A World of Tomorrows: An Eternal Blade Saga Story

Over twenty years ago…

Lady Eira Byrne pulled her large butterfly comb from the mountain of golden curls crowning her head, and the coiled strands tumbled down past her shoulders. It had been a long journey from Divinity’s Reach to their home in the Shiverpeak Mountains. The change of scenery had been refreshing, but the carriage ride had been less than enjoyable. It was bumpy, and the seat cushions had lost their fluff over the years. To make matters worse, one of the wheels shattered its axle on the way home; and she and her escorts had to stop at a hunting lodge in the Queen’s Woods to repair it. She could hardly stand the stares of the hunters and travelers passing through. Their eyes pierced right into her, judging…

She examined herself in the mirror. Dark circles had formed under her eyes from lack of sleep, and the lines in her brow had deepened from the constant state of stress she had been in during the past few months. It was a stark difference from her usual bright and youthful appearance, but beauty often wilted under the heavy weight of pain and sorrow. She sighed and lowered her gaze. Her trip had been for nothing. Their last chance had failed.

She had risked travel to the capital city of Divinity’s Reach to visit a friend from her childhood. It had been almost a year since Eira had last seen Rhrya Valar, and she was elated to lay eyes on one of the last true friends she had left after she and her husband were suddenly removal from court. Despite their difference of opinion, Rhrya had remained sympathetic. She was a ray of hope in a bleak world, and now after learning the Valars had something powerful in their possession, Eira and Aedan were presented with a real chance. However, the hope which Eira placed at her friend’s feet broke into a thousand pieces with her parting words: “We cannot save one and risk countless lives with a force beyond any of us. Mother to mother, please believe me when I say I am truly sorry.”

Truly sorry.

In a sudden fit of rage, Eira flung her comb at the mirror, marking the glass and knocking an amethyst jewel from the butterfly’s thorax before it landed on the woven Elonian rug. She frowned as she stared at the broken accessory. Eira had worn that same comb to Rhrya and Viktor’s wedding. It had held such sentimental value in her heart—until now. Her friend would see them suffer, rather than help reverse the travesty which had befallen upon the Byrne family. Having been a parent herself, she had hoped Rhrya would understand their situation, but the woman merely stood there, breaking only once from the conversation to shoo her snooping crimson-haired daughter away.

But now was not the time to wallow in anger and bitterness. Eira had made it back in time for her favorite part of the day and being away from home had made her miss this moment dearly. Gathering her resolve, she pushed herself up from her vanity chair and grabbed a book from her side table. The old tome had been in her family for ages. Its old brown leather cover had worn along the edges, and the title’s gold inlay had almost faded completely away. Eira ran her fingers over the inset title: The Kingdom of Ascalon. She clutched the tome to her chest and smiled. He always did love stories about the old world.

Before leaving her chamber, Eira grabbed a thickly-woven shawl from the back of her chaise lounge and draped it around her shoulders. The manor they currently lived in was old and drafty, and they had been the first to live there in almost ten years. Even though their new home had not been ideal, their options had been limited on such short notice. After their removal from court, they received a constant stream of threats from those who did not appreciate their stance on current issues. Aedan didn’t want to give in to them; he didn’t want to appear weak. But for the safety of their family, he insisted they leave. Eira understood the severity of the situation, but she hated this place. It was quiet—too quiet. She missed the bustle and noise of the city. She missed court most of all. The gossip, the parties, the finery…there would be none of that now. All they had to look forward to were quiet meals and a lifetime of solitude.

Since she and Aedan had moved further out in the Shiverpeaks, they rarely had a guest to host overnight. It had been a year since the last one. What friends they had left insisted the distance prevented the trek, but Eira knew better. She knew the real reason they didn’t come anymore. Perhaps it was for the best, she thought. Her patience had worn thin with those who claimed to be loyal. Anyone could claim to be loyal, but actions revealed the true nature of their honesty.

She made her way through the old, drafty manor and down the back stairs to a series of sleeping chambers. As she strode through the corridor, Eira recalled the last day they were at court. She remembered their faces looking down at her and Aedan. It was as if she were drowning in a sea of disappointment and disgust. The shame they felt that day—all for speaking their minds. How could they not see the dangers encroaching upon their lands? How could they not see the ones already present in their city? Their treaty with the savages would only lead to the downfall of their people. It had already claimed their son.

Bootsteps echoed down the hall, pulling Eira from her thoughts. Eira turned to find her husband, Lord Aedan Byrne barreling toward her with his jacket folded over his arm and a look of extreme displeasure on his visage. His eyes were puffy from fitful sleeps, but his hair and attire were neat and well kept. His appearance had always been a matter of importance for him, even in these stressful times.

