Raya and Jasper slowly looked at each other and then at the river. Horror grew on their faces and chills ran up their backs simultaneously as if they were thinking the same unnerving thoughts.
"Let's get the hell out of here. " Jasper said first surprisingly.
Back at the camp, they had just made a fire within the mound shelter and Raya had finished cleaning the birds with Damon's help. Sitting around the fire lost in thought, no one spoke for a while.
Damon found himself starring at the fire in a daze as the stories of the sapphire river surfaced in his head. According to information of they're planet history which was called Planet Syair. Multiple centuries ago during a war with Multiple kingdoms. The kingdom of Ashwafala discoverd the sapphire river.
A dark blue sapphire river that was void of all aquatic life. No beasts, of any level would get within 60 meters of the river. During that time, settlers used the perimeter of the river as a safe haven from beasts after discovering the strange suspected power it held.
It began as a peaceful place even granting people residency as homes and small villages were built near the river in hopes of peace. For a period of years a clan known as the Hyundai worshiped the sapphire river for its sheltering presence.
They bathed in the river, held feasts on the river bank. Kneeled and gave thanks to the river. Spoke with the river, hoping it would grant them personal gifts like unrivaled abilities. It was even the birthing place of more than half the population.
At some point in the Hyundai clan history, when travelers began journeying to they're sacred village that became known around the world. Strange mutilated deaths began occurring after they're population reached over 18,000. Over 6,000 non clan members perished within a span of six years and more continued to perish as the years went on from that point forward.
All deceased non clan members were said to be given to the sapphire river as payment which then became a ritual of sacrifice as time went forward. It was written that no clan member could kill they're own, nor could they kill the chosen sacrifice. The strange deaths was the doing of the sapphire river itself as it was said a entity of ungodly nature was born from within it.
This entity would appear before the chosen people who didn't carry the blood of the Hyundai and visit them in they're dreams, speaking to them and testing them.
People of all nations had given up and betrayeded their own nations to live with the Hyundai clan seeking to gain and steal they're secrets, but ended up dead or missing after entering the sapphire river. They never died right away, it was always a period of time that passed. Some longer, some shorter.
Three hundred and fifty years ago, the Hyundai clan disappeared as technology entered the world. The cities and every trace of they're existence vanished without warning.
It was recorded that only someone with the bloodline of the Hyundai clan could enter the river. Anyone without they're blood that entered the sapphire river would be targeted by the entity to this very day. Its now a old folk lore thats stuck in a dual reality of being real and false used to terrify people.
A group of people from the Hyundai clan recorded they're history creating books that informed others about they're clan's rise to glory and fall to damnation after that same group of clan members discoverd the horrible truth of the entity that was sealed within the river was a being not of their world, but another realm called The Hyencalue.
Damon blinked a few times obtaining his drifting mind back noticing Raya and Jasper was still at a lost for words. Twisting his lips in thought, he took in a long breath.
"Im sorry guys, I didn't mean to scare you. Its just after Raya pointed out the strangeness of the area. That old scary story came to mind." He said forcing his face into a more relaxed manner. His lips twitched nervously as he forced a smile while they both looked at him clearly seeing through his act of playing it cool.
"No, I was already thinking of it before I brought to your attention. The thought hit me while sunbathing. When we saw a life tree though, I suddenly felt like my original thoughts were correct. " Raya spoke with nervousness in her tone.
"Yea, I agree, a life tree....near a obscured deep dark blue river. Im sure we aren't that lucky. Its no way nobody else hadn't found that place. If someone did, they might have put it all together from the beginning and didn't take the risk. No matter how valuable spirit fruits are, im not willing to be haunted for the rest of my life and killed for one. I just awakened. " Jasper said motioning with his hands.
"Ok, let's really do some math, what are the chances we are right and it is the sapphire river. That means we're still in our kingdom, the sapphire river is said to be in Ashwafala. " Damon said positioning his chin in his hand in thought.
"True, and if so there was no official location in the books, but it was said the nearest two cities were Quint harbor and one called Capetown." Jasper added.
