Paragon of Destruction

Despite Brightblade's warnings about the mountains' dangers, the first few hours of their journey were uneventful. Aside from the oppressive weight of Essence that surrounded them, the mountains seemed both beautiful and peaceful, with numerous small valleys that were filled with shrubs and trees.

It wasn't at all what Arran had expected. After Brightblade's tales, he'd expected a barren wasteland, filled with vicious monsters. But instead, what he found were pristine landscapes, untouched by human hands.

There was life, too — squirrels and goats, mostly, as well as birds of prey that could be seen soaring through the sky far above them. But of any monsters, there was no sign.

They paused for a meal at midday — dried meat and fruits, since they could not use Essence to build a fire — and as they sat down, Brightblade looked at Arran with an amused expression.

"You almost seem disappointed," she said.

"Not disappointed," Arran replied. "Just surprised. From what you said, I half expected there would be Essence Remnants at every turn. But so far, I haven't seen anything."

"They aren't as numerous as you might think," Brightblade said. "Remember that they consume Essence."

At once, Arran understood. "They eat each other. Like dragons."

Brightblade nodded. "Exactly. And because of that, their numbers are kept in check — although it also means that those who survive are all hideously strong."

"So we might pass through the mountains without even encountering them?" Arran asked, feeling both relieved and slightly disappointed.

"They aren't quite as rare as that," Brightblade replied. "That you haven't seen any yet is because they usually lie in slumber, only emerging from their hiding places when they detect Essence. But if your Sense was a little stronger, you would know that we already passed several Remnants just this morning."

"We already passed several?" Arran looked around uneasily as he asked the question, suddenly wondering if there could be one of the monsters hiding nearby.

Now that he knew they consumed their own kind, his appreciation for their strength had grown considerably. He remembered well how frighteningly powerful Crassus had been, and if the Essence Remnants increased their strength in the same way, he no longer had any doubt about their ability to match Brightblade.

"No need to look so worried," Brightblade said with a small chuckle. "As long as we keep our Essence hidden, we won't disturb their slumber. We'll only be in danger if we across one that happens to be awake."

They set off again after they finished their meal, then spent the hours that followed traveling even deeper into the mountains.

Although the journey remained every bit as uneventful as it had been before, Arran found that the tranquil surroundings no longer seemed as peaceful as they had earlier. Now that he knew terrifying monsters were waiting in the shadows, he realized that they could be attacked at any moment.

Yet despite his misgivings, they encountered no trouble that day. There were several more goats along the path, but of any monsters, there was no sign.

They set up camp in a small valley as dusk approached. Although Arran would have preferred to travel through the night, he knew that wasn't an option — the mountains held plenty of steep cliffs and deep ravines, and in the dark, a single misstep could be every bit as dangerous as even the most fearsome monster.

Yet despite the ever-present sense of danger around them, Arran slept well that night. He briefly awoke twice because of sounds in the distance — more goats, he suspected — but other than that, he slumbered in a dreamless sleep until morning.

Perhaps it was the effort of a day's travel through rough terrain, or perhaps the constant soft hum of Essence within the mountains, but he awoke feeling well-rested, the dangers they faced at least temporarily forgotten.

When he arose, however, he found Brightblade sitting at the edge of the camp, with a tired face and a worried expression.

"That was an experience I'd rather not repeat," she said in a soft voice. "Two Remnants passed through this valley last night, one of them coming within fifty paces of us."

Arran's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't Sense anything."

"You wouldn't," she replied. "Though I'd suggest working on that. But now, hurry up and eat. The sooner we're past this place, the better."

Arran quickly wolfed down a small meal of dried meat and fruits, and within minutes, they were on their way again.

Brightblade set a considerably faster pace than the previous day, and they traveled at a speed that was just short of a full run, bounding dangerously close to the mountains' steep cliffs on several occasions. Yet treacherous though the terrain might be, it was obvious that Brightblade was more worried about the creatures within the mountains.

Unlike the previous day, they did not pause for a midday meal. Instead, they ate as they traveled, with Brightblade unwilling to waste even minutes on rest. Whatever she had seen the previous night, it was clear that it worried her.

Still, much of the day passed uneventfully, with Arran still seeing no sign of any monsters. And although Brightblade's obvious worries weighed on him as well, he knew that they were getting closer to their destination with every passing hour. They should already be halfway there, and with them traveling at a faster pace than before, it wouldn't be long before they left the mountains.

But then, late in the afternoon, Brightblade came to a sudden halt as they were about to cross into yet another valley.

"Stop," she said, her voice barely louder than a breath. "There's a Remnant ahead."

Arran had come to a halt behind her, but now, he very carefully stepped forward, his eyes searching the area ahead. It only took him a moment to spot the monster, and when he did, his eyes went wide with awe.

Half a mile into the valley, he could see a creature. It was shaped like a wolf, but its shape was the only similarity. Beyond that, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

The creature was vast — twenty feet at the shoulder, if not more. But despite its size, its movements were fast and fluid, unnaturally so. And as it moved through the valley, at times it seemed like it almost floated along the ground, barely impacting the ground despite its size.

Yet that was only the start of it. Because unlike a normal animal, this creature looked like it was somehow made from a constantly moving mass of fire and shadow, as if someone had forced a vast amount of Fire and Shadow Essence into the shape of a giant wolf.

To Arran's eyes, it almost looked as if the creature was a spell rather than a being, but a spell that had inexplicably come to life. And as he looked at the creature, he subconsciously shuddered. Not from fear, but from revulsion. Because whatever had brought the creature into being, the result was something that seemed profoundly wrong — something that should not exist in this world.

His thoughts were interrupted by Brightblade's voice.

"Come," she said in a whisper so soft it was only barely audible.

At the sound of her voice, Arran tore his eyes away from the strange creature, then followed Brightblade as she slowly began to make her way back along the path, away from the monster.

They moved in silence for a quarter-hour before Brightblade finally spoke.

"That's an Essence Remnant," she said. "And it's in our path. We'll have to go around it. That will another day to our journey, but there's no other choice."

Arran nodded quietly. Having witnessed the creature with his own eyes, he was in no rush to see just how strong it was. Yet a frown crossed his face as he remembered it, and he asked, "I couldn't Sense it. Why?"

"It's a creature made from Essence," Brightblade replied. "And it controls its Essence almost perfectly. Little enough escapes that even I can't Sense it at more than a few hundred paces."

Though Arran had many other questions, he did not ask them. Right now, all he wanted was to be far away from the creature, and he was relieved that Brightblade appeared to feel the same way.

They followed the path back to the previous valley at a rapid pace, ignoring the risk of misstepping and falling into the depths below — with the creature behind them, that danger suddenly seemed insignificant.

Once they reached the valley, Brightblade quickly found another — even narrower — path that led in a different direction. It barely resembled a path at all as it wound across the steep mountainside, but Arran did not complain — between this and the creature, he would much rather face the danger of plummeting down from the mountainside.

Night was already beginning to fall when they finally reached a small plateau, and after inspecting their surroundings for several minutes, Brightblade gave a small nod. "We'll spend the night here," she said. "It should be safe enough, provided we don't linger any longer than necessary."

They ate another small meal, after which Arran quickly wrapped himself in his blankets.

Yet this time, no sleep came — the memory of the Essence Remnant was still too fresh in his mind, and there was something about it that deeply unsettled him. Something more than just the danger it posed.