“Torxx said he saw you return without it. I thought you said she could help us.” He threw his jacket down onto the ground near Eira’s feet, and she stepped back as the leather material slid against her embroidered shoes. “I’m sorry. I just…” Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a heavy sigh. His cheeks and neck had taken on a bright shade of scarlet in his fit of anger. “I was just hoping your return would have yielded more favorable results.”

“I had hoped so too,” Eira confessed. “Rhrya and Viktor have the means within their grasp, but they keep it for themselves under the guise that it’s dangerous and shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands but their own—as if they know better.”

“Selfishness,” Aedan muttered as he shook his head, “that’s what it is. Can’t they see past their own perfectly happy life to see we are suffering? How dare they. How dare they keep it all to themselves.”

Eira bowed her head. “There was nothing I could do, save take it, and I did not have the means to do so. Besides, I have no idea where they have hidden it.”

A sudden silence grew between the two as an idea began to take hold in Aedan’s mind.

“It could be done,” Aedan mused as he stroked his neatly shorn dark beard. “There are others who would come to our aid if we called. Not many, but still enough. Not to mention the mercenaries we could hire. It could get a little messy, but in the end does it really matter?”

“What are you saying?” Eira asked, her brows knit in concern. She clutched the storybook tight against her chest. “What could get messy?”

“If they won’t give us the help we need, we’ll take it,” he said, ignoring her question. “Why should they keep it to themselves? Don’t you want to fix everything, Eira?” He uncrossed his arms and leaned in close as he gripped her arms tight. His hardened visage had begun to crack, letting desperation seep through. “Wouldn’t you do anything for him?”

She stared at him incredulously, her eyes filling with tears. “Of course, I would. How could you ask such a thing? But Aedan dear, we’ve never-”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Lady Eira sighed and bowed her head. “If only he had been blessed by the gods, maybe this would have never happened. Maybe if any of us had been blessed-"

“The gods have forgotten us,” Aedan said, his tone hardening. Gently, he reached out and lifted her chin until their eyes met. “Just like your friend. We can’t live in a world of ‘maybe’ or ‘could have been’. From now on, we focus on what is and what will be. If the Valars will not give their help freely, then we will take it for ourselves and show them—show all of them—we have the strength to do what needs to be done.”

The sudden surge of confidence from her husband reignited Eira’s hope for a future which had originally looked grim and lifeless. Maybe they would have a chance after all.

Eira wiped at the tears rolling down her reddening cheeks. “How will we even do this? It’s just us, a few Inquest, and some household staff. Besides, we don’t even know where it is.”

“We will find it ourselves or we will make them tell us where it is. We’ll raise an army if we have to,” he replied. “One that will rival the Seraph or the Shining Blade. We will crush those savages who hurt our boy and the ones who ignored our pleas for help. They won’t take anything else from us, I promise.”

“Where will we even start?”

Aedan lovingly brushed a blond curl from her forehead. “I’ll speak with Torxx. He’s been most helpful with our son. Perhaps he and his krewe can help us devise a solution.”

“I hope so.”

Aedan managed a smile and picked up his jacket. “Now, enough talk of our troubles. You should go in. He’s been waiting for you. I’ve kept his room the way he likes it while you’ve been away.” He kissed his wife’s cheek and then made his way back through the hallway in search of the asura scientist.

Her hope renewed once again, Eira’s lips pulled into a smile as she clutched the treasured book to her chest and adjusted her shawl. She entered the door at the end of the hall and stepped inside their son’s room. Despite the lavish furniture they had brought with them, they were unable to disguise the true state of the chamber. The wood flooring was worn and hadn’t been refinished in years. Some of the planks had cracked from the weight of heavy furniture the previous owner had. The wallpaper had faded and peeled from most of the upper wall area, and some of the windows had cracked along their seams, letting in the chilly mountain air. The heavy violet curtains framing the windows could only hold back so much of the cold, so a fire was constantly kept in the crumbling stone hearth.

It felt as if the whole structure was dying around them, and she was trapped inside with no way out. At least she had her family. If they were to live out the rest of their days in this horrid place, they at least would have each other.

As she entered the room, Eira was met with the relaxing scent of Caledon lavender from bundles hung around the room and the gentle hum of an electronic device sitting next to the bed. Before settling down in her usual chair, Eira surveyed the room. Everything looked as it did before she left. Aedan had kept everything in its place while she was gone, just as he said. Every surface had been dusted, books organized on the shelves, and the floor properly swept. Finding the drapes left open, letting in a wide beam of the setting sun’s warm light, Eira smiled. Ciaran always enjoyed the colorful sunset.

