Chapter 5

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Gasping, Gretchen stumbled back, her hands outstretched to catch the nearby fence. Except there was no fence. There was only darkness, an endless void that gaped open in all directions.

Her knees gave way and she slumped to the ground, such as it might be, her skin chilled from the invisible wind flowing around her.

What… what was this? How was such a thing possible?

Vainly she screamed, horror etched into her voice, but the sound faded into nothing. Instinctively she felt this place was cut off from the mortal world, from the field she had but a moment ago been standing in. Her father could not help her. No one could.

Gretchen felt her chest constrict in fear and found it difficult to breathe. This reality would kill her. There would be no body found and buried. No life cut short to mourn. Just an uncertainty, a question of why she might leave so suddenly in the night.

Hands stretched out, grasping for any object available, as she crawled forward on her knees. No coarse earth met her fingers, no tufts of soft loam to pull free. And yet, in this place absent of structure, firm substance lay beneath her. Carefully, feeling vertigo from no horizon, she rose up.

“This… is not what I expected.”

The voice came from behind, it’s echo reverberating into endless ripples before fading into nothing.

Gretchen spun, fists clenched. Startled and unsure of what to expect, the appearance of a well dressed man standing with hands clasped behind his back did nothing to soothe her fears.

“Who are you?! Where is this place?!” Her voice was shrill, unnatural even.

The man studied her, casting up and down as if to judge her entirety by mere sight alone. Feeling put off by his attitude, Gretchen copied his gaze, hurriedly inspecting his appearance. He was of average height and frame, with an olive complexion, trimmed beard, and long dark hair tied artfully back. Silver iris’s met her own, and the harsh gaze made her flinch.

“You are not a disciple of Oulrac. Nor are you a knight of Tereh Vreku. Which can only mean that you are a random pawn.”

The figure seemed to step forward, his intensity overwhelming Gretchen’s senses.

“Who are you girl?”

She wanted to shrink back, to hide from the gaze of this man. Never before had she been so overwhelmed by the mere presence of an individual. Teeth gritted, she refused to cower.

“I am Gretchen von Glaus. Now tell me where we are!”

A flicker of surprise flew across his visage, before returning to normal stoicism. One hand gradually motioned towards the surrounding void.

“We are within the world of the Mistcrowned King and unfortunately, I am it’s recently deceased owner. Or perhaps more accurately, it's former Summoner.”

She gasped. “You were the dead man by the fence.”

“Indeed.” He nodded. “I am known as Esadras Bartholomew Barantyn. By choice I tied my fate to the card in your hand. My enemies planned well my downfall, but sorely miscalculated my desire for vengeance. You will be the means by which I achieve such goals.

Frowning, Gretchen moved to speak, but was stopped by a quick word and movement from the hardened figure.

“You have questions, and I have answers. But above all else, know this. By willfully picking up the card, you accepted the price that comes with such power. Once selected, a Ludum Haeres cannot relinquish their deck without death or defeat. My enemies are close, and though you might have been an innocent pawn, that will not stop them. With the trap I set, and you so willingly stumbled into, no longer viable... they will not hesitate to tear your mind and body apart for answers.”

Gaping at him, Gretchen could feel her head spinning. What did any of that mean?

The man began to pick up speed, pacing in front of her. “If you wish to survive, you must listen and do exactly as I say. The Cards of Destiny are artifacts of ancient design from the earliest era of Vesperia, meant to give direction and power to a select few individuals. Such people are known as Ludum Haeres, and they control the world. Behind every empire and kingdom, beyond every law and ruler, there is a Haeres moving the strings. You might… become one of them.”

Here he turned abruptly, closing the distance and standing directly in front of Gretchen. “There are, however, trials that must be passed before complete control is given to a new Summoner. Since time is limited, I will change the nature of these trials; allowing you to receive several benefits early. There will be a price to pay for such tinkering, but at least you will be alive to pay it.”

Though she had been vaguely listening, Gretchen could not shake the overwhelming sense of despair creeping upon her. She cursed Fiouin’s eyes for bringing her this trouble, and desperately wished she could turn back the minutes before discovering the trap of a madman.

“Stop!” Her voice rang loud in the void, its echo a whiplash in the ensuing silence. “I don’t care who you are, or what your card can do. I want no part of any of it. Let me leave, and I’ll see to it your body gets buried with the proper rites. Your enemies are your own, and have nothing to do with me.”

He stood there, outlined by the vague mist flowing around them, and said nothing for a moment. Then quietly, he turned and began to walk into the darkness. Over a shoulder his parting words could be heard. “So be it. The consequences will be on your head, and the death of all you love, your responsibility.”

As Gretchen watched, his form blended into the darkness, eventually disappearing entirely. She stood for a moment, waiting and listening. A cool wind brushed aside a lock of hair, and the smell of a misty forest surrounded her.

Closing her eyes and catching her breath, Gretchen focused inward and began to think. Yes, this was insane. And no, she didn’t trust a dead man who seemed hellbent on revenge against those who had wronged him. But that was no excuse to be a fool. Terrified as she might be, the words Esadras spoke had a ring of truth about them. Someone was coming, and they would not care about her innocence. Guilty by association.

And what of Father, Salvie, and the twins? Would they be in harm’s way?

Yes. Possibly even if she did take the dead man’s advice and flee Bluthown. But there was a chance, however slight, that it might work. That his enemies would be too distracted in chasing him down to pay any attention to a small farmstead and those that lived there.

Gretchen cared less than nothing of his enticement of power. She would never trust something so easily given.

Decision made, she opened her eyes.