Faru frowned. “I see Gabriella has been revealing more than her role permits.” He waved a hand. “No matter, you are correct. Like myself, Iralia’s true home lies on this side of the Veil. However, unlike me, she is Umbra.”
In the same way I knew what the description on the Temple doors meant, I knew the word mean shadow. I said it out loud.
Faru folded his arms behind his back. “Yes. The Liberi Umbra or Children of the Shadow are the darker creatures of our world. You see, Pandemonia has countless different species and sub species just like your world. Instead of mammals, invertebrates or reptiles etcetera, ours have been categorised into three main types or classes. The first is the Umbra, as I already mentioned. The second are Liberi Luminar — Children of the Light. They are the Umbra’s natural enemies. Finally, the third…neutral type if you like, are the Liberi Fera — Children of the Wild.
I folded my arms across my chest. “Okay, so if Iralia’s a Succubus, then what legendary creature are you?” I said, not really sure if I making a joke or not. Faru smiled and turned towards me. He opened his arms wide, as if waiting for a hug. “I am a Seelian.” I blinked. “I have no idea what that is.”
Faru looked a little deflated. “Hmmm…well no of course you don’t, Seelians have always been very careful to keep human exposure to a minimum. Allow me to explain. Seelians are the nobility of the Luminar. More specifically the Seelian are a species of Fae.” He scanned my face for a reaction. “Or Faerie,” he offered finally. “You…you’re a Fairy? “As in Tinkerbelle?” Luckily, Faru didn’t react to my accidental insult. “But you don’t have any wings,” I pointed out. “So I assume fairies can’t fly then, for real.”
“Actually you are incorrect. Several species of Fae do have wings. I myself possessed a magnificent set at one time. Unfortunately Seelians shed them after their prime years, when they are no longer of any use to us. I lost mine many cycles ago.” He smiled at me. “That is one element of your legends which is actually based on fact. However, much is inaccurate.”
“How do you mean?”
“You see Alexander; Pandemonians prefer to remain anonymous to the human race. It’s easier that way. Nonetheless over the centuries the inevitable sightings have been made, or humans have fallen foul to rogue predators. As nothing was known about their true nature, guesses were made. These rumours warped over the ages — akin to Chinese whispers I dare say — and became legends. Some have factual elements to them, others are simply just nonsense. Most of what fills your books and television screens are based in pure fiction and are the result of nothing more than wild imaginations. Others are based on misinformation. Take werewolves for example.” “Werewolves exist?” I choked. “Not really no. The Lycanthrope myth is based on what we refer to as Skinshifters.” I let the word roll about in my head as Faru continued. It sounded creepy.
“Skinshifters are a species of Fera similar in appearance to Earth’s canines, although far larger. They have the ability to metamorphosise into other animals, via a method known as imprinting. That is, they can alter their appearance and actions to perfectly impersonate another animal. This includes humans. But whereas a Skinshifter can emulate an animal indefinitely, they run into difficulties when acting as humans.” “Difficulties?” “A full moon. You may be aware that lunar activity has the ability to affect humans in various ways. Hence the term lunatic.” I nodded. “In this case, it somehow displaces the Skinshifter, forcing it to shed its new skin and resume its old shape.” A light bulb flicked on in my brain. “And at some point someone mistook it for a human changing into a beast.”
“Exactly and thus the legend of the werewolf was born.” Faru laughed as if the stupidity of how such a mistake could be made was beyond ludicrous. I stayed quiet, arms folded, heart thumping against my chest. “So what other creatures are real?” I asked finally, not sure if I wanted to know. “There are far too many to go through. Although, I suppose the most well-known would be the Vampire.” “Vampires exist?” I gasped. Faru rubbed at his forehead in a weary manner. “Yes Alexander, Vampires do indeed exist and most originate from my world.
Most? I thought. What does that mean?
“Hivemind Vampires are the most common,” he continued, “but by contradiction are the least known in your folklore. This is presumably because it is very unlikely any human would ever survive an encounter with them. They are lethal creatures who travel and hunt in packs. Hiveminds are indigenous to the Darklands, an area of Pandemonia completely devoid of natural light. As a result, they evolved to be effective night hunters and developed intolerance to sunlight.”
Faru turned and placed an arm around my shoulder. He began to walk as he talked, gesturing me forward. I moved like a robot, scanning the ground to make sure I didn’t cut my bare feet on sharp stones. I needn’t have bothered though, when I did manage to stand on one, it squashed down under my feet as if it were made of foam. When I lifted my foot back up, it sprang back into shape. I guess Faru wasn’t lying about me coming to no more harm.
I had a suspicion that it would be a very different story if I were in Pandemonia for real.
“In every Hivemind litter, one Vampire will always evolve further than its siblings,” he explained. “They become another type of Vampire known as a Bloodseeker. Fully formed Bloodseekers are intelligent, humanoid creatures which look and act very similarly to humans. Typical to most evolved species from our world, they have a lifespan on average about five times that of humans, but are not immortal. They too are susceptible to sunlight, but nowhere near as much as their feral counterparts.
“Whereas Hiveminds are carnivorous and will consume their prey until nothing is left, Bloodseekers only require blood to survive. Therefore a normal Vampire attack would consist of the leader draining the prey’s blood then leaving the carcass for their pack to devour. Furthermore, male and female Bloodseekers can mate with one another. Their offspring become Hiveminds and thus the cycle continues.”
We walked closer to the shoreline. The roar of the sea grew louder as we drew nearer. In each burst of lightning, I watched as the waves smashed against rocks in the distance, sending dark spray spitting high into the air.
I frowned. “So something I don’t quite follow. You said most Vampires come from Pandemonia.”
“Indeed I did. But I fear we are getting off track. Rest assured you will learn everything in time, but for now we must concentrate on what is most important.”
“Okay. But can I just ask, are all Vampires evil?”
Faru shook his head. “Alexander, I fear you misunderstand me. Vampires are not necessarily evil. They simply do what is in their nature. Just like humans, all the sentient creatures of Pandemonia have free will. When presented with a choice, some chose to be benevolent, whilst others choose malevolence. Only then are they evil, not before. Do you understand?” I nodded. “Morality exists in Pandemonia, just like Earth.” Faru looked impressed. “Exactly. Now to continue.” The Seelian stepped forward and gestured out towards the grim view in front of us.
“Despite its macabre appearance, Pandemonia was not always like this Alexander. Long before my time, it was a peaceful place of immense beauty.”
Looking at the fierce landscape, it was hard to imagine it ever being anything other than terrifying.
“Like your world, Pandemonia was once split into two halves by the Veil,” he continued. “The Umbra populated one side and Luminar the other. The Veil ensured that the two sides never met or interacted with one another. In addition, it acted to protect your world from us and vice versa.”
“How did it do that?”
“It gave off a vibration which could imbue a sense of chronic fear and danger. This meant that instinctually no creature would ever venture too close.”
I nodded. “So what went wrong?”
“Over time — as it did in your world, the Veil broke apart. For the first time, the separate halves of Pandemonia met. By this time several life forms had evolved to a sentient state. You see, in your world, humans are the only fully sentient creature. In mine there are many.”
Around us, the thunderous booms grew louder and more frequent, adding a sense of tense drama to everything that Faru said.
“It all went well to begin with,” he said. “The two halves of our world traded and lived in a peaceful truce for what would be centuries in your world. In this time several smaller creatures mixed and bred and produced new species of Fera.”
As I listened to Faru, I noticed my palms had started to sweat profusely. I frowned at them, then wiped
