The moon shone with great intensity as Han wandered through the village’s darkness until he approached the same archaic church he had visited earlier. Without knocking, he quietly entered the church, snuck past the hall of echoes, and came out to the fenced-in backyard.
It was time. He made his way inside the bright moonlit tent and saw his uncle lying on the bed. Slowly, Han unsheathed his sword and lifted it above his head. With one fell swoop, he could end the suffering madness. With one swing, he would kill his uncle.
No. Kill my uncle? Why would I ever do such a thing?
“Have I fallen so far that I’ve forgotten my honor? What is wrong with me?” he asked himself, lowering the sword.
“What is wrong indeed?” a familiar voice asked from behind. Han was taken aback by the devil’s sudden appearance.
But how could that be? I did not summon him?
“A just question, mon frère,” he said, opening his arms in a showman’s pose. As he did, total blackness surrounded the entire area. Immediately, Han knew where they were. It was the dark plane from before he awoke in the forest.
What is this devil planning? Just as Han wondered this, an invisible shadow came from the darkness and belted him in the face before lifting him by his neck. The knight instinctively swung his sword in front of him, cutting whatever grabbed him loose.
In a mad dash, he got up and ran straight at Uldin. With one shoulder bash, he sent the devil flying through the pitch black to the ground, and with the swing of his blade, he cut his head clean off. He continued to swing his blade relentlessly as he mutilated and tore at the robed corpse. With each cut, Han felt a wave of relief and triumph come over him. After all, this devil was the cause of everything. It was his fault. It was all his fault. But now, finally, the nightmare was-
“No,” Han softly said to himself in disbelief. All at once, the dark plane had vanished, leaving before his eyes the bloodied, beheaded corpse of his uncle. He did not believe it. This was another trick, it had to be. “No, no, no, no, no…” he whispered while falling to his knees. “This is a lie, a LIE!!!” he wailed.
Han abruptly heard movement behind him. Thinking it was Uldin, he pivoted on his heels and raised his sword in defense like a cornered animal. To his dismay, it was worse. It was the priest whose name he had forgotten until now. The priest stood in horrified shock at the gruesome scene before him. “Father Ormond! I can explain,” he whispered.
“Oh, please, allow me,” Uldin said as he appeared behind the priest. Without warning, the same shadows that had grabbed Han in the dark plane grabbed the priest. “I wouldn’t come near me if I were you,” he said, holding his hand out to Han, “you don’t want more blood on your hands, right?”
Uldin cautiously walked backwards towards the village fence, as his shadow hands dragged the priest along with him. With each step back that the devil took, Han took one step forward, sword in a defensive stance. “You don’t listen well, do you?” Uldin asked.
“Leave him alone, this fight is between you and-” Han began before being socked from the left then from the right by two more invisible shadows, knocking him to the ground.
By the time Han sat up moments later, Uldin and Father Ormond were nowhere to be found, and in their place appeared a giant hole in the fence. What should I do now? Chase after them? What about Uncle? Han took one long look back at his uncle’s tent before getting to his feet. Inside, he found the remains of what he had unknowingly done.
He fell to his knees, staring into the soulless eyes of his uncle. “I… will make this right,” he said with unblinking eyes even as his vision turned blurry. “By the Gods, I swear,” he choked on his words, “even if it takes me an eternity… I will make this right.”
He ran out of the tent and headlong into the forest, but there was no indication as to where the devil could have gone. There were no tracks, no rustling, nothing.
Without warning, his head began to ache as he heard the voices suddenly return. As if pulling his head in the very direction, Han wearily followed their directions. Each time he changed course, his head would split and subside as he followed or disobeyed their instruction.
At last, Han found himself before a passageway of arching branches that stretched for at least a mile until it led out to a spacious area surrounded by lavender flowers. At the other end of the open garden was Uldin, his arms crossed into his robe sleeves, and in the center of the area was the lifeless body of Father Ormond, his neck turned a complete 180 degrees.
“I told you not to follow,” Uldin sternly said with a contradictory grin on his face.
In a blind rage, Han rushed the devil. Again, Uldin opened his arms and transported them to the empty darkness that is his domain.
This again.
Unflinching, the paladin swung his sword in a full charge at his opponent, missing him entirely. An invisible shadow grabbed Han by the ankle, causing him to trip over. Just like their last duel, he swiped at the shadow, but this time nothing happened. Uldin proceeded to hurl Han effortlessly across the plane.
What is happening? I easily destroyed Uldin in our last duel. He thought, bewildered.
“You fool! You think that a mere half-witted mortal like yourself could ever match up to a devil like me?!” he rhetorically asked while continuing to knock Han around. Again, Uldin managed to grab him and lift him by the throat; still, Han was unable to cut the shadows.
“Here I thought you’d finally go completely mental after what you did to your uncle, but I guess you’re more deranged than I thought, eh? Perhaps it’d speed things up if I just killed you right here. What do you say, should we give it a go?”
Han started to lose focus as his windpipe was being crushed. There was nothing he could do but dangle above in darkness. Slowly, Han closed his eyes as his consciousness faded in and out.
***
Upon opening his eyes again, a bright flash hit Han in all directions. The entire area shone with immense light. It was the exact opposite of where he just was. As his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, Han noticed he was lying on the ground of a blindingly illusory white plane, which, unlike the realm before, sobered his mind and cleared all thoughts.
Looking around, Han noticed that Uldin was nowhere to be found; instead, there stood a figure in an all-white hooded robe. The figure looked down at him and removed his hood, revealing his face.
