Chapter LXIII: Kkel's Story

"Six years now," Pixel mused when Jinxie told her the current date. "six years since it happened."

The structure they had been led to was modest, to say the least. It was nothing more than a single room with a makeshift set of chairs constructed from the rubble strewn about the Emptiness. Enclosed on all sides, it kept the prying eyes of the monsters roaming around from attacking. However, it was clearly constructed with only Pixel and Kkel in mind. The six of them strained to make room for everybody. Jinxie stood pressed against a wall, feeling quite claustrophobic. Speed was asleep on the ground, with Isset sitting beside him, legs crossed. Xaerus stood near Pixel, who smiled at them as she polished the incredible Gjallrhorn. Directly across from Jinxie, Kkel stood motionless. The Red Mage found she could not meet his gaze. The Soulflayer's blue eyes burned just to look at.

"General Solaar," Isset's voice strained. She looked at Kkel, but turned away. To her, this man had been a near mythic figure. Now, the Puppetmaster could not even bear to see him.

Pixel's expression was understanding. "That's what we were afraid of, dear." She told Isset. "It's why we remain here."

"Six years," Jinxie could barely wrap her head around the number. A few hours in this place had been tumultuous for her. "How did you do it?"

"Time does not move in this place, Jinxie," Pixel responded. "Until you told me what date it was, we had no concept of how much had passed."

"I mean the sensation," she shuddered inwardly at the thought of the endless nothing around them. "How do you deal with it, day after day?"

Pixel tilted her head towards Kkel, eyes filled with admiration. "Kkel has never had any problems. Not since the start. As for myself, I have my music. It keeps the Emptiness away."

"Yes, Gjallarhorn," Xaerus chimed in, keeping her head lowered. "A magnificent instrument. As I recall, it was last in the belonging of a rather remarkable bard."

"It still is," the entire room shuddered at the sound of Kkel Solaar's voice. Isset gasped audibly. The Soulflayer folded his arms, holding the gnarled staff he wielded in one hand. No one met his gaze, save Pixel.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling at the monstrous figure. "Kkel is quite a fan of my music."

"Yes," Xaerus murmured, "yes, I believe he would be." The Mithra sniffed at the air, tapping her fingers against the shaft of the white-jeweled stave she carried with her. "I think it would be beneficial if you explained exactly how and why you came to be here, Pixel."
The Tarutaru shared a long look with Kkel. What the two of them had been through together, spending six years isolated in this void, Jinxie could not even imagine. To have monsters such as the terrible beast they had fought plauging them constantly would be hard. To live every day with the incomprehensible nothingness as their only surroundings would drive anyone else insane. Yet here they were, alive and well. Or, as Jinxie thought, her eyes sliding off of Kkel quickly, at least alive.

Kkel gave Pixel a slow nod. The Bard lowered her head, bringing Gjallarhorn up towards her lips. The others leaned in to hear as she began to speak.

"It would take up much of the time you don't have to spend if I just told you the story." She lifted her head, a sad smile on her face. "Gjallarhorn can show you instead."

With that, Pixel brought the reed to her mouth and began to play.

It started out low, a soft and somber tone that resonated quietly within each of them. Then it started to rise, swelling in sound and sensation. Jinxie opened her mouth, but could only give a startled gasp as the music of Gjallarhorn enveloped her.



Kkel Solaar, the Sunserpent General, sixth of the top commanders of the Empire of Aht Urghan, stepped out into the blazing sunlight of Tahrongi Canyon. Raising a gloved hand to shield his eyes, he surveyed his wind-swept surroundings. Under normal circumstances, an Imperial General abroad in Western lands would be a notable occasion. As ties between the Far East and the Tengu, whom Westerners called Yagudo, grew closer, so to did the Empire begin contemplating increasing diplomatic relations across the Gugru Blue. The Grand Vizier Razfahd, however, opposed many notions of alliance, insisting the Empire needed no such foreign ties. Visits of state were not unheard of though, and certainly there would be welcome and comfort in any of the Windurstian villages nearby. Kkel's orders contradicted such thoughts. He was to maintain a low profile, with no exceptions.

The sun cast a harsh glare across the unforgiving landscape. While the mountains were no match for the volcanic peaks of Halvung, the Meriphataud mountain range jutting up across the land were nevertheless impressive. Since landing inconspicuously at Mhaura a week earlier, he had taken some time to appreciate the foreign countryside. The marvels of Aht Urghan were many, but years of military service had accustomed Kkel to the sights of the Arajidah. From the dense thickets of Bhaflau to the swampy marshes of Caedarva, the icy caverns of Leujaoam and the scorching wastes of Lebros, Kkel Solaar had ventured far and wide in defense of the Empire. He loved Aht Urghan, but the sight of something new was always welcome. It was just a shame it had to be seen under such circumstances as these.

