Nightmare of the Lost: Part. 2

Departure

BaRuhk thrashed in his sleep as the Dream Realm trembled with terrible news. Sukra had felt the severed connection moments before he, and had jerked awake with fresh tears running down her face. Senari was dead. Not only dead but her twin soul could not find the other half. The mortal half that rejoined with the Dream soul upon death. Her twin soul wailed with the loss of Senari sending tremors through the Dream Realm. 

When BaRuhk snapped awake himself, Sukra was ready with a cup of tea and a handkerchief to dry the tears. Once calm, he began realizing what the wails had meant and cried quietly into his tea. Sukra was also in the grips of sorrow but another, bigger, emotion took hold. She was enraged by the desecration of her daughter. Her soul was being held by some villain out in the world, keeping her from moving on and rejoining with her twin soul. She burned with rage. 

Without saying anything she began to pack some small belongings into their travel packs. They had not left the village in a long time. The last two decades had been spent maintaining the village balance and raising their daughter. It might end in their own deaths but they could not leave Senari’s soul out in the cold. They had to bring her home. BaRuhk eventually noticed what she was doing and, after staring for a few moments, stood up and began to help her with the packing. 

They didn’t take much. A couple of changes of clothes in each of their packs, and a bit of food to last them a few days with some hard tack for a longer trip. Sukra chose her best herbs, tinctures, and oils along with her medicine pack, tucking them into her bag along with the rest of her items. BaRuhk prepared his own components, mostly herbs for the spells he used. Then he turned to an old chest tucked away in the corner of their small home. It had a thick layer of dust on it from the years it had stood untouched. 

He pulled out a few old weapons. An ax, a sword, and a large knife. They were dull from disuse and needed a good sharpening. He pulled out an old sharpening stone and began running it across the blades. When they were sharp enough he pulled out a package wrapped in thick leather. Inside was a leather belt made especially to fit these weapons. He put it on and adjusted the blades into their slots. It had been ages since he had gone into battle with these material weapons. 

These days he mostly fought in the Dream Realm with his powers. The great goddess Kishar had lent them her power so they might maintain the balance they sought. They kept away others that might want to disrupt the balance in their small village. They kept away the creatures that might prey on their fractured natures. They had already lost many to madness and refused to let more be taken before their time. When their mortal body died, the mortal soul was reunited with its twin in the Dream Realm but if the twin soul died before the mortal soul, it could destroy the mortal mind and cause the mortal soul to die before they were meant to.

It was time, once more, to pick up the old weapons of his youth and fight. BaRuhk pushed his sorrow away, focusing on the vengeance he sought for his daughter. He took on the mantle of soldiers again, ignoring the pain of his daughter’s death and focusing on the journey to bring her justice and her soul home. The couple finished their packing in total silence, each working hard to keep from breaking down. When they were done, they headed out towards the town meeting hall. It was early morning now and a few people were up and about. They saw BaRuhk and Sukra heading to the hall and followed in concern. 

When they reached the hall, the grieving parent explained to the elders what had happened and what they planned on doing about it. The elders could not refuse such a plea for justice. They readily agreed to let the two go, knowing they might die and not make it back. Sukra turned to a young woman, an apprentice of hers and declared her the new priestess of Kishar in her absence. BaRuhk turned to his own apprentice, the young woman’s husband, and passed on the title of Defender of the village. The two would protect the balance in their stead and probably even after they came back, if they ever did. 

With everything settled, Sukra and BaRuhk set off for the road closest to their hidden village. Word had spread through the small settlement of their departure. Every member of the village gathered at the exit and saw them off with solemn wishes for success. No one smiled, knowing that they were most likely going off to their demise. Still, they waved and some even handed them small parcels of food to last them for a long journey. They did not look back as they disappeared into the forest in search of their lost daughter.