Ciaran.

Eira approached the foot of the bed, her eyes resting upon the figure propped up by overstuffed pillows. He was a pale shade of the young man who once stood proudly by their side. Seeing him like this—like a living corpse—Eira had to hold back her tears. She sniffled as she made her way over to the side of the bed and leaned over to place a tender kiss on her son’s forehead. No matter his state of existence, her love for her son remained unending.

A disruption in the continuous background hum caught Eira’s attention. Raising a delicate blonde eyebrow, she made her way around the bed to the illuminated console sitting on the other side. Torxx’ life sustaining machine was a newer version of an older iteration and much quieter. Eira couldn’t stand the noise of the older versions and claimed it didn’t make for a relaxing environment in the room. She insisted Torxx see to the issue immediately. It had taken the Inquest scientist weeks to find the appropriate upgrade components for the machine to function quietly but he saw to her request nonetheless. The Byrnes were bankrolling their work after all.

A red light repeatedly flashed on the center panel, indicating its energy output had ceased. She frowned and looked over at the tank. The power source had been depleted sooner than it had before. The last one sustained Ciaran for almost three weeks. This one barely lasted that long. As Torxx had instructed her and Aedan previously, Eira pressed the green button on the side of the console and waited for a response from the asura.

“Yes?” Torxx’s disembodied voice replied. Something crackled and crashed in the background.

“We need another power source up here please, Torxx,” Eira replied, speaking up loudly to make sure the asura could hear her.

“You don’t have to yell into the comm, Lady Eira. I can hear you just fine,” he replied curtly and then cleared his throat. “You need another one? We just brought one up shortly before you left two weeks ago.”

Eira glanced over at the tank again. “Yes, I know, but this one is completely dead, and the light on the console is blinking.”

Incoherent grumbles broke out over the comm link. “We’ll have one brought up immediately, but we will need to sanction another outing for more.”

“That’s fine,” Eira replied without hesitation as she glanced over at her son. “Whatever you need, we’ll make it happen. Just please hurry. He won’t last long without one.”

“At once, Lady Eira,” he said, and then the comm went quiet.

She couldn’t help growing anxious while waiting for the Torxx to arrive with another power source. Her son was already beginning to pale, more than usual, and as she caressed his cheek, she discovered his skin was ice cold. She pulled back her hand and unconsciously curled her fingers into a fist. He wouldn’t have long before his tether to this world faded into nothing. Those charr—those damned charr did this, she thought to herself. Her anger started to get the better of her, letting dark thoughts into her mind. If Eira had her way, she would skin every charr alive and use their fur to cover her floors and drape her shoulders. She felt her cheeks flush and her heart pounding hard in her chest as she relished the thought.

But her fear and anger didn’t matter now. Right now, she needed to be strong for her son.

“Hello sweetheart, I brought one of your favorite stories,” Eira said as she pulled the heavy quilt up to his neck and tucked the edges down along his broad frame. She smiled and caressed his dark hair. “Don’t worry. Torxx is bringing another one, and soon you’ll start to feel better.”

She nervously glanced at the door before settling herself on the violet plush chair next to the bed. Trying to distract herself from waiting, Eira smoothed out the dark blue silk of her dress and then flipped through the old story book, trying to remember where they last left off before she departed on her journey. She tried not to look at her son’s greying skin or his lifeless blue eyes. Every time she did, her heart broke. Only months before, she watched him don his armor and depart with a contingent of loyal soldiers to drive back the encroaching charr warbands threatening their safety. She had waited out on her balcony every day for his triumphant return, until one day he finally did, but not how she had hoped.

A knock came at the door.

“Enter,” Lady Eira announced.

The door cracked open, and Torxx slipped through. He wore the traditional red and black garb of the Inquest, and his large, green eyes peered out from under a wideset hat which covered his long ears. “We have another power source for you, Lady Eira.”

He disappeared, leaving the door cracked open just enough to let a sudden eruption of voices drift through. Eira tried to tune it out. Every time Torxx brought a new one, there was always a struggle. Eira always heard their screams, even at night when she was trying to sleep. They haunted her—every single one of them. But this was a price to pay to help their son, and it was one she was willing to pay.

“No need to worry about that, my darling. Pay them no mind,” Eira assured her son as she patted his arm. She winced as the crackle of a prod filled the air. “It’ll all be over soon.”

She could see movement out of the corner of her eye, but she forced herself to keep her attention solely on her son to remind herself why they were doing this. It was always hard for her to watch. Yet somehow, it never seemed to bother Torxx, nor his krewe. How they could remain so detached was a mystery to Eira, but it seemed to help them complete their job efficiently. She wished she could have been as cold and calculating as they were. It would have made all of this so much easier.