Jinxie felt the music shift to a darker tone. Her head swam as the spellsong ran through her.


"We're certain," Razfahd's eyes were hooded as he surveyed the map laid out before him. The Grand Vizier leveled his gaze on Kkel, sitting across the table. The air in the audience chamber was stale and hot. Beads of persipration were evident on Razfahd's face as he bore a whole through his general with his eyes. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, he still wore a full suit of black and gold armor, with a regal cloak and sword as well. The Sunserpent wore considerably more reasonable attire, though he had considered showing up to meet the Grand Vizier in battle attire. Kkel returned the Imperial's gaze. The two did not like one another, and made no pretense towards concealing it.
Kkel lowered his eyes to the map Razfahd had presented. A series of black pins had been stuck through the parchment. They were scattered at their source near the border, but grew closer and closer together as they moved towards Whitegate itself.

"This is a heavy accusation, Grand Vizier," Kkel grimaced, letting his eyes follow the path the pins made. "There is no other option save execution."

"You do not need to recite Imperial policy to me, Solaar," Razfahd hissed. "I am not asking you to judge their punishment. I am ordering you to administer it."

"Why me?" Kkel shot back, hearing leather creak as he clenched his gloved fists.

"You know very well why you," Razfahd retaliated, almost standing out of his seat. "I would not trust this a mission this delicate to any but our highest levels, and of those at our highest level - " the Grand Vizier's icy blue eyes deliberately pierced into the Serpent General - "you have the greatest understanding of the forces at work."

That was true enough, Kkel admitted. The map he was looking at detailed the sightings of two Immortals, Blue Mages in service of the Empire, since they had abandoned their posts during battle against the Far East. Each sighting was accompanied by a report from an eyewitness describing what exactly they had seen. There was little doubt left that the two had deserted the army, but what was far more troubling were the details being given regarding their appearance.

It was becoming quickly evident that the two were undergoing the transformation from Blue Mage to Soulflayer.

One of the most closely guarded Imperial secrets, barely a handful outside of the Immortals knew of the dread fate which awaited them. To master Blue Magic meant to take in the energy of souls, to make a part of someone else a part of you. This allowed the Immortals to channel incredible power, and utilize the abilities of their attackers as weapons of their own. Should one ever drink too deeply from that well, however, they would be consumed by the power lurking inside of them. Harnessing the souls of others would change from a gift to a consuming thirst. As the magic devoured their body, they would be transformed to a beast as horrible as the Vampyrs lurking in the dark. The Soulflayer, most dreaded monster of all the Empire's many plagues. A Blue Mage once dedicated to the defense of Aht Urghan became a creature of nightmare and terror, stealing the souls of innocent people to sate their dreadful hunger. The Imperial Army had a strict policy of executing any Blue Mage thought to be in the midst of the transformation.

Kkel Solaar himself was a Blue Mage, and had more than once grappled with the yearnings which came with his great power. He had long ago come to grips with the constant struggle of bearing blue magic. Others were not so fortunate. Regardless of what brought about the transformation in these two men, they would soon have no control over their actions. They would be no more than rabid dogs that needed to be put down.

"We have every reason to believe they have already eluded capture and snuck aboard the ship running across the Gugru Blue. Follow them into Mindartia, locate them, and deal with the problem. Discretely." The Grand Vizier's implications were clear. "Bring no one with you. Finish the job as quickly as possible. Soulflayers are still barely even a rumor across the sea, I intend to keep it that way."

"No one?" Kkel said, open challenge already in his voice. "I'll be taking Pixel."

The Grand Vizier's eyelid twitched, and for a moment it seemed he would object. Then, with an irritable wave of his hand, he dismissed the Sunserpent. "If you truly wish to endanger her, feel free. Now begone. Time is already working against us. I have arranged a ship to depart within the hour."

Kkel gave a barely passable salute, turning from the Grand Vizier and exiting the room. It was a job that had to be done, and Razfahd was right. No one else in the upper echelon knew better the stakes involved.


The music rose to a staggering crescendo, and Jinxie found herself breathless as Pixel's spellsong enraptured everyone in the room.

