Clyborn chapter two

A violent tremor shook Falk awake that night. He sat up in a cold sweat, looking around frantically for the source. Something was terribly wrong, and one idea in particular of what it was came to mind almost immediately.
“Where are you Loff? I need you!” Falk yelled looking for his friend; he didn’t need to worry about disturbing anyone, living alone in this part of the castle was somewhat lonely, but it had its perks.
Loff almost rammed face first into Falk’s head as she raced to him. “I’m here! What’s the matter with you, yelling so loud in the middle of the night?”
“Didn’t you feel that? It was like an earthquake! Something is wrong.”
“Are you sure you didn’t just have a bad dream? We are on a cloud, what’s there to shake?” She yawned lazily.
“Just come here.” Falk rolled his eyes and made way for the door. “This wasn’t a dream.”
She followed him out the door still trying to talk the boy into going back to sleep when he stopped dead in his tracks. “What’s the big idea?”
All Falk could do was point at horrendous sight; there was a gigantic hole in the castle! The crystal that kept Clyborn floating was exposed. “I-I knew it…. This is bad.”
“We should tell the guards about this.” Loff hid behind Falk, looking at the hole reluctantly from behind his shoulder.
“What guards? Father fired them years ago remember? We have to check it out ourselves.” He broke into a mad run for the wall next to the hole, and took cover behind it. Looking from behind the rubble, the two saw a man cloaked in a fiery red suit inspecting the precious gem.
The man chuckled, and spoke with a dark, harsh voice. “I know you’re down there, the bratty prince and his pet. Why don’t you two join me?” Every word that came from his lips sounded as if they were spoken by flame.
“Loff is not a pet!” Falk stood up quickly, opening his shirt pocket for Loff to hide in. “Who are you and what are you doing to Clyborn’s Heart?”
“Is that what you call it? Well this ‘heart’ actually belongs to me, and I’ve come to take it back.” He gave the crystal a greedy smile and walked forward towards Falk. “My name is no longer one that I care to own; I’m casting it off in this new age. You may call me emperor Raveil!” The man drew his sword and pointed its crimson blade right at Falk’s heart.
It took everything he had to keep his legs from shaking at the sight of the intruder. “You can’t do that! I… I won’t let you!” He struggled to form even those short words. Fear was the only object in his mind, and his face showed it.
First a snicker, then the man burst out laughing. “What are you going to do? I bet you can’t even hold a sword, much less fight!” Raising his sword again, he swung down at Falk with an evil sneer. Then everything stopped.
The Prince shut his eyes, waiting for the pain to take him away, but it never came. “What is going on here?” when he dared to open his eyes, what he saw took his breath away. They were not in the castle anymore, but somewhere dark instead.
Loff looked out of her friend’s pocket. “Where are we?” She flew out of the pocket and looked at the new scenery. The air was different here, thicker and more dry. “At least we aren’t near that man anymore, right?”
“Yeah…” The air made it difficult to breath for the prince. Several minutes passed before he was able to adjust to the new environment. “Wherever we are, it certainly isn’t Clyborn.”
With a nod, she floated back to her friend. Oh how she wished she could go back to sleep, but it wasn’t safe and she knew it. It was her job to protect Falk, her friend, so why didn’t she try to save him? In the end, she was so scarred that Falk protected her instead. She felt ashamed and guilty for failing him. “I’m sorry Falk, I didn’t-“
He cut her off, shaking his head “I’m not angry, we were both scarred, now get some rest.” He held open his pocket again for her to climb into, after all even wisps need to sleep.
She smiled at him and lowered herself into the pocket, curling up inside. “Please don’t get into any more trouble while I’m asleep.”
Suddenly, a new voice sounded off, making the two friends jump. “Ah, so the first hero has finally arrived, right in the nick of time too.” This voice was different, less demented, yet somehow unsettling. “I am pleased to meet you, Falk.”
“Who, who are you?”
“I am the one who saved you, that is all.”
“Why did you call me a hero?” That was the last thought in Falk’s mind, before he fell into a deep sleep. In the darkness, he was a spectator to all the events to come. Through his dreams he would witness six others on the same path as him, and already, the time had come to watch the next hero in her beginning.

End of Part one of Lovanthia Bound: Clyborn