Descent of a Flame

I have been tasked to make the pilgrimage from Drummanor peak to the depths of the Killnirin forest with little more than a satchel with some provisions, my cloak, clothes and my lantern. The monks of the peak have warned me of the dangers within the forest, not just of beast or man but of the mind. Within this cursed place of whispers and shadow, colossal trees intertwine their branches, creating a dense canopy that casts an impenetrable shadow below. In this land of perpetual twilight I must keep my wits about me, remain true to my goal and to never let the candle extinguish, for if I do there is no knowing what horrors await when all light has gone and my mind is overcome. I will embark on the morrow and make my way to the lower temple where I will be granted title of “Brother of the peaks”. As I stood in thought I saw one of the temples monks walking my way.

“Brother, may I have a word.” I asked of Brother Mattel as he crossed the courtyard towards the monks quarters.

“Yes, Owen what is on your mind?”

“Tomorrow, quite frankly. I know my task and I accept the risks as this is my fate and I am committed as an aspirant to earn my title but, having said that, I feel under prepared. I have spoken to Brother Tirin and he says I am ready but then I find out today I am to have but the one candle stick and no shoes as well. How am I to traverse Killnirin forest with only one candle and no boots?” I asked almost desperately.

“Well, it is our belief that one who keeps their heart steady and mind keen through Killnirin are both physically and mentally fit for our purpose here in devotion to our God king Shil-norin. Yes you have the one candle, it is within the lantern and wont burn through too quickly but you must pass through the forest before nightfall. When you see the flickering lights of the killnirin temple you know you have passed the trial. You will emerge stronger of body, mind and spirit. But don’t worry you wouldn’t be given the trial had we not thought you capable. And as for the boots we find the sensation of earth on the sole of your feet help keep you focused.” He replied, resting his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

“Thank you brother, may Shil-norin bless you”

With that I turned and made my way to my nightly meditations before supper. As I made my way through the cold stone halls of this ancient temple my mind wandered to the last aspirant who made the trek to the killnirin temple. They had found his corpse slumped against the trunk of a great alathkir tree, his head crumpled in on itself and blood stained against the bark. Whatever madness took him didn’t allow him a painless end to his torment either as the trail of blood began not one third of the way into the forest and he was found near the end of the trail with blood stains on countless trunks along the way. These thoughts are what makes me question my devotion to our God king although I know this anxiety is part of the trial. Even if I fail tomorrow, I know I will be welcomed with open arms in the beyond as my faith was unwavering in the end. I entered my quarters and began my meditation, giving my all to achieving clarity of mind and body but as I was deep in peace I heard a whisper in my ear.

“The forest awaits you, son of Ihrathnir.”

I shot upright in a moment adopting a defensive posture, though very unsteady.

“Who’s there! Show yourself!” I called.

“The roots need sustenance, and you will crumble.” The voice came from behind again even as I turned it was always behind me.

“Begone, filth! I have no need of your venom!”

“You will feed the soil and the trees with your BLOOD!” The last voice came as a scream in my head, all around and not even the blocking of my ears cast its foul voice away. I fell to the floor, panting, my head and vision in circles I clutched to my chest and tried to calm myself.

“That was no trick of the mind.” I told myself. “That voice… it sounded like brother Colin, the last aspirant to fall to the forest. How is this possible?”

I gathered myself as best I could and made my way to the dining hall to receive our nightly meal. The meal was as bland as always but the brothers thought it a special occasion with my trial upon the morrow. So I was greeted with claps on the back, a special seat by the head of the temple and plenty of wine. As I ate and enjoyed the company of my fellow monks I could not stop thinking about the voice in my quarters. After speaking to my fellow monks I was urged to enjoy myself and to get a good nights sleep while I can, so that is what I did.

The next morning I awoke to the morning chimes of the Temples tower bells, a call for all aspirants and monks to begin their day with a morning meditation. Try as I might this time for the first time in my years here I could not achieve peace. There were no voices thankfully but the rustling of papers and the whistling of wind gave me chills I had never experienced in this holy place. I entered the dining hall, had my morning bread and tea and hastened to pack so to be off with plenty of daylight to spare. As I approached the front gate I was greeted by a gathering of monks and aspirants to see me off. The drums of the temple sounded as a farewell as high monk Erithlin wished me well on my trek through the forest.