Pixel skipped to the side as a bolt of lightning split the ground at her feet. The song of Gjallarhorn filled the air, and musical weaves of blue and red spun themselves around Kkel. His magnificent armor was afire in the Tahrongi sun. The intricate craftsmanship of his red corazza was accented with every deft movement of the Imperial General as he swept through his attackers. A pair of shotels, curved swords in the style of the Empire, spun in his hands as he pressed his attack. Blond hair, cropped close and raked upwards, was hidden beneath a snug helmet surmounted by a single golden spike. Pixel always enjoyed watching Kkel at work. His bearing even in the midst of the greatest violence was that of the Sunserpent.

The Soulflayer whom had once been Ghaumeen of the Immortals threw out his staff. A ball of incandescent flame shot from its tip, surging towards Kkel. The Blue Mage spun around, waiting until the heat was close enough to nearly blister his skin, and then retaliated. From his own mouth, a stopped the firebolt cold. The Soulflayer cursed and shrieked as tendrils of frost snaked up his own arm. Kkel was already moving past him, blades spinning as he charged on the second monster. The other Soulflayer sensed its danger, throwing up its arms to expel a forceful blast of lightning towards the General.

Kkel ran straight through it, his own magic coating his body in a manuever he had borrowed from the Trolls. As he ran he gained momentum, channeling his power into his right hand and focusing it to the blade of his sword. The Soulflayer threw up his staff in defense as Kkel cleaved upwards, and it gave a gurgling shriek as the Blue Mage split its weapon in two.

"Behind you!" Pixel called in warning, and Kkel spun around just as another blast from the second Soulflayer tore his magical defenses apart. His eyes narrowed as the monster prepared another charge, swirling his staff in the air, creating an intense shield of purple light around itself. Before it could complete anything, Kkel shot out a stream of dazzling light from his fingertips. Strands of chi hardened into web-like filaments as they bombarded the infuriated monster. It struggled to break free from Kkel's hold, stretching and rending the magical bonds confining it.

It caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of its eye. A moment later, Kkel's twin shotels sliced it from groin to gullet.

The General turned even as the Soulflayer's green-and-blue blood sprayed across the ground behind him. With the light of the Crag of Mea at his back, Kkel weaved a circle with his arms. There was a rush of air towards him, and the stones littering the ground at his feet surged up, caught in his aura. The second Soulflayer threw out its hands in defense. His stony Elvaan features drawn into a hard, yet pitying gaze, Kkel unleashed the fury of his magic. A cannonball of spiritual force ripped through the air, crashing into the second Soulflayer. The monster was blown apart by the impact, turning into a haze of gore and blood which misted to the scorched ground. A shredded robe and monster detritus were all that marked its passing.

The Sunserpent, bathed in the light of the Mea Crystal and the sun above, slowly exhaled. Grisly work it had been, but accomplished now to the specifications laid out by Razfahd. Pixel shuffled over to where Kkel stood, smiling up at the Elvaan.

Kkel returned her smile. The Bard had once again proven invaluable to him. Though it had been only a few short years since the storms of war threw them together, it seemed now like he had never been without her by his side. Whatever he had been prior to becoming the Sunserpent, he was ten times that with Pixel and her music.

He was just about to open his mouth and speak when a hole was punched through his chest.

As he fell, he saw Pixel's smile fading, her eyes going wide. He searched for words, but found only blood in his throat. The ground rushed up at him, quickly turning red. Spinning as he fell, he caught a glimpse of pure darkness hovering in the twin lights of sun and crystal. His eyes focused in on it, like a hole where the rest of the world just stopped. Kkel's head hit the ground. Pixel's music was surrounding him. The world was turning a shade of blue as the darkness took shape.

It was a man, surrounded by a cloak of shadow so dark as to be deeper than night itself. An Elvaan with a sneer of cruelty, a malicious grin creasing his Far Eastern features.

"My game cannot begin with you on the board, Sunserpent," he said with a thick Eastern accent. His words were distant in Kkel's ears, like coming from the end of a tunnel. There was a roaring, a furious pumping of blood as it oozed from his body, and the staggering pain shooting through his chest. The man in black drew a weapon from his cloak, a gun of gleaming silver that looked completely out of place with the wielder. As the barrel leveled at him, Kkel realized no matter how unlikely it looked, it was true. The man hovering above him in the air was about to fire that brilliantly gleaming weapon and end him once and for all.

He thought of Dhalmels, the ponderous beasts which roamed across the Mindartian sands. He could feel their souls resonating with his, so clear and present that it was palpable. Kkel reached out and grabbed on to it, harnessing his power with the last ergs of consciousness.