As one voice amongst the cacophony rose up louder than the others, Eira ventured a glance. They had brought a male sylvari this time, a lively one. He fought violently against his bindings, despite the krewe’s jabs with their charged prods. The Inquest kept poking him with their prods until the poor creature was on the floor, nearly passed out. Half of the krewe dragged the sylvari’s semi-conscious body toward the tank, while the others pulled the lifeless body of a young girl out of it. Her skin was grey and sunken around her eyes and cheeks. She had been drained of her life and essence until there was nothing left. Eira could still hear her begging for her life while kicking and screaming as the Inquest forced her into the tank. Even though this sylvari fought as strongly and bravely as she had, the result was always the same. They ended up in the tank, and Ciaran remained tethered to this world a little longer.

“We’ll take care of this,” Torxx said, pointing at the girl’s lifeless body while his krewe unceremoniously dragged her away. “Hopefully, the sylvari will last much longer. I don’t know how many more expeditions for power sources we can do. The locals are starting to ask questions.”

“Thank you. I want to spend time with Ciaran now”, Eira replied softly, her gaze turning back to her son resting peacefully in his bed. “We’ll deal with the locals later.”

Torxx grumbled as he followed his krewe to the door. “As you wish.” He took a step past Lady Eira but stopped. “It will get easier you know, as long as you keep it in perspective. You’re doing this for your son. They’re just subjects: a piece of equipment in an ongoing science experiment. Once you get it in your head that is all they are, they won’t matter anymore.” Not waiting to be dismissed again, Torxx saw himself out of the chamber.

They were alone once again, with only the gentle hum of her son’s life sustainer and the muffled desperate cries from the sylvari in the tank. Looking down at the book in her lap, Eira began to read aloud, but his cries repeatedly interrupted her concentration. Her hands began to shake. The sound tore at her heart, and for a moment she thought about letting him go, but as she looked at her son, Eira strengthened her resolve. She slammed the book shut, rose from her chair, and strode quickly over to the console.

“You’ll forgive me if I seem less than sympathetic to your plight,” she said to the sylvari who remained on the bottom of the tank, his bark-covered hands clawing at the base of the forcefield barrier. When he saw Lady Eira coming near, he stopped and backed up, his bright amber eyes wide and filled with fear.

“P..please, let me go,” he begged.

Eira set the old children’s book off to the side of the console, caressing its cover as she pulled her hand away. “I never really wanted this, you know, but a mother will go to such lengths for her child. Right now, we have no choice. No one will help us. Aedan is right. We have to take the help they won’t give.”

The sylvari used the side of the tank to brace himself as he scrambled to his knees. “You don’t have to do this. You can let me go. I won’t tell anyone, I swear!”

A sad, sweet smile formed on Eira’s lips as she looked over at him. “A part of me believes you—I really do—but we’re out of options. I’m not ready to let him go. Not yet. Not when there’s still a chance to save him. I don’t care how many lives we have to go through.”

Ignoring the cries rising from the tank, Eira looked over the console and pressed her index finger against a yellow illuminated square. A series of electrical shocks erupted throughout the tank, sending bolts of energy through the sylvari’s body. His eyes rolled back into his head as his body broke into convulsions. With tears falling freely down her cheeks, Eira kept her finger on the button until he passed out.

She let out a sigh of relief and took her finger off the button when the cries had finally ceased. The gentle hum of the machine filled the air once again as it quietly worked to transfer the sylvari’s life force to her son. A pale green illumination materialized on the subject’s skin and was slowly swept away into an opening in the tank which lead to a small tube. It then moved through the tube and into a needle carefully inserted into Ciaran’s arm. Eira double-checked the connection, and once she was satisfied it was secure, she wiped away her tears and assured herself everything would be okay. As she settled herself back down on the chair, she pondered how surprisingly easy it was to subdue the sylvari. Torxx had been right. They were only a subject needed to keep their experiment going. They were merely a means to an end.

Eira smiled at her son as she readied the book for reading once more. She leaned over and placed a hand on Ciaran’s arm, lovingly rubbing her thumb back and forth against it. Suddenly, she felt the muscles beneath her hand tense, and a glimmer of hope took hold of her heart.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay again,” she assured her son while smiling through her tears. They streaked down her cheeks and fell onto the edge of the bed as she leaned forward to place her other hand on his arm. The story book slid off her lap and fell to the floor with a thud, but Eira paid it no mind. “We’ll get what we need to make you all better—you’ll see. You won’t leave us. We won’t let you. You will have a world of tomorrows waiting for you when you get out of this bed, and we won’t let anyone stop us.”