Nakthaḥm sighed and gazed into the sky.
THUS ENDS THE FIRST BOOK OF THE ṂĀRHAḤNYAHM
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