A white light raced through him, and with a burst of motion he rolled to the side. The ground he had been on blew apart where his head had been, a smoking crater nearly a span deep blackening the ground. Kkel clutched at his chest. The healing powers of Pixel's spellsong and the Dhalmel's magic had repaired his wound, leaving only a jagged hole through his armor. Pain still shot through him, and his breath came in gasps as he looked up at the man in black.

There was no time for questions. Already the gun was firing off again. He let himself drop to the side, ground exploding at his feet. Summoning his magic, he gave a shout, shooting a wave of darkness from his eyes. The man in black laughed, throwing out his hand. A shimmer of darkness rippled around him, and Kkel's attack vanished into nothing. He glimpsed a circle of darkness wrapping around the man in black's hand. Then his gun was firing again.

Kkel darted through a barrage of gunfire, trying to keep his bearings straight. He drew his blades again, dodging a spray of rock shooting up at his side. He thought of spiders, and felt his blade pulsing in his hand. The energy of the beasts surged through his arm. Another shot tore into the ground at his side, and he leaped through the haze, gliding into the air. The man in black grimaced as Kkel flew towards him, swords glowing as he slashed like a giant tarantula. His target floated backwards, dodging the strike, but Kkel did not miss an opportunity. He shifted his thoughts to the shadows lurking in Caedarva Mire. With his second shotel, he slashed at his foe, and a wave of energy focused into a razor-thin edge severed the air. It struck the man in black with enough force to cleave a mountain in two.

The Easterner's face turned into an angry scowl, a single trace of blood trailing down his cheek.

Kkel's crimson boots touched down on the ground again, and instantly the sound of the silver gun firing was ringing through the air.

The Sunserpent let his thoughts focus on another noise. Playing for all she was worth, Pixel was bringing Gjallarhorn's magic to bear. Weave after weave of spellsong threaded through Kkel's being, empowering his every move. He turned sharply, his mind focused on the Mamool Ja. The man in black saw his target stop, and instantly fired a shot directly towards Kkel's head. Puffing up his cheeks, Kkel felt his throat burning as he unleashed a molten ball of flame. It collided with the silver gun's bullet in midair, reducing it to aqueous vapor. The man in black narrowed his eyes, unamused.


Chills ran through Jinxie's spine as the music drew to a shattering conclusion.


The man in black was on the ground, clearly infuriated. Kkel stood in front of him, panting, arms limp, but still grasping both his swords. A smile was on his face. He began gathering his magic for another strike. He could still beat this mysterious opponent, whatever his agenda might be.

The man in black raised his silver gun. The air froze, and then rushed in towards the barrel. A radiant glow overtook the man's eyes. He took aim, and pulled back the hammer.

"Coronach," he said.

A beam of light more intense than any other in the canyon threatened to burn out Kkel's eyes as he saw it blossom from the barrel of the Far Easterner's gun. He opened his mouth to scream, but the roar of its power overpowered his voice.

Pixel's eyes widened as it streaked towards her.

Kkel's feet moved of their own accord, hurtling him towards the blast. He summoned his magic, but knew it would not be enough. He called on more, as much as he could, and still was humbled by the force of the silver gun's attack. The Sunserpent dove forward, his body intercepting the beam, and he opened himself to all the power he could find.

Something twisted inside of him, and his entire being burned. It felt like molten rock was being poured down his throat. Like he was being torn inside out. He heard a noise that sounded like a million spiders crawling across his brain. He knew he was screaming, but couldn't hear anything. He saw only the terror on Pixel's face, and the man in black, laughing as he looked down on Kkel. The Sunserpent collapsed to the ground, in the midst of the smoking hole he had created. Pixel was shaking him, shouting something he could not make out. The world was going dark, quickly.

He saw the face of the man in black one more time, and futilely reached out a pale, too-large hand with crinkled and elongated fingers before the world crashed down upon him.


The room went silent. Jinxie almost collapsed, gasping. She realized she was shaking and sweating.

She had seen every second as if she were looking through Kkel's eyes. Every smell, every sound, every taste. Her chest ached where Kkel had been shot. Her body trembled at the feeling of his transformation taking over. She could still feel the rush of blue magic in her body, the taste of coppery blood on her tongue. Razfahd's face by candlelight loomed in her mind as he poured over a map. The darkness surrounding the man in black like a hole in reality was only now fading from her vision.

"Walahra," Isset was murmering, over and over again, "what was that? Walahra, sweet Walahra."

Speed was sitting straight up, mouth agape, staring back and forth from Kkel to Pixel, not knowing what to say. Xaerus was motionless, the look on her face revealing nothing. Her hands, however, were dug in deep along the shaft of her white-jeweled stave.