"By nearest, you mean an insane distance. Capetown is said to be over a month's journey by foot from the river while Quint harbor is most definitely out of the question. Its four times as long." Raya chimed in with an exhausted tone.
Damon slowly took a small bite out of his grilled bird before getting up and walking outside. Raya, and Jasper looked at each other with raised brows for a moment not understanding what was going on, but soon got up and followed.
Damon was walking the tree line of the forest, the area they made their camp was indeed the forest as well, but it had lesser trees with many mounds of dirt in many sizes as if someone purposely made it that way.
"Could this area have been one of the cities?" He questioned himself out loud as Jasper and Raya walked up to him.
Hearing his question, they assumed he was talking to them. Turning around, the scene of the giant mound area looked different in some way.
"We failed to notice before, but all of the mounds are in a straight line and in multiple rows." Damon said softly with moving eyes as he scanned the area in thought.
"Yea, like houses would be in a city or neighborhood. " Raya added.
Jasper jaws tightened nervously as he listened to them make assumptions. In his mind, he couldn't debunk their assumptions because it actually seemed believable and made sense.
"Lets leave, let's go back the other way, forget our shelter. Lets just go. " Jasper spoke.
"I mean, even if we are wrong and this place isn't the same river, it's giving me the creeps now." He added which they agreed.
"Take this." Jasper shouted delivering a punch. Ripples of red energy surged from his fist blasting a hole through its head as he made contact.
The large lizard beast body went limp, collapsing to the ground. Brain matter, along with orange scales and broken tissue spilled from the wound as the large lizard tails spilt from its body, the tails slung and rolled with force, crashing against trees.
The split tails nearly tripped Damon as he dodged the tongue of another lizard. Rain stormed down increasing his speed. Twisting his body while jumping, he pushed off a tree clutching his fist. With a series of punches, shallows holes formed on the lizard side before its split tails whipped forward swiping him away like a fly.
He slid, digging his knuckles in the ground forcing himself to a stop. Before they left, Damon used the talons of the bird beasts they had killed to make himself a weapon.
With thin string like vines he placed the talons between his knuckles and tied them down and around his fingers. In total he had eight, using the same method for both hands.
With a somersault, Raya flew over one of the lizards snatching her spear out of its back. Before her feet could touch the ground, she threw the spear again with deadly precision creating a gaping hole in its shoulder pinning the beast down at the same time.
Jumping on its back, she retrieved her spear and repeatedly stabbed the beasts causing blood sprays and small gushing fountains of blood and other bodily fluids. Like a bull rider she held on doing a considerable amount of damage until the beast collapsed.
Its mouth opened as it attempted one final attack, but instead its tongue rolled out of its mouth followed by a stream of blood that slid down its tongue like it was a slide as its body turned still and its bright green eyes darkened.
"Hell yea, stick and move Damon, stick and move." Jasper shouted out pumping his fists in the air.
"He's pretty agile for a boy." Raya said to Jasper walking up beside him as she too watched.
With another strike across the beast face, its neck spun up, but snapped back down shooting out its tongue wrapping it around Damon's wrist.
"Your tongue is disgusting, dont worry though, ill just remove it." He said with a darkened face.
Grabbing the tongue with his other hand, his fight turned into a tug of war battle as the beast attempted to retract its tongue and pull Damon in.
"Come on, rip it out of his freakin skull." Jasper shouted pumping Damon up.
"Boys." Raya said while shaking her head with a smile.
"Grrrr,ahhhhh." Damon exclamed while pulling back. His thin frame was stretched to its limits when they all heard a muffled crack like the sound of a dislocating shoulder. The next second, muliple rips of flesh was heard as the tongue began to seperate from its mouth.
The beast shook its head in pain while trying to close its mouth. Its split tails slung over its body like a scorpion, but with one final hard snatch. The tongue retracted into Damons hand, without thinking, he swung the tongue out like a bloody whip intercepting the tails.
Blood poured out its mouth as it screeched and staggered backwards. Swaying from side to side, its eyes remained on Damon as its head slowly fell foward with its body following suit.