“Uncle?” Han asked.
“You have forgotten your sacred oath, Paladin,” Srak-Dûl said in seemingly infinite voices. “You have forgotten that the Gods themselves have blessed you,” he said as he moved closer to Han. “Rise up, Paladin Han-Dûl. Knight of the Gods. Your mission is not over. You still have a devil to slay,” Srak-Dûl said.
Han did not get up. His body refused to let him. Instead, he looked away from Srak-Dûl. “Uncle, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to… to…” he said, choking back tears.
There was a pause from both sides. For a few seconds, neither Han nor Srak-Dûl said a word to each other. “No,” Srak-Dûl said, breaking the silence. Han could not believe what Srak-Dûl was saying to him. Here he was on his knees begging him for forgiveness as he was about to die, and he rejects him?
“No one but yourself can grant you forgiveness for your sins. You must make the ultimate sacrifice, not by the hands of an enemy, but by yours alone. Only then may you be worthy enough for forgiveness. Worthy of the Gods’ favor.”
Srak-Dûl reached his hand out to the dejected paladin. “So, do we have a deal?”
Han looked back up and met Srak-Dûl’s eyes. His eyes were unlike anything he had seen before. It was as if he was staring into the eyes of the Gods themselves. They were inconceivable. With slight hesitation, he took hold of the outstretched arm as he was hoisted back to his feet. “Yes,” he said, wiping his tears, “I accept your terms.” A bright light shone from their clasped hands as Han steeled his resolve and soul.
***
Back in the dark plane, the shadows clinging to Han became visible and dissipated as pure light emanated from his body.
Han awoke, conscious on the ground, the plane brighter than before as light continued to shine from every inch of him. In disbelief, Uldin’s grin vanished from his face and was replaced by barred, clenched teeth.
From the darkness, shadows flew and attempted to blindside the newly rekindled paladin, who managed to parry each of the attacks. It was time for Han to take the offensive. With a step forward and a thrust of his blade, a beam of light cut through the darkness and shadows, directly slicing Uldin in the abdomen.
“I can’t believe I let you use this realm to cloud my mind like that. How foolish of me!” he said, taking another step forward to attack Uldin. “I had forgotten many things. Forgotten who I really am and the powers I possess!” he said, standing more confidently and with that, more brightly. “I am a paladin knight! Wielder of the sacred blessing and defender of the royal crown!”
Han’s clarity of mind
With each step forward, Han slashed out beams of light, tearing the dark plane apart little by little, forcing the proud devil to the defensive. “I am the shield of the Festlen kingdom!
In a sprint, he slashed away at Uldin’s counterattacks, pushing forward even when hit by a few shadows, “But most importantly, Uldin, I am your reckoning!” With only ten feet between the two, Han extended his right palm out, emitting the brightest light imaginable, blinding his foe as he slashed one final time.
In the now gray plane, Uldin opened his eyes to find his head severed from his body. Standing above him, Han pointed his palm directly at the devil’s now unhooded head. “Well done, Han-Dûl,” he solemnly said.
For the first time, Han truly saw the monster’s eyes. And in them, all he could see was his own likeness, as if looking into two reflective mirrors.
“You should know this is not the end for one who has painted his sins in blood. You will bear the burden I’ve placed upon you for all your days,” he said, his tone more blunt than ever. There was no sarcasm or malice left in his voice, just a conversation amongst two sinners.
“No, Uldin. This is the end,” Han said, his hand still directed at the devil’s head.
Uldin’s eyes widened, his mouth parting slightly as he searched Han’s gaze. “Ah,” he sighed. “I see… so you intend to—?”
“Yes, I do,” Han responded with conviction in his voice.
Recognizing his foe’s resolve, Uldin closed his eyes and smiled. “It won’t work. Whatever you try to do will not come to fruition, but…” he paused for a moment, stopping himself. “Until our next encounter, my faithless paladin.”
With a single flash from Han’s palm, Uldin’s body and head dissolved into nothing, and with him, the gray plane itself vanished. Han was again standing in the forest clearing, surrounded by lavender and the priest’s lifeless body on the ground.
“Until then, my accursed devil,” Han said, taking a knee. He raised his sword so that it was vertical with his chest. Carefully, he laid the blade into his left hand as he appraised it. “My redemption is complete. My atonement begins now.” With one fluid motion, Han brought the blade to his throat and sliced through.
No more words passed from his lips, only the guttural sounds of a dying man. As Han felt his consciousness fade, his stare was solely transfixed on a single blood-spattered daffodil next to him. The flower, though stained, shone brightly through his darkening senses and remained pure until nothing remained.
He did not try to stop the bleeding. All that was left of him was the desire to be forgiven. Forgiven and dead.
Light.
“So, how are you feeling, my friend?” a man asked.
“Do you need another pillow?” a woman asked.
“Oh, stop worrying about me, I’m feeling a lot better now. Though quite peckish, I’d have to say.”
“I’ll get you something to eat, Srak,” the man said as he got up to leave.
“Much appreciated, Father. By the way, have you seen my nephew anywhere?” Han’s uncle asked.
“Han? Why, I didn’t know he returned,” Father Ormond replied, walking away.
“I saw him yesterday morning. He was acting very strange, you know?” Meredith said.
“Yes, well, he is probably stressed and worried about me. We haven’t seen or spoken to each other for two years now. I sure hope to see him soon.”