"And that is how we came to be," Pixel said, her voice sad and sweet. "The stranger disappeared, saying he had done all he needed to. At first, I was terrified, but there was still enough Kkel left in there to figure out what to do."

"You came to this . . . Emptiness." Jinxie said.

Pixel nodded. "I don't know how he found it, but Kkel could sense it somehow. None of those creatures have souls, so he has nothing to tempt him. I think that's how he knew it was here. Like a hole he could feel in the rest of the world. Time does not pass, so his condition never gets worse, and we never need sleep or nourishment in this place. Also," she turned her smile on the Soulflayer, "my music seems to keep his mind in place."

After what they had all just experienced, Jinxie had little doubt Gjallarhorn could indeed do what Pixel claimed.

"Is there . . . " Jinxie struggled to find the right words. "Is there any hope?"

"Once a Soulflayer turns," Kkel's rasping voice spoke, "he is never human again."

The words were more terrifying than the voice in which they were spoke. Jinxie turned to her companions, but they returned no help to her silent plea.

She felt sick to her stomach. She had completed Razfahd's hopeless errand only to find the object of her task unattainable. An impossible labor prevented her from ever receiving the help she requested. Her husband would go unavenged. The thought of Razfahd's condescending gaze, his imperious sneer, his . . .

Jinxie stopped.

Razfahd.

"How did the man in black know where you were?"

"What?" Pixel asked, puzzled by the question.

"Six years ago," Jinxie pressed, "that man in black. You were given a mission of utmost secrecy, yet he knew where to find you. How?"

"I'd always assumed he . . . " Pixel's voice took a dour tone. "I always thought he sensed Gjallarhorn, and followed me to Kkel."

"Or," Jinxie countered, "he was there because he knew where you would be going. Because the only other person who knew about Kkel's mission told him."

"Jinxie!" Isset's voice was scandalized. "I know Razfahd is insufferable, but you're talking about engineering the assassinaton of a Serpent General!"

"Unthinkable," Speed added. "That guy don't have the stones for a job like that."

Xaerus remained silent, but her expression darkened noticably.

"Razfahd," Kkel muttered, his hideous visage undulating as he spoke.

"We don't know that for sure," Pixel said, "we can't be certain at all."

"Unless we confront him," Jinxie said. "He'll be waiting for us back at Al Zahbi."

The Soulflayer gave guttural growl, inky black robes shifting with growing anger. "I cannot," he said, "I cannot leave this place. I will not," he spoke haltingly, clenching his fingers over his staff, "I will not endanger anyone by my existance."

"If Razfahd is working with this man in black, he could be endangering the entire Empire and everybody in it."

"That darkness," Xaerus finally spoke, a rage like none Jinxie had ever heard from the Mithra before boiling just below the surface of her voice, "that cloak, his ring, they could only come from one place. Dynamis." The word struck the others like a blow. "He has been there too, for a far different purpose than I."

Jinxie rounded on Kkel and Pixel. The sting of realizing she was being manipulated raised the hackles on her neck. "We've all been played for fools," she clenched her fists at her sides as she spoke. "Whatever game this man in black is playing, Razfahd is in on it. He has used us all."

"I cannot leave!" Kkel shouted, a sound that nearly cowed Jinxie with its power. "Only in here is the rest of Vana'diel safe from me."

"One week," Jinxie replied, forcing herself to remain calm. "It will take us that long to leave this place, return by ship to Al Zahbi, and confront Razfahd. After that, we will find a White Mage and teleport you back here. One week, Kkel Solaar, and we can all get the answers we want."

"But if I - " the Serpent General halted again, struggling with his raging emotions.

"Kkel," Pixel said beside him, smiling still. "One week isn't that long." She gripped his scaly, pale hand, brightly looking up at him. "If Razfahd has done this to you, I want to see him answer for it. We should know for certain, Kkel." She gave him a cheery smile, raising Gjallarhorn. "I'll play for you. It will help."

A low, fearsome growl rose from the bottom of Kkel's throat. He shuddered, wrestling with something inside of himself. As they watched, he stooped over, shaking his head, listening to something the rest of them thankfully could not hear. Suddenly he stood, straight backed, striking his staff against the ground. It made a sound akin to a scream being cut off. Of its own accord, the hood from his robe rose over his head, concealing his visage once more in shadow. The Soulflayer's gaze, even hidden, still burned as he looked upon them.

"One week," he said aloud. "Come. I will show you the way out."