“Good luck lad. This is a proud moment for the temple and for me, you have lived most of your life within these walls and rarely ventured out beyond these gates. This journey will be difficult but you will succeed, I have no doubt about it.” Erithlin said.

“Thank you, Brother. I am confident God king Shil-norin will guide me and keep me in their grace.” I replied.

Erithlin signalled the monks atop the gate and within moments the two heavy set doors swung outwards, exposing me in earnest to the elements beyond the temple.

As I bowed to fellow monks and aspirants I made my way through the doors of the Temple and looked out at the great expanse in front of me. Mountain peaks as far as the eye can see, but as I cast my eyes downward I see only the green and yellow tops of the trees entering into Killnirin forest. I made my way down the mountain path, carefully avoiding the rock path in favor of the softer patches meanwhile cursing the monk who came up with the idea of no boots.

“At this rate I am going to be leaving blood trails in my wake.” I thought to myself just as I noticed the rusted colour on many of the stones and rocks on the path ahead. By midday I had reached the bottom of the mountain pass, my view ahead blocked by trees upwards of one hundred feet in height. The entrance to Killnirin forest was wreathed in darkness and shadow, only allowing me to see six trees deep. It was here where I reached into my satchel and produced my first ration of the day, lean dried meat, courtesy of brother Delthin, our cook. As I sat and chewed on the meat I heard a rustling in the hedge row fifteen feet from me. I stood up slowly, reaching for my knife just as a fox jumped out of the bush. It looked at me for what felt like an age before bolting along the row of hedges along the left side of the forest.

“Last nights events have me even more on edge that I had thou-”

A sound came from the forest, ominous and bloodcurdling. A low moan, sounding as though many voices overlapped on one another to produce this long and ungodly sound. I stood there, frozen not having noticed I had dropped both knife and my meal as the unsettling wail twisted and contorted with a haunting quality that hinted at a presence beyond comprehension. After what felt like minutes but was probably seconds the sound dissipated and the silence of the forest took over.

“Shil-norin bless this pilgrimage and lay your grace upon me as I take these steps in your name to serve you in your most holy land far above the waste and squalor of humankind, bless me to remain strong and keen of mind to best the demons within this cursed forest.” I mumbled to myself a simple prayer to our God king, desperately trying to calm my nerves and keep my mind on the task ahead. I gathered my knife and ration, then produced my lantern and candle. It was a thick candle with a slow burning wick, and the lantern was one of the newer designs that uses mirrors and a special lens that projects the light in a cone shape in whatever direction you point it. Without this I dare say I would be travelling in the wrong direction the entire time.

“Gods only knows how the old monks made the journey, a normal candle flame would only allow you to see a few feet in front of you.”

I lit the candle using my tinderbox, and quickly set it on its mount inside the lantern, then closed the box and opened the vent so as to not let it extinguish prematurely. I stood up, adjusted my knife belt so as to not be unprepared in the event of crossing paths with those who would mean me harm, then I put one foot in front of the other and began the trial of Killnirin.

As I stepped further into the forest I first noticed a chill, there was little wind so far but the temperature greatly decreased, this land of twilight will be treacherous indeed. After my first fifty steps or so I glanced behind and could have sworn the entrance to the forest was a lot wider than what my eyes could see at that moment, perhaps a trick of the mind setting in already. The thought discomforted me, but not as much as the darkness encroaching in on me.

“Curse this place, only through the front door and it is already playing tricks on my mind.” I thought to myself as I weaved in and around the trees by the main path.

“Don’t forget Owen, while there is a path through the forest, the woods have a mind of their own and it can appear warped so as to lead you astray. Always keep your mind sharp, focus on the edges of the path if you feel too much grass you’re going the wrong way.” High monk Erithlin’s words from last night shook me from my unawareness as I righted myself as quick as I could.

“My God, so easy as that I could have wandered off the path unawares of my own complacency.” I thought to myself.

I peered behind me and noticed I came around a slight bend in the path, so I backtracked so as to get a look at the the sunlight one last time in the event that I do not succeed in my task and...

