Chapter 96: Achlys

Charon paused. ’Friend? Do you know who this is?’ The Warden did not respond with words, rather actions. His robes began to tug him forward, pulling him towards the ghostly figures. Digging his heels in, Charon refused to let it, fear and confusion warring for dominance in his mind. Instead of his body listening to him, the Warden forced him forward, the strength the summon possessed far more than he had ever shown before. The others looked at him with shock as he staggered forward, his feet barely managing to keep him standing from the pressure. Emerius reached out to stop him, but hesitated halfway through, a strange trust keeping him from interrupting whatever his friend was doing. Charon tried to open his mouth and tell them that this wasn’t being done on purpose, that this was his summon’s fault, yet he was too confused to complete the task. The figures all shifted at once, turning to face him. Their voice echoed from everywhere at once, halting Charon in his tracks and slamming into his mind like a battering ram. "You feel strange." It was a statement, full of power and intensity. The air shivered with it, vibrating at an unnatural speed that set Charon’s hair on end. ’Strange? Can it sense my element? These things certainly seem like lost souls, do they acknowledge my power with them?’ Unsure what to say, he prepared to speak when the Warden spoke again. ’Achlys.’ The word was unlike anything Charon had ever heard before. No, it was not just a word. It was infinitely more, a command and an existence combined into one. It demanded subservience and acknowledgement, like a title fitting only the most impressive of specimens. Just hearing it made his body shake, his fists clenching and unclenching as his brain struggled to contain the power contained inside. Before he could stop himself, he repeated it aloud. His voice was not his own. Unlike the usual youthfulness and sarcastic wit that fueled his teenage tone, he produced a deep baritone that rumbled across the town, scattering dust and forcing the misty figures back. They shuddered away, their forms wavering and flickering like a dying lightbulb, barely holding to life. "Achlys." The others in his group jumped, their hands raising defensively as if he had struck them across the face. Emerius slashed his swords out, Darius defensively parrying an attack that was not there. Liam tensed his muscles and gripped his axe tightly, while Annie’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Red, strangely, reacted the most. Her hands reached up to her face, covering her eyes and shaking side to side. Tears began to stream between her fingers as she choked out quiet sobs, making no further noises. The largest mist figure, the one who Charon assumed was speaking, vanished for a second before reappearing right in front of him. Its hand was extended as if to grab him by the throat, pausing just before completing the action. Wisps of the mist lashed at his skin, freezing it on contact. It was a chill that went deeper than pain and sensation, tickling his being on a personal level. He cringed away to avoid it, but his body refused to move. "Where did you learn that name?" ’Warden! What do I say? You got me into this mess, get me out!’ There was a pause before he responded, and when he did, his voice was ecstatic. ’Warden!’ Not willing to risk the creature’s wrath, Charon repeated his summons statement instantly, hoping that it would appease it. Silence stretched on, filling the space around them. The figure shuddered, its hand pulling away as it turned to look at the other shapes. Its vague head seemed to nod slightly, the rest of its kind vanishing as the perpetual fog lessened. "Where is the Warden?" ’Yes! Progress! This is exactly what I needed!’ Charon tapped his chest, the chains rattling with the action. He didn’t speak, allowing his actions to convey his message. The creature seemed to understand. "Follow." It wasn’t a question. The figure vanished, only to reappear a few feet away, its back turned. Charon hesitated before taking the first step to follow, his friends doing the same with stunned expressions. At once, a dozen misty figures appeared between them and Charon, blocking their advance. Annie yipped, drawing his eyes as he looked back. ’Are they not allowed to come as well?’ His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he turned to the creature, which he assumed was Achlys. "Can my friends come?" The answer came swiftly and with gusto. "No. Follow." His shoulders hunched as he looked back, a pained smile on his lips. "Don’t worry, guys, I’m sure I’ll be right back. Just give me a few minutes, let’s say fifteen. If I’m still gone at that point, get out of here." Emerius called to him, his tone controlled yet noticeably spooked. "Are you certain that is wise? This is not safe!" Charon agreed with every word, but knew saying as much was liable to have them intervene too soon. "I’m sorry, I have to. There’s no telling what will happen otherwise." The fog quickly grew denser, blocking his friends from view and leaving him alone. ’This is fine. Absolutely fine. Nothing to worry about here, I’m just following an eldritch creature that my summon, which is also a glorified guard dog for the God of Death, happens to know by a name that makes the world quake with its mention.’ His face scrunched up as he considered the situation more closely. ’Yeah, this is absolutely what I envisioned for my future.’ The two of them stalked across the town’s cobbled road. Black stones crunched under his feet, their unexpected fragility covering his shoes in dark fragments that scattered in the breeze. The siding of the buildings that flanked them creaked with their passing, as if they struggled to move away from the ghostly figure. Speaking of which, Achlys seemed to teleport more than walk, their visage fading and appearing at random intervals, always staying a few feet away from Charon at any point. Rather than going to the church in town, which was what he expected, they passed by the holy temple and instead went towards the metal gate at the town’s edge. Even as they passed under it, their pace never wavered, constantly moving away from his friends. ’It’s been five minutes now. Even if I turned back, I might be too late. They will assume I’m dead, or worse.’ He grimaced. ’Shit, I should have told them to wait longer! How am I going to find them now?’ It was a bad situation to be in, made worse by every step. Luckily, their destination wasn’t much further away, the entrance appearing from a shroud of fog as a small hillside came into view. A cave was set into the base of it, with a wide mouth. A slow mist spewed from the opening, wafting into the air outside to create a barrier. The figure passed through the barrier without stopping, Charon able to do the same. He had an unusual feeling that normally, he would have been unable to pass. Inside, he found a large open room. The walls were tiled with onyx in a curved pattern, creating what could almost be described as a dark disco ball. A rectangular altar sat in the center, a series of carvings marked into the sides and top. A pale crown with three prongs sat on top of the surface, jutting out like a spike. An opaque gemstone sat in the center of the band, faintly shining with a dim light that came from nowhere. The figure approached the altar, falling to its knees before melting into the stone. Charon watched the spot with wide eyes, glancing all around as if expecting him to return from somewhere else.