“What is this madness?” I uttered, bewildered at the sight before me. The entrance to the forest was gone. No light entered from where I once walked, it is as if the forest has moved so as to trap me like an animal in a cage. Then I heard the whispers, many voices fighting each other to be heard above the deafening silence, one by one the voices call out to me, and for the first time I feel my mind begin to truly unravel.

“This is it, isn’t it. This is where the forest begins to feast on whatever sorry soul enters. From here there is no hope of Shil-norin hearing my pleading, my despair and my screams if it comes to it, I am truly alone from here on out.” I whispered to myself.

I turn once again and continue my path, trying my best to block out the voices I held out my lantern in front of me like it is the one thing that can protect me from the evil I feel all around me. There is an eerie silence to this place now the whispers have retreated, one I hope never to hear again should I succeed in my task. I walk for several hours before I decide to take a rest. I set my lantern on the ground in a way so the light illuminates the trees beside me as I sit down atop a fallen alathkir trunk and reach for my second ration of the day, sweet bread and surprise, more dried meat. As I sat eating my meal I heard a snapping writhing sound and I notice the light beam of my lantern turning upwards illuminating what appears to be…

“My god… this is where brother Colin was found.” I thought, terrified and trembling at the sight of the stained tree trunk. I look to my right at the lantern to find it slowly rising from the earth as if it were being lifted by someone, or something.

“You’re here, son of Ihrathnir.” A voice whispered from above me, shocked I quickly searched the canopy for anything, a silhouette or movement but all I see is darkness.

“This place will be your tomb.” It continued.

“BEGONE, DEMON!” I screamed, terrified.

“Ha ha! They are coming, and they hunger.” It hissed, this time coming from below me, then the sounds began. A low moan from behind me on the path I came from, overlapping voices creating a godless tone of dissonance, it’s echoes bouncing back and forth in all directions. I quickly reached for and snatched the lantern from whatever held it at that moment and ran, I ran as fast as I could, ducking between branches and dodging tree trunks as I weaved and jumped around foliage. At all times I kept an eye on the edges of the path making sure I was always on the correct course.

“There is no point in running, brother” A voice came from in front and then behind as I passed what must have been the source.

“I am alone, there is no brothers to be seen keep your mind focused!” I told myself.

“We have achieved peace, Owen, let them take you.” Another spoke

“In the end the soil feeds, this is life, and it will take you, brother.”

“It will take you.”

“It will have you.”

The voices became frequent and unending as I continued my desperate push to evade my pursuers, though the long and dissonant moans began to take a frenzied cast I could always hear the whispers. The moans turned to screams, in all directions. The speed of my run at any moment could cause my candle to extinguish, but I had no choice but to run as hard and fast as I could.

“Keep your candle lit, Owen. It is the only thing that will keep your mind sane in that forest, keep it lit and keep calm.” The conversation with brother Mattel entered my mind.

“Keep it lit, and keep calm” I thought. With a sudden surge of determination I forced myself to a halt, and then turned to face the madness. Silence.

“It worked! It bloody worked! Haha!” I laughed as I stood there, feeling pride in myself for facing down the darkness and conquering my mind when I turned around and saw the flickering lights of what must be the Killnirin temple.

“Finally, I have passed the trial! Shil-norin has blessed me this day!” I cried out as I began to walk my final hundred yards to the temple gates. I stepped over roots and branches and made my way back onto the path when I noticed the lights moving.

“Wh- what is it now!” I stammered as the temple lights moved out of view, no, the forest moved the path. Suddenly the trees shook as a gust of wind, powerful and relentless moved through the forest and turned me about, when I regained my footing I soon discovered the path was no longer there. There were no edges where stone and dirt met soft woodland grass, and I could no longer see the exit, only darkness on all sides.

“You thought it was over, brave one. But the forest never misses a meal, son of Ihrathnir!” The voice came again.

“no.” I whispered. “I was so close.”

Then the voices began, moans, screeches and shouts in all directions moved closer and closer, I took the candle from the lantern so as to feel it’s heat for the small comfort it was as I knew then my fate was sealed. They are coming, and they hunger as I was told. And so they came, and as the sounds grew louder I heard the snapping of the branches as the frenzy grew nearer, the crunching of the undergrowth mere feet away. Then the candle flickered out, and the